Training entry

I've been slowly getting back into the swing of squatting again, getting my balance back and rebuilding my right leg muscles. My last couple of training sessions have looked like this:

Monday:

Pendlay row
60kg x 10
100kg x 5 x 2
100kg x 8

Klokov press:
40kg x 10
50kg x 10
60kg x 5 x 3

Bench press (all paused reps)
80kg x 5
100kg x 3
110kg x 3
120kg x 2 x 3
100kg x 8 (not paused)

Underhand grip chins
BW x 8 x 3

Incline DB bench
30s x 10
36s x 10
38s x 8 x 2

Tuesday:

Stretching and foam rolling (20 mins)

Single leg glute bridging
10 x 3

Squats
60kg x 10 x 5 (to bench)

RDL
60kg x 10
100kg x 10
120kg x 10
150kg x 5 x 2

Glute Kickback machine
40kg x 15 x 3 each leg (right leg first)

WG pullups
10, 5, 5, 5, 8

Finished with some bicep bro stuff

So I'm feeling really good actually. I hit an 85kg strict press the other day, and have been toying around with a bit of metabolic conditioning style training with dumbell and barbell complexes. I am still looking at taking it smart and slow, making sure I massage my leg and knee daily, plenty of foam rolling, stretching, and Bikram Yoga.

Upper body strength is coming along nicely, and it seems that by the time I make it back to competing, my pressing will no longer be a major weakness of mine.

I apologise for this brief post, it is just me wanting to start a training diary again. I must put pen to paper, devise a program, and get back to logging my training!!!

Some vids from Last Thursday's training, had a ripper session. Strict press is feeling strong, although I make this PB look quite heavy... it felt heavy! I think 90 is there with a better set up and execution.

6 months in

6 months has passed since my accident. I am pretty pleased with my progress, my abs are getting stronger and stronger, as is my knee (very slowly). I am looking at starting back with Power Lifting instead of Strongman to begin with, as it much lower impact that Strongman. I was toying with the idea of getting into Power Lifting before my accident, and it would seem that this would be the logical step to take in regards to what my body can handle at this point in time. I have been testing out my axle deadlift a bit, and surprised myself with a 260kg pull just the other day. I also managed some strict press with the log, and got a CG bench PB of 130kg x 5 just the other week.

I had my very first proper squat session 2 days ago, as I sit here typing this I have DOMS radiating through my quads and inner thighs, it feels amazing. A tear came to my eye as I managed to comfortably squat 60kg, then 70, 80, 90 and 100x5, it had been 6 months. Granted, if I am to adopt a low-bar style squat, I still have much to learn. I still did high bar, but was wearing my Chucks and adopting a wider stance. I can see that I have much to improve on, it felt good nevertheless, and so did my 200kg deadlift. In the deadlift it is noticeable that I don't really keep my ass down, and actually feel more comfortable lifting this way (RDL) than conventional.

So I'm looking forward to my journey back into strength sports. I will go see the man Fuzzy, owner of the one and only proper Power Lifting gym in Adelaide, and get some guidance with my lifting.

I would also like to announce that I have registered my private business as a Personal Trainer and Strength Coach: StrongMind. My aim is to help people unlock their inner strength, to improve confidence, mental clarity and quality of life through a focus on body awareness, posture, mindfulness and core strength. I work very closely with all of my clients, keeping close track of progress and providing unconditional support to help achieve real strength in body, mind and spirit. Having faced and overcome many great challenges myself, I feel I can offer a lot to those who are facing and struggling to overcome challenges of their own. I have had a lot of success with my clients so far, and I am extremely excited about what the future holds for StrongMind. In addition, I hope that StrongMind may serve as a platform for delivering an anti-bullying message to youth and adults alike. I have already made appearances at various schools and done Strongman demonstrations (this helps hold kids attention amazingly well!), whilst also taking kids through a StrongMind Kids program, showing them how to release energy, feel better and more confident through exercise. I also like to convey to these kids the importance of reflecting a positive image, supporting friends, and helping in any way they can to stop bullying, which has been and is still a very significant problem in today's society. I really believe that I can help reach kids and get them to become more aware of themselves, to become more confident and be able to deal with bullying; as well as being able to reach those who have a tendency to bully and helping them overcome the insecurities and issues that cause them to engage in it.

I currently have no studio or gym where I can train my clients, however i consider myself a mobile PT, and am fast stockpiling lots of useful training equipment and accessories that can be used anywhere. If you or any one you know needs a push in the right direction, and some support in developing strength, fitness, motivation and confidence, then please give me a call! - 0417 891 086

Me with PowerLifters Alex and Fuzzy at the Fitness expo

Back to the grind

A quick post, because I have so many assignments due for uni, but in 2 weeks I start my first Practical placement so looking forward to that. Almost fully back at work, with exciting business prospects in clear sight.

Managed this 1 arm snatch today, a post knee-surgery PB...felt good! no pain in abs at all. Slight pain on the Iliac crest where muscles were torn off and nerve damage occured, however this is nerve pain and I've been told it may never go away!

