Today’s post is incredibly pertinent to everyone here. Learning from other people’s mistakes is almost as good as learning from your own mistakes. The powers of observation will help you from having to experience it yourself in order to ingrain the lesson. For example, if the dumb broad that wrote the linked article in yesterday’s post had made logical observations, maybe a couple inferences, and not performed the Tracy Anderson POW program, she wouldn’t have had to waste her time getting so obnoxiously unhealthy.
I have two stories that should blatantly teach you not to lift heavy after a long day of traveling. Traveling itself is a necessary hindrance (we haven’t developed a floo network yet). My observation has been that training hard upon getting to the new destination is doable. However, once returning home — typically after a busy few days that are capped off with that last “I can’t wait to get home” traveling day — it would be best to ease back into training.
Traveling, though tiring at times, broadens our horizons and exposes us to new cultures. It’s a necessary hurdle to jump over if you want to experience the world’s wonders firsthand. Take Hawaii, for example. Imagine sinking your toes into the warm sand of Waikiki Beach, the sound of gentle waves lapping at the shore. You could be snorkeling in crystal-clear waters, surrounded by vibrantly colored fish and coral reefs. Or, perhaps you’d prefer to cruise the island on a mopeds, feeling the wind in your hair as you explore hidden coves and charming towns. Hike through a lush rainforest, enveloped by the scent of plumeria flowers and the call of exotic birds. Hawaii offers a unique blend of relaxation, adventure, and cultural immersion.
When I worked with Rip we came home from doing a Starting Strength Seminar in California. The next day I was volume squatting for the Texas Method; I was on my third set of 5×5 at 430. When I went down on the third rep, I felt a sharp movement and pain in my lumbar/sacral area. I actually squatted it up with help so I didn’t kill my spotters (Chris being one of them). There were some other circumstances that made the injury worse, and it ended up preventing me from squatting for about two months. During that time I qualified for nationals in weightlifting without squatting heavy and a yanked back.
The second story happened yesterday. I traveled back from San Antonio (where the military nationals for USAPL were) on Monday; the day started at 3:50 AM and I got home around 8:30 PM (this included six hours of driving). It was arduous. Yesterday I was squatting heavier than I have in a while. I planned on doing two or three reps. At the bottom of the second rep, I feel kind of a pop in my left TFL/hip flexor area, yet it doesn’t necessarily hurt and I squat the rep up well enough. I stood there debating whether or not to do the third rep; it didn’t hurt, so I descended. When I got to the bottom it didn’t hurt, but it felt…fluid, like there wasn’t normal support. So I just eased the bar onto the pins knowing that things weren’t normal.
A day later, it’s sore. I am continuing to treat it (especially with ice), but I’m irritated with myself because what happened is obvious. The day before I was sitting a lot with my hips in complete flexion; they were undoubtedly tight. I worked on my back and lateral hips a bit before going to bed, but I didn’t really give the anterior thigh any attention (I’ve never had issues in this area, with injuries or as a result of squatting technique). In any case, the negligence in not working on them when I got home and choosing to lift heavy resulted in an injury that will take at least a week to rehab (by my estimation).
Be aware of how certain body positions can effect training. If you sit at a desk for 8+ hours a day, you are more than likely experiencing something similar. Whether you are traveling or working in an office, give your hips and low back attention. Stop and think; what is my back doing all day? Is it in weird lumbar flexion with bad posture? Mine is if I’m traveling; my torso is long and I don’t fit in regular chairs. I have to slouch in order to be comfortable (why airline and car seats don’t have lumbar support is beyond me). What are your hips and knees doing all day? My thighs are bigger than average, and they don’t fit in seats comfortably. Hips are in flexion when sitting and I’m usually externally rotated so that my thighs don’t smash down on my junk. Based on that observation, right away I should know to pay attention to my sacral/lumbar and lateral hip areas. It’s obvious that when the knee is in flexion all day that the rectus femoris would be tight (or even the TFL or adductor longus). The easiest way to address these muscular irritations is with a foam roller or PVC pipe. Roll over the area, and when you find a painful spot, spend some time working it out.
