good suggestions, thanks

I ***ed up my neck. Its not super bad, but its worse than I initially thought and its lingering a lot longer than I expected/wanted. I've done similar stuff to my neck many times over the years, and it had been getting a lot better & easier to recover from than it used to be before I learned a lot about taking care of it. This is a setback though. I need to rest my whole upper body (everything from the shoulder blades up) for a while, and I dont know for how long.

My chiro says I have a strained facet capsule joint that's irritating some nerves, and those nerves are sending out signals to the surround muscles to tighten up and give me some intermittent sharp pains. He did quite a bit of ART and spinal manipulation on me a few days ago, and I thought it would improve significantly faster than it has so far. He says part of the reason for the slow improvement is because I'm getting old , and part could be due to some disc issues, possibly degeneration That second part scares me a little, but it makes total sense.

For many years I've had similar recurring neck problems and it always is worse when I sit with poor posture - with my upper back rounded and my head pushed forward. I naturally sit that way when I'm sitting at the computer concentrating on something. It would make sense that I'm wearing out my neck discs doing that.

What I need to do now: I need to figure out how to heal, then strengthen the area safely, while not sitting in ways that makes this worse any more.

I intend to start doing some neck exercises from Assess & Correct and am considering a few other things if that doesnt help soon. I'm studying some stuff about the neck online, but I havent found anything as useful as Low Back Disorders yet. I'm considering finding someone who does FMS. I'm also considering hiring Mike Robertson again for a couple months. Reading G4S's log has me looking into PRP injections for this as well - I'm really interested to see what this does for you G4S, even though your issue is different from mine. I am reading stuff about how PRP can help heal disc issues.

What do you think you did to your neck?

Doesn't sound fun but it does sound like you're taking a good course of action.

It was a gradual thing. It was definitely not any single thing.

As I mentioned, I have had similar issues several times over the years. The last workout I did was a deload day. At the end, I felt something slightly out of whack when I was doing blast strap fallouts, so I cut my workout a little short, figuring it was no big deal. It got all tight later, but I've had worse many times.

Backing up a bit..... a few workouts ago, I did pullups a little harder than I had been recently. I strained a muscle in my right forearm to the point that it was all locked up. I've been working on that ever since and its almost all the way better now. A week ago Wednesday, the forearm hurt so bad when I tried to do pulling stuff that I couldnt do rows and chins. That was after doing heavy OHPs and heavy blast strap pushups. I think something got out of balance from not pulling, but I didnt feel it at the time. Dr K agrees with me that this lack of pulling could have caused something to go on in my neck/upper back muscles that threw my neck out of whack.

So it was a gradual thing - sore forearm led to no pulling led to muscle imbalance led to neck facet capsul joint issue. Poor posture also is contributing to all this.

I'm sorry to hear that. Good luck!

Huge bummer man. Best of luck with the recovery. If anyone can make it work, it's you.

Thanks for the support guys!

Good luck man. Hope its a quick recovery.

Thanks cleinen!

I've been doing a little random stuff like light cable rows and standing chin tucks (19.2 from Assess & Correct) the past several days.

Today I decided to do more of a workout.

5/27

smr & mobility (primarily lower body)

chain drags with 40 lbs of ankle weights on ankles - 180 lbs of chains x 25' x 6 x 3

added 90 lbs of plates - 25' x 2 (chains came apart), then x 4 - this is a lot harder when the plates are dragging directly on the ground as opposed to dragging on top of the chains due to the friction on the rubber floor.

10 minutes on elliptical machine @ #10 resistance

Neck is tight, but not bad. I now realize I was sticking my head forward when the chain drags get hard. I probably did that with lots of things before. Keeping my head back is something I need to be aware of at all times.

I've hurt my neck benching. Which before doing it, I never would have thought possible.

I've hurt my neck doing almost everything I do

I didnt realize how hurt it has been until I got the wakeup call recently of a lot of the symptoms I've had are coming from disc(s).

Sleeping is a big one. Not long ago, I would frequently wake up with one or both arms completely numb. I figured out a while ago that was not from the circulation being cut off, but from nerves being pinched. A lot of the SMR & ART I've had the past few years has helped that improve tremendously. What I now know is that could be coming from one or more damaged cervical discs.

More recently, more days than not for the past several months, I wake up with numbness or needles & pins feeling in one or both hands. It is also very possible (maybe likely?) that this is from cervical disc issues.

OHPing used to bring a lot of these symptoms on until just recently. That exercise had felt a lot better lately.

All this stuff, then this latest issue with the tightness in the neck not going away as easily as usual, has me concerned about the wear on my cervical discs over the years. I do not want to herniate one. That's why I'm being extra careful now.

I might call a doctor who does PRP/prolotherapy on Tuesday to see what that's all about. It sounds like that can heal soft tissue like discs, ligaments, tendons, etc. There are a few of those people in MN and one has an office less than a mile from my house. Hopefully my insurance would cover that, or at least make it not cost prohibitive.

Recently one or both of my arms will be a bit numb when waking up. It depends, but I don't remember it happening in the past. I'm thinking I have been slacking on my forearm SMR but also I may be sleeping differently.

I'd be surprised if insurance covers PRP but I hope it does!

One provider from another state who's site I read some stuff from says insurance covers it.

You have some neck issues too, dont you?

ugh. Sorry to hear you're having issues, hopefully you can get it cleared up pretty quickly. Keep me posted on your PRP query, we can exchange notes, lol.