My knee seems to be slowly getting better, almost 8 weeks post surgery, I am off crutches and walking stick, now slowly trying to eliminate my limp. The knee has really tested me, it got really mashed up in the accident and causes constant trouble, but I just need to give it time. For those who don't know the injury I sustained to my knee included a partial tear to the MCL and almost full tear to the PCL, chondral detachments, patella damage and general cartilage damage. On the positive side, my upper body strength has had a chance to recover fully, and I am actually approaching the strength I was at pre-accident. Oh, I got the all clear for squats as well, woohoo!!! So I have been overhead squatting with the broomstick and managed some 20kg dumbell front squats. I think I can feel the muscle memory kicking in already, my legs are starting to look alive!!!. My Pullups have been improving massively too, with 15 strict wide grip being my current PB.

Riding my bike has really contributed to recovering the strength in my injured leg, it has been feeling really good! Riding is actually awesome, I'm really glad I have been riding a lot lately.

Much more to come, Hopefully by my next post I will have lost my limp for good!!! I know no one said it would be easy, but there is an easy way and a right way!!

                                                     Pullups at around 113kg body weight

Strong Mind, Strong Body, Positive Outlook!

Stronger...

It has been 4 weeks since I have been on crutches, and man it is wearing me down! I have had to cut back my work hours significantly and am being overloaded with uni work. 2 more weeks until I can put full weight through my knee indefinitely. I am having some serious squat withdrawals, seriously. All these people around me training and competing, and I'm stuck on crutches without a squat to be had. Of course I have been managing to get upper body training in,  which is positive because pressing is my weakness, it has been good to have a (forced) chance to develop it. Being able to train upper body has helped keep me somewhat sane throughout all this, but I really just want to get out there and compete again! I managed to shoulder my first stone since the accident today, albeit the smallest one we have. It felt so good, to feel the stone in my hands. Just a teaser of what is to come, eventually.

I've been training pullups a lot, and managed to get 13 today before I started failing, I was quite happy with this at 111kg body weight. I also managed 10 reps on 100kg on close grip bench and 120kg x 3. I'm going to use this period of lower body limitations to really work to improve my pressing strength, so that when I return to Strongman it won't be such a weakness of mine.

I feel confident in pushing forward and completing my Graduate Dip. Ed. this year, taking some time to organise my career path and put in some good work on this front. I realised after the accident just how passionate I was becoming about training, and how much time it started taking up when really it's not something I'm ever going to be able to rely on to provide financial support. I do it for the love of the sport and the people involved in it and surrounding it. I feel like I really can make a change in the world, and I am definitely starting to see opportunities opening up towards doing that. Having this experience of being a strongman is definitely shaping the person I am becoming, and I feel that it will only aid my endeavors as a person wanting and being able to make a difference for people.

Taking the state junior basketball squad for their core and agility training this season has been great experience as a Strength and Conditioning coach, with much more to come. My days as a PT seem to be dwindling however, as I start to see the amount of work required to actually make a decent buck from training people. I hope to take the entrepreneur path, with plans for my own business as well as recently being offered the role of Co-director at HPT, where I am currently employed as a coach. This will be my priority motivation. Doing this Diploma in Education  will not only add to my credentials as a coach, but also open the door to networking in schools, where I hope to present an idea/program.

Just because I miss squats so much...here are some I did a few months before the accident:

Now go listen to 46&2 by Tool at the top of this page and be inspired!!! Go lift something...anything! squat in my memory of my good knee ;)\

Just kidding, I'll be back.....

c

Hoppy

So I got the surgery. Turns out I needed a fairly large chunk on cartilage and bone grafted back into place. It was right on the joint surface, I have been on crutches for the past couple of weeks. No way am I going to let this second surgery keep me from getting on with my life. Uni, work, business opportunities...it's all happening! I'll be damned if anything holds me back! Luckily I only had to spend one night in hospital, doped up on endone again, it was tolerable though, the staff and surgeon were good; the surgeon was very happy with how the operation went, and said it should heal up well.

Witness the beauty

So I'm back to only being able to do upper body training, along with the crutches, my shoulders, tris and chest have been getting hammered. When in the gym I make sure to target the areas that don't get used when on crutches, lots of back work, and lots of work in the opposite direction that the crutches work (Steep incline DB and OH DB shoulder press). Looking like a bit of an idiot hopping around the gym racking weights up and putting them back by rolling them across the ground to where they have to go, hopping over, then putting them away. I have received a lot of help from both training partners, friends from the gym, and some random strangers. Everyone holds doors open, walks well around me when I'm going up the footpath, some people seem to really go out of their way to wait for me or distance themselves when I'm coming through a doorway or going up some stairs (which I have been doing like a pro I might add). I don't know exactly what I'm getting at, other than it's interesting to observe human nature.

Still managing to be a poser, even on crutches!

I've started pool rehab as of yesterday, it feels good to walk normally again, even though I can only do it in the pool for now. I had my follow up appointment with the surgeon, and he is happy for me to start putting a little bit of weight through it, light leg extensions, hammie curls and calf raises, plus a few of my own rehab exercises that I have invented. My leg feels so weak and the pain is just annoying, I have to be patient and stay positive. I do feel good about the recovery process, and am happy with how it has gone so far. I'm not going to be an idiot and about it and set myself back further, just stick with my rehab and do it properly.