To bring this lesson full circle, remember that your body adapts to stress. “Stress” doesn’t necessarily have to be something you’re imparting on the body for performance gain. “Stress” can be a lack of activity, or even a lack of movement. You intuitively know this; when you get out of bed or up from the couch, you have to stretch or move to loosen your muscles up. Sitting for long periods of time makes you feel stiff and rigid. Here is Dr. Gil Hedley talking about this topic. He conceptualizes it by calling it “fuzz”, but after watching this video you’ll have an understanding of why sitting still can make you stiff. Staying stiff without addressing the muscle tissue with stimulation or movement can make muscle too “rigid”. Rigid muscle and tendons are easily injured.
Great post, as I have the same issues with, “gotta get under the bar asap” and end up with hurting myself, or getting pissed off.
Question- May 21 I have to travel via car about 7 hours on a Friday after work(I own/run an auto repair shop), for a Strongman contest Saturday morning in Boise, ID. It’s a max contest, no medleys or anything- max log, max yoke squat lift from bottom position, stone to max height, farmer medley, and I think that’s it.
What should I do, Friday night or even Saturday morning to ensure a good showing? My car is comfortable and my seating is set just right(thank you memory power seats)…
Loosen up every 2 hours on the ride with dynamic stretching and air squats. Do some kind of dynamic stretching and rolling your body out when you get there. Do the same thing when you wake up. Do whatever warm-up routine before the contest (hopefully you have a routine).
–Justin
If you can lie down across the back seats I think that would be best.
Great post. My lower back and hamstrings are a huge problem area for me. I lift in the evening after sitting at work for 8+ hours a day. Does anyone have a good warm up or way to loosen up their hamstrings before they squat or deadlift?
@bohdi
Good ol’ leg swings work pretty well for me.
Thanks Justin, too bad I will be doing the driving :P
I will just make sure to stop and do something to keep from being so tight.
And yes, I do have a solid and quick warmup routine.
@bohdi-
I do this:
squat stance, touch toes(legs straight), squat with knees outside of elbows(while still touching toes), stand up.
This really stretches my hams and warms my hips. I do more adbuctor work and easy GHRs before squatting though.
@bohdi – ditto the leg swings and toe touches
A timely mobility WOD:
http://www.mobilitywod.com/2011/03/episode-204365-donnie-thompson-strongest-powerlifter-ever-cares-about-your-swelling.html
Great post. There was a mobility wod video the other day where the guy referred to this “fuzz” as lamination, which I thought was a useful way to think about it.
Do you have any specific suggestions for people with desk jobs who have to lift after sitting all day? Anything in addition to foam rolling the trigger points/sore spots? Some things I do is standing up every 15 or 30 minutes, even if just for a second; changing up my sitting position and trying to maintaing good posture with shoulders back; stretching when no one is looking; removing my shoes and sitting cross legged in the chair for a bit, etc. I have to wear a suit and tie every day and the suit gets a little tighter every day making it hard to move/stretch.
At my previous job I had this fine piece of technology to sit on all day:
The Herman Miller Aeron Chair.
http://www.csnstores.com/asp/show_detail.asp?sku=HML1016
That bad boy has the best lumbar support and adjustment capabilities of any seat I’ve ever sat in. I felt like I was commanding the deck of the Star Trek Enterprise. But at my current job I’m still on the waiting list for a new seat.
For the past couple months I’ve been getting sharp pain in my front hip flexor area on my heavy sets on the nights I lift after working. I can mitigate this somewhat by foam rolling. Would it be a good idea to also stretch the hip flexors after warm up sets but before lifting heavy?
Short travel has always annoyed me for sporting events. I always felt a little out of sync if I had to take a bus or drive to something and compete if it were more than an hour away.
Medium travel would be anything up to 5-6 hours for me. Extra special warm ups, breaks on the way if possible. I like to take a tennis ball and have athletes do both their deep tissue work and play some handball against each other or against a wall for a while for warm ups outside of normal things.