I've read about PRP and most of what I read showed that it had value and was able to greatly improve healing. As a treatment, I believe it got its start in horses and has been making it ways into treatments for humans. Definitely cutting edge stuff. If needed, I would do it with no reservations.

I know everyone including you swears by fish oil. What is the the impact I would see on a day to day basis? Or is this just something that does your body good but you don't actually see what it is doing?

thanks!

That's consistent with other stuff I've been reading - thanks!

I dont think you'll feel much, but its good for your joints, heart and many other things, especially if you dont eat a lot of fish (I dont). Maybe someone else can elaborate?

Sorry to hear about the neck but if anybody can bounce back from an injury like that it's you.

Hey how would you suggest programming goblet squats? I started front squatting as it doesn't bring any pain in my lower back (which is much better btw) and am just doing 3x3 upping the weight 5lbs each workout. Kind of feel like tossing in some more leg work, and remembered you suggested goblet squats.

Something like 3x3 front squats followed by a few 8-12 rep sets of goblet squats?

Thanks!

I've only used goblet squats as a warmup myself. I have my wife and daughter do them as a primary exercise because they cant currently do back squats safely.

I think something like what you suggest, as an accessory exercise, sounds good for you. You can front squat, so doing 8 - 12 rep sets with goblet squats after FSing sounds pretty good.

5/30

smr & mobility

trap bar DLs
180x4, 5, 5
270x5x2
320x5x5

pull throughs
95x10
125x10x2

reverse hypers
1 leg, top tilted back
90x10x2

blast strap push ups
bw - 10x2

jacknifes
15
upper back felt a little tight - these probably arent good for me yet

standing 2 arm cable row
75 lbs x about 30 or 40 reps

I feel better today after having done something than I have since I've been doing very little. I need to figure out a program that is actually good for my neck. Right now I'm uncertain what that might be.

Good luck!

Got a month until I head to the bahamas and need a workout routine. Probably have 5-7 hours a week to hit the gym and/or train outside. Probably could squeeze another 15-20 minutes a night at my house to fill in what I miss. Any suggestions?

I'm 6'5 205. Up from about 190 when I was in great shape last feb. Would like to work off the love handles and fat that has accumulated or at least put a nice little dent into them. Thanks, man!

If your main goal is to lose weight the biggest impact you can make is how many calories you're eating. In a month I guess I'd recommend just doing some sort of pretty aggressive diet. Soulman and Busto seem to know about those. If you want to keep eating a bunch and lose weight, then do a ton of cardio and lifting I guess, but good luck it will be much harder to lose weight without eating less.

As for exercise, do you want to do something for a month, for life, ???

To just lose weight you don't have to do any sort of exercise but to look better and be stronger, lifting weights is a good idea. If you want this to be long-term definitely start in on barbell lifting. If you just want to do something easy and stay active, pick up an active hobby (basketball, tennis, running, long walks, hiking, etc.).

Oh and even though it won't directly address your goals, purchase a black foam roller and lacrosse ball to do muscle release on your muscles and soft tissue (SMR). I think you're not much younger than I am (31) or maybe not younger and I think you'll find it's really great for quality-of-life since you've spent so much time at a computer. And if you plan to lift weights or do any heavy physical activity, doing soft tissue work is just a great idea in general:


What is SMR?

SMR stands for Self-myofascial release and allows you to help your muscles be more pliable. While stretching helps the overall length of your muscle, SMR will help you with the tone of your muscle - key to preventing injuries and allowing for optimal stretching and mobility. SMR should help you remove knots from your muscles however, if you have significant injuries or muscle issues, ART may be necessary to truly rehab your muscles. ART is outside of the scope of this but it's recommended to find a specialist who has biomechanical certification in your area for best results: [link to online ART directory].

What equipment is needed for SMR?

Roller: A foam roller or PVC pipe that you can roll on to hit large muscle groups and break up soft tissue adhesions.

Rollers come in many different densities (white = less dense, black = most dense). And you can always "graduate" to a PVC pipe (wrap in athletic tape for grip) or rumble roller (dense foam roller with knobs) once you're not getting as much out of your less dense rollers.

Ball: A small ball of some sort that you can lay or lean on to apply pressure to large and small muscle groups to break up soft tissue adhesions.

A lacrosse ball is generally ideal however, beginners can use a tennis ball if there are too many surface adhesions to work with the harder lacrosse ball. Also note that any small round object would work and some people may prefer a baseball or even softball.

Stick: TheStick can be really useful for hitting areas like the hamstrings or calves that are difficult to hit with a roller when trying to balance on the muscle group and relax into the pain of the adhesion.

I tried rolling once and it was painful – how hard should I go?

When you start rolling, it can be quite painful if you try using a dense roller or lacrosse ball so take your time working up – you’ll likely want to start with a white foam roller. However, SMR work should be painful! It is a sign that you’ve found a tight area with adhesions that should be broken up. Get used to relaxing your muscle into the pain for the best results. Also, try to stay relaxed in general – if you’re gritting your teeth and tensing your face, chances are your muscle isn’t as relaxed as it could be. Don’t be afraid to take it slowly with a painful spot and not put as much pressure/weight on the roller or ball as you being to loosen it up.

Is there a written primer for SMR from an expert?

Sure, Eric Cressey and Mike Robertson have a nice primer on T-Nation you can read to get started:
http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_...44261362.hydra. This should be good for beginners but to really zero in on problem areas and unlock your muscles optimally, you'll want to start using more advanced techniques.