So I don't poison the LC thread with pics I figure I'll start a thread....maybe i'll log what I do. I've got no real specific goals at the moment - just not get weaker and fatter I guess.

Generic stats:
36 years old
5' 8.5"
177.5 (weighed tonight)
Nearly total physically inactive from 1996 to 2012. Ran track Fresh and Soph years of High School.
Work on computers all day so I sit on my ass *a lot*

Started indoor rock climbing at the start of 2012. Weighed around 159.

Started weight lifting September 2012, weighed around 151.

Had a trainer from September 2012 to April 2013. Did random **** as trainers do. Cable bicep curls standing on flat side of bosu etc.

I never kept track of things early on, never followed a program just kind of did **** and got a little stronger over time. Pretty sure the first 1.5 years of "being on my own" (just breached 3 years of that) I barely went anywhere.

Current known/guess 1RMs
240 bench (debatable, haven't attempted a test, can do 3 @ 235)
335 squat (haven't tested in about 1.5 years due to the surgery last year and then the toe thing staying away from heavier back squatting for much of 2015)
370 deadlift (did this about a month ago, ugly terrible grind, prolly not white lighted)

topless noods taken tonight after a back/bi/core workout

front


side

Think I've been waiting almost ever since I began posting in H&F for you to start a log. Exciting. Good luck.

That is what you look like? Wowow. I thought you were fat and Asian somehow. Aidan, racist ban me now.

LOL

In all my pale nerd glory yes

[x] came

So for quite along time I've always felt very right dominate with my legs. It is also my left knee that gives me grief. My left foot/leg also tends to turn out slightly. My left single leg balance is also not as good, feel like I have to constantly adjust. Additionally I can't walk for much distance at speed (3mph+) before I get a tibialis anterior pump (shin splints on outside of lower leg) in both legs, but my left leg way more so to the point it basically hurts to walk. Running doesn't seem to be a problem at all and at like 2.5mph or less its not there at all. Casual hiking is also not a problem, did a few miles at Bond Falls in the UP of Michigan this past weekend.

This past weekend I also did a stand up paddle board for the first time as well:


and I was "good" at it - except my left foot started hurting and it radiated up causing the shin splint. This was a huge surprise for me, never felt this issue "standing" - but this is an active standing requiring constant adjustments in your core and legs to stay up right.

Back pedal a week on the 25th I had a full body massage with a new woman at a new place and interestingly enough when she was working my feet she asked without prompting if I'd ever had an injury to my left foot as she could tell that the metatarsals were not lined up correctly. I was almost speechless, literally. I never have but I have probably rolled my left foot on uneven ground god knows how many times, maybe twice a year averaged out, but when I was way more active outside when I was under 25 it was probably twice a year. I have never actually sprained it or injured it and I could always keep going with maybe minor rest if it was a bad one but I never had to see the doc about it. It has happened when walking and a few times running. Foots not designed to be used from the side...

I need to go to a Doc about this maybe even get an XRay. I've been thinking my left leg issues all these years (well, last 5) have been because of inactivity and weakness and the fact I cross my legs all the time at work (foot under knee) and something up with my knee otherwise - and its actually probably entirely because of my foot bones.

Oh, the massage lady also said I should see a chiro - she could feel that one of my C spine vertebrae was out of whack. As much as I liked that other woman, this new place and new woman presented me with two issues I wasn't aware of without prompting and without recommendation or pressure on going to anyone for services.

Never posted about this but I did seal rows for the first time the other week


It is incredible how much harder they are when you take 95% of momentum drivers out of the picture. You can still get a teensy bit of momentum but I'm sure it looks like I'm humping the bench.

I did DB seal rows at another gym because their was no good open space to do it with the bar and the one mid level box was in use so I used the two low ones. Definitely exposed a left/right weakness.

Yep seal rows are awesome if you can rig some kind of setup

I'm breaking down. I think I have a meniscus tear in both knees, thanks Google. Medial front'ish side. Right seems right along the joint line but left down more almost like where the MCL connects. At least, that's where the 'pinch' feeling is on both legs. Could be the MCL as well.