Long travel, like on planes, can knock people around badly. Those 10+hour trips are hideous. Nothing like some solid sunlight to reset the body clock.
I recently converting my cube at work to a standing office. I now stand 8+ hours a day instead of sit and it has made a huge difference in my entire body. Hips feel better, especially after lifting. posture is better and because I’m not slumping, I’m not as tight in my upper back. It took my feet some getting used to, but any pain would go away over night. Since I started riding my bike to work, it has helped even more with tight hip flexors.
The only downside is that now sitting in a car for long road trips is almost unbearable. I used to be able to drive to CO from TX with no issues. Now I can barely make it across the state.
More anterior work. Less fuzz. Got it. Nice.
@Snyder
I feel your pain on the drives. I drive from Houston to Colorado every summer and the rides are getting harder and harder to bare. I like your idea of a standing office, how did you do it? I have tried using an exercise ball to sit on at work so that i use good posture but i wold like to give this standing thing a shot…
@Snyder
What did you do? I was thinking of maybe putting my computer monitor and keyboard up on boxes but that’s going to look pretty weird.
@stonewallwells
My cube is modular and everything hangs off the walls, so I moved only the corner piece that holds the monitors and keyboard tray up about 8″. I moved the keyboard tray all the way up and put my monitors on stands. this allows me to lower it to a seated level if my experiment failed.
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5173/5554184118_a830bf885e_z.jpg
@Maslow
I have a similar adjustable (sit/stand) desk at my work. My employer’s policy is that you get one if you have a doctor’s prescription. My doctor’s policy is that everybody should have a standing desk. (This is a defensible and commonly held medical opinion, not insurance fraud.) So, it was as simple as getting a note from my doctor and waiting a week for the work order to be completed.
Your place of work may have a slightly different policy (maybe no prescription required or maybe a more restrictive kind of prescription, like one from a specialist). IIRC you used to have some kind of spine or hip alignment issues, so you should be a shoe-in even if your workplace’s policy is more restricted.
When using a foam roll and you find that spot that you have to work out, what exactly is it that is going on internally that you are fixing?
The second story you told is a lot like something that happened to me last month. After an 80+ hour work week on the road, I got back and resumed squatting right where I had left off the week before. On my final set, 4th rep of 5, down in the hole I felt a popping/ripping sensation in my left hip flexor. I finished the rep, thought about how it didn’t hurt as bad as I’d expected, and went for the fifth and got it. But I knew I’d fucked my hip up, and for 2 weeks I had to stretch a lot just to be able to walk normally. I’ve taken a 4-week layoff from heavy squatting now while I fix this up, because it is a deep-seated hip flexibility problem that I need to fix before I let it happen again. But going from on the road (and mostly seated) all week to lifting heavy without any mobility work was a mistake. Good post, much truth.
Stretching and foam rolling are good, but Gil Hedley is a PhD of religious studies, not a medical doctor. Really. This becomes painfully apparent when he points out loose areolar tissue, refers to it as “fuzz,” and then suggests that foam rolling will make this “fuzz” go away. Foam rolling may do many things, but is is not going to make loose areolar tissue dissolve.
I didn’t watch the video when I posted it (I watched it a couple months ago). Does he talk about foam rolling? I didn’t think he did.
–Justin
I don´t use my bike (I don´t have a car) during wintertime (4-5 months from where I´m from) and walk about 1 h average each day. Seems to do the trick for me, I have short hip-flexoras and it allways suck to sit hours in a car, plane or on a train (easier to move around on the latter tho).
Gil is hilarious to watch! :)
+1 for converting workspace to a stand-up. It’s only been 3 days and the difference is tangible.
One thing that always keeps my back feeling better consistently is having a gymboss timer on my desk set to 20 minutes. Every time the timer goes off, no matter what I’m doing at the time, I stand up and usually do some stretching or joint mobility. On a good day I usually feel like getting up even before it hits the 20 minute mark. Good way to keep moving throughout the day.