Squats

Another day working out. It feels so good to be back. I'm weaker but that's ok. I'm just having fun for a while, maybe a year. 

I worked up to 175# 1RM front squat today. It was heavy but I made it and will slowly improve. 

So today:

45' PT

Iron scap

5x 250m Row sprints

Fastest at 1:48 split

5-5-5-3-3-3-2-2-1-1 

Working up to 1RM front squat 

Ended with 175#

3-3-3-2-2-1

Working up to heavy overhead squat

Failed at 100#

5-5-2-2-1-1

Working up to heavy bench

Failed at 95#

Superset 3-3-3-3-3

Push-ups 

Banded strict pull ups

Mobi

Countdown to Surgery

I have 3 more days before my cervical spine surgery on Tuesday. I'm not nervous yet, but have a lot to get done still which may be why I am not feeling anything. 

I'm trying to get some workouts in, too, just to not get too depressed. I've been failing lifts at numbers below my maxes and it's somewhat getting to me. I am also feeling like I am gaining body fat and just losing muscle mass. It's not going to be easier after surgery. 

On the bright side, I finally got a team together to do little filming projects. We call it "Faces of CrossFit" and we document people who crossfit. It's a fun little documentary style project. 

Here is a teaser: 

https://vimeo.com/m/103500201

I'll post more about it soon!

Here are my last two days workouts: 

Thursday

Iron scap

Mobi

5rds

5 Ring rows

5sec Ring holds

10 rds 

10/10 step ups

50m 70# farmer carries

3rds

15 Leg raises on p-bar 

10/10 ghd

25 push-ups 

Mobi

Friday

Iron scap

5rds 

5 ring rows

5 sec right holds

1' leg raises

1'plank

Front squat

5-5-5

45# - 88# - 110#

3-3-3

132# - 154# - 165#

1-1-1

176# - 187# - failed 198#

Bench

10 at 35# 

3-3-3 at 77#

3-3-3 at 88#

ModWOD and Visit to Hand Surgeon

I took yesterday off as I had my pre-op appointment. Signed my life away, was given my cervical brace (hard), and learned that I will have to stay at the hospital over night... Booh, but probably for the better. Took the dogs for walks -poor babys will have to be ok with the yard for at least a month.  

Kaija may be ok with that as she was not happy to hear today that children perceive her as "huge". She barked and growled at the bullies ;)

Today, I went to Boulder to see a hand surgeon for my Vikings disease. It's mentally troubling but luckily it does not hurt not is contracting (yet). So, he said to monitor it. I can do whatever I want but if it gets worse I have to come back to get an injection. But he said, I might not be back in the next 10 years. 

He did call me a poster child for the disease, since I am of Germanic roots -very likely Viking (which I should call myself from now on!) and genetically predisposed. A year in the skin or trauma may have triggered the disease to show. He said it was very unlikely for a 30 year old female and believes that it should not progress quickly because of that. 

So monitoring it is for now. 

I have not been keeping up with good nutritional habits though... It is difficult for some reason to control my portions. It might be due to anxiety about surgery - I am not sure, but at least the quality of my food is good. And I still try to get a little workout in. 

I did the following ModWOD today:

Warm up

1k row in 4:17

Ironscap

1 round of 

10alt pistols 

10 push-ups/

5 negative pullups

10alt Russian get ups with 20#

10 leg raises

Front squats

5-5-5-5-5 with 2sec half range hold at each rep but the last

45#-85#-110#-132#-154#

1-1-1-1

154#-165#-176#- failed 187# :(

2rds 

50situps

1'plank hold

25 push-ups

10alt pistols

10legraises

10kb snatches 20r/15l

Pain, surgery, and athletics

For the last 5 months I have been living with pain and only for the last 3 months have I been stepping back at the gym- at least with overhead movements. Ironically, pain increased drastically with me doing this. Also, unfortunately those are the movements I need to work on most. I've been blessed with some strong legs and a decent booty, but my chest and arms are the weakest parts of my body. Consequently, I am strong at lifts that are are hip-explosive and utilize leg strength. Think cleans, deadlifts (I have a strong grip), thrusters, squats. 

While the pain in my shoulder and arm at first didn't quite stop me from hitting WODs, I soon started noticing loss of strength on my left side. At first, I explained it with being right-handed, and simply considered my left side less strong. Kind of BS, if I consider how I did extra heavy left-hand curls and focused on using my left more in training. It did not help.

Muscle weakness also caused me to not hit any more maxes and I began to stagnate and even regress. Then with my EMG and MRI results, and conversations with my doctors and PTs, I ended the cycle of denial and stopped through the pain.

Light-weight back squats, front squats, pistols, step ups, one armed curls, one armed pullups and push-ups, leg raises, one armed planks, lunges... Yep, basically lower body movements are ok, but nothing over head. Even TGUs on the left shall be avoided. The last PR in my records book was a 210# FS PR about a month ago. Since, I had to take more loads off the bar.

Focus on form. Focus on core. Focus on legs. But I it is very frustrating to feel like I am losing all my strength and fall bac behind everyone else at the gym.


So, I was seeking out data and stories about athletes returning to sports with and without back surgery.

Here are some if my finds


http://www.back-surgery.com/athletes-spine-surgery/

http://www.medicaldaily.com/pros-and-complications-microdiscectomy-and-why-tiger-woods-missing-masters-back-surgery-273900 (this one mentions Tiger Woods, who had back surgery)


http://www.michaelgleibermd.com/blog/74-professional-athletes-undergoing-cervical-spine-surgery.html (this one has short videos explaining different procedures and mentions Peyton Manning who had cervical spine procedures)


http://www.readingneckandspine.com/return-to-play-after-anterior-cervical-discectomy.html (nice read, written by a fellowship-trained orthopedic spinal surgeon named Setphen Banco (MD), citing studies and using Manning as an example as well)

http://www.orthogate.org/patient-education/cervical-spine/cervical-discectomy.html (summary)



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Today I did the following at the gym, just to keep working a bit - all very slow and controlled - watching my pain level.



1k light row set to resistance 3 for warm-up followed by some easy stretching

40/40 GHD

10rds 5-10sec Ring holds alternating high and low 

5-5-5-5 ring rows 

Working up to heavy FS

5-4-4-3-3-3-2-2-1-1-1

35-65-85-105-115-125-135-145-155-165-175 (which is 35# below my 1RM)

4 rounds Untimed

250m row

20 alternating pistols 

20 alternating curls with 25#right/15#left DB

20 alternating step ups with 10#DB on each shoulder