Zero instability in the knee, no apparent swelling. I can lock my quads hard and I can create a resistance for my hamstrings - no pain. I can get into a full ass to grass (bodyweight) squat and back out without any discomfort.

I only honestly feel it more when things are more relaxed then under load. Walking I can sort of feel it but only in certain parts of the gait.

I came across this http://www.houstonmethodist.org/orth...rine-bursitis/ which lines up generally with the area in which this is bugging me except for the right leg which is higher but the lack of any other of the symptoms one always reads about for meniscus issues makes me hope this is it.

I've had this type of issue on my left leg before its worth pointing out. First time with my right though.

If this keeps up by next week after laying off a "leg day" for the next week I'll schedule an appointment. Left leg flared up Monday during a rep of single leg 45 deg press, I stepped the weight down for the next set and it didn't really bother me and right leg last night after a set of DB incline press (75x6x3). Yep, read that right. I'm guessing it 'happened' as a result of the kick up or when I planted my foot and set some weird knee torque. I did standing hamstring cable curls after that and walked for 10 mins @ 2.5 without issue. But it still bugs me a bit today.


The single leg leg press on the 45 I've been doing for about 2 months now. I always do 180x10 then 230x10x2 - but Monday night I cut it off at 230x6 on the second set and did the third back at 180 after a few minute break to make sure I wasn't broken completely.

So I've scheduled an appointment/evaluation with Dr. John Rusin - turns out the guy is local to me just doesn't advertise. Was looking at the ART website and recognized his name but not exactly sure where so I googled/FB and then realized I've read his stuff on T-Nation and BreakingMuscle. Its funny now too when I go back and actually pay attention to the gym's he's at in videos rather then just him and the exercise I know which gyms specifically as I've at least visited most.

I simply do not trust my general practice doc to understand the issues and rehab in context of strength training/weight lifting. Back when I "fell" off the wall at the climbing gym in 2012 and went to him about my right knee issue (that I self diagnosed as the PCL) he neither confirmed, denied or anything - he just ruled out other issues like meniscus and ACL and generally was 'stumped' it seemed like. That issue never fully went away until I suddenly realized a few months after starting lifting that it was gone. The issue presented itself as a stiffness in achieving full knee extension and it was very localized discomfort at the back of the knee and the only thing it could logically be was the PCL given the circumstance of when it explicitly onset. I also brought up left shoulder discomfort and behind the back ROM that he sort of shrugged off as well which always persisted but recently has reared its head more so. That also I'm now realizing is likely a direct result of 'holding' onto the wall with my left until my bodyweight yanked me off. I was a 'fat' 160 at the time. Funny to think/say that now that I'm about 175...


I'm very aware I might attempt to be sold a product rather then service as he does sell programming and other stuff.


https://www.facebook.com/drjohnrusin/?fref=ts
https://www.t-nation.com/all-article...ors/john-rusin
http://breakingmuscle.com/coaches/john-rusin

Incoming thremp burnination...5....4...3...2.....

lol

What are your thoughts on swapping to a standing desk? If you're bothered at all about the effects of sitting, then imo it's a really worthwhile change to make.

I used to sit all day to play poker but changed to standing a couple of months ago and I feel like it's made a huge difference. This is obviously anecdotal, but two different lower back/hip issues that I've been dealing with for years, and have affected my running the entire time, have both cleared up within about two weeks from the transition to standing and have not resurfaced since. Also I feel more alert when working and my posture has improved immensely.

K-Star came out with a book recently, Deskbound. Which is essentially all about saving oneself from 'death by chair.'

I just finished it. I definitely have wanted a standing desk previously but was worried about how to go about it. After this I really shouldn't have any excuses, although it may be a bit of a PITA to either convert my desk or bring in a new one to my office.

Yeah I got that book, not read it all yet but have got through a chunk of it and so far it seems decent.

Didn't wanna preach about the 'death by chair' thing, even though I'm pretty on board with it, because I haven't done much independent research on it so didn't want Thremp to jump on my balls. It all seems pretty legit though, and I can definitely tell the difference in my own body. And just going off common sense, I can't see how sitting for long periods can ever possibly be better than standing.

As far as actually converting my desk goes, I'm still just using a pile of books under my keyboard and mouse, with the monitor raised on a bracket. Will get round to building something solid soon.

I'm a pretty darn active "sitter" - have been my entire life. I can hear my parents "sit still" "sit up" at the dinner table to this day.

I tend to never sit in one position for very long. From one leg under the other back against chair to up in front on just my "sitting bones" to leaning side to side one way or the other or leaning backwards with my butt at the front of the chair. I also do not have any kyphosis or lordosis and rarely let my back sink into a rounded position for any length of time. I also have my chair positioned so that my thighs are at parallel or a hair below which absolute aides in preventing hip/low back issues (and is probably why I've never had a problem reaching good depth on squats)

I'm not really against the idea of a standing desk - I just think that I do enough fidgeting that the sedentary aspects of long term sitting don't (haven't?) apply to me quite like others (have let it?). My comment was more about the fact I don't move around a lot on my feet. I do more these days, but not nearly what some do. People have 10, 15k targets on their fitbit and my 6k target on S Health on the phone I rarely hit, and I do have it with me most of the time.


I'll look up that book. I got Supple Leopard and have instituted some of those things here and there from time to time. Some I was doing before I got it as well.

Rather timely and basically gave some justification to what I said about 'active sitting'


https://www.facebook.com/IamPhysioth...49908471765480

http://www.massagefitnessmag.com/wha...-past-part-one

A couple things:

Finding a good PT/ART practitioner that you can afford and is fairly easy to get to is worth gold. Especially as you age. Hopefully you don't need to see them constantly but if they can assess & diagnose your issues and give you things to do to fix/help prevent problems - hopefully things you can do on your own as preventive.

Sitting is bad - shifting weight from one side to another does little to offset the major issues that come from sitting: smashing glutes/hams and shortening of the psoas (hip flexor) which is where a lot of back pain can evolve. Chair height/positioning should be such that allows your feet to remain on the floor and bearing weight of your legs (to avoid putting more stress on the low back). Setting the chair at slightly below parallel squat depth IMO has little to nothing to do with you hitting squat depth (overall ankle, calf, hamstring, hip mobility will dictate that).

My logic for the hip crease depth when sitting revolves around the idea of muscle adaptaion and maintenance of flexibility/mobility. If you never, ever, put your body into at or below parallel depth then all of the musculature will have a CNS adaptation to think that the unusual depth position isn't safe and prevent the relaxation required to reach depth. If your body is being adapted through muscular contraction voluntarily or involuntarily to only a certain depth it will learn that as the safest depth and restrict you from getting deeper.

Flexibility/mobility is almost entirely CNS driven. There is a degree of fascial restriction that can build up as well - but that comes from trauma to the fascia or as a byproduct of the mal-adapted CNS to the full range of motion.

The biggest thing I do that probably helps prevent a 'shortening' of the hip flexors is the leaning back in the chair. Both using the chairs back to lean back as well as simply sitting my butt forward and then leaning back.

All could be broscience but it makes sense physiologically to me.

Read Kstar book (or some other stuff about sitting). I haven't read that book but from what I have read squirming in the chair and leaning back periodically isn't good enough.

Even in the photo you posted about how there's not 1 way to sit in a chair - in all cases their hip flexors are certainly closed, leading to shortening/tightening over time. I would also think there are proper postures when sitting to minimize problems (no slumping of shoulders, leading to internal rotation for example).

I'm older than you and a lifelong desk & car worker person - moving offices in a month and will finally give myself the sit/stand workspace option and excited to see what (if anything) I will notice.

From Saturday night since I skipped Friday and built my new pooter

Ab wheel x10


Deadlift 315x5

That looked like a warmup.

Admittedly it was easier than expected. Based on the 370 terribad 1RM from 1.5 months ago, this is 85%.

Sets 2 and 3 were 6 reps FWIW, then I did a 340 single.

Take shoes off to deadlift?