Calf pumps with ice cream

So that's it! Seems like this blog is going to be more like a monthly thing. At uni we are learning all about ICT and constructing out own professional E-Folios, which involves blogging as well. It has been very interesting, although it has been a bit of a struggle keeping up with the work load, but it should all start rolling smoothly once I get my head around it. All I know, is that this is what I want to get back into...hard and heavy training!!! I have been itching so friggen badly to do some squats, some stones, some deadlifts...ANYTHING!!!

Patience, Eli........

I remember when this was my 1RM!

Sending a big shout out to all the people that have ever trained with me, been part of my journey, supported me and helped me out. You are have been in my thoughts lately, reminiscing way back to the start of 2010 when I started serious training, I'll never forget the day I did my first deadlift at CrossFit Adelaide, when Ben was still set up in the back of Jimmy Fung's Wing Chun Academy...

Back into it!!!

It's been about a month since my last entry, and things have been going great! I have been in the gym, focusing on my rehabilitation and doing anything that I can to gain my muscle and strength back. Every day I keep reminding myself of how important it is to have a strong mind and positive outlook, to not let negativity stand in the way of my achievements. Even when I got the page and a half long report of my knee MRI back, which showed very extensive damage to the joint, including bone bruising, a PCL tear, an MCL tear, a chondral detachment and marrow contusions...I remained positive, still doing whatever I could in the gym, waiting patiently to see the knee surgeon (this coming Tuesday). I remembered my kettlebell training and gave this complex a shot:

After analysing my technique in the video, I see that the traditional joint locking style of KB training is not the best thing for my knee, it ended up swollen and sore. I learned a lesson though, and will keep soft joints next time I attempt KB training. I did however manage an assisted pistol squat quite easily the week after, on my good leg of course!

Last weekend saw the crowning of SA's strongest men and women at the Mt. Barker Highland Gathering. It was at this time last year that I was out there, giving it my absolute all and lifting some heavy shit with some seriously awesome people. It was a fantastic day, which saw the debut of some very strong newcomers to the sport, including an athlete that I have been coaching who made a serious mark in her first comp. Being there made me want to compete so badly, it was so frustrating to not be able to join my strong bros out there, and perhaps this is where my strong resolve is most needed! Patience is one of the harder things to maintain in a situation like this, I have slowly come to learn this.

I have resigned myself to bodybuilding style training for this very moment, RDLs are about the only big compound exercise I can do without straining myself. I have managed to get back to close grip bench pressing 100kg for reps though. Did these DB RDLs yesterday before Friday delt destruction!! Garrr:

Just after last Friday's delt workout. Valentines day, hence the pink bandana

So now I play the waiting game with my knee. I am still not certain as to whether I want to get the surgery over and done with, which could involve another 4-6 week recovery period, or wait a few months until I have reached a certain level and can back off from training for that period if I have to. Right now, although injured, I feel like I am powering forward in my recovery and training and would like to keep the ball rolling. I am loving the feeling of getting DOMS again, feeling much more human. Seeing as it will be a while before I can compete again, I have decided to focus on lean muscle gains, and I imagine the time at which I can squat and deadlift again will also coincide with my return to focus on strength training.

Stay tuned for my next entry which is sure to include some awesome GAINZ !!! Oh and some gruesome pictures of my car after the accident too.

One love!!!

Convalescence

I forgot to mention in my previous post. The accident happened with a 4WD, we were both going 60kmh. There was only one driver and he was un-injured, no one else was injured.

So I was finally discharged on NYE 2013. No way was I in any condition to party, so I went down to the family beach house. I was asleep by 8pm, and slept a solid 12 hours through to 8am. It was still painful to move around, and I could only walk with the aid of a walking stick. I was still on heavy painkillers and feeling a bit, well, shit! It was still great to spend time with my family, who were extremely supportive.

Gradually, as I got a few more good nights sleep, I started getting my mojo back. Nowhere where it was before the accident. I did manage to walk down to the beach on the 3rd day, with my little cousins. It was awesome to take in the view, and also walk that distance. I started becoming less reliant on the walking stick and went back to Adelaide where I saw my mates and went back to the gym for the first time!

Funky scar

 In these photos I am weighing about 102kg. So....light!!! 

Very light lat pulldown...Fudo is making faces

This was of course after seeing a Physio and Sports doctor and getting the all clear to do light weights, nothing that puts any strain on my abs. I began pool therapy 2 weeks after I was discharged, and have various rehab exercises to do as well. I should note that the swelling in my leg throughout these past weeks has been horrendously impairing my mobility and annoying the F*#K out of me!!! Remaining stoic and positive has really helped me get through the days, even though they tire me out, I remember to always see the positive side of things. Why waste time worrying about the hand that you are dealt? Be happy and let it make you grow stronger, fight for greatness and happiness! I have been doing everything I can to maximise my recovery, sleeping 8+ hours per night, eating heaps (very liberal with choice), exercising, staying hydrated, getting enough protein.

I have been having this concoction 3 times per day to support my recovery:

20grams L-Glutamine
3 grams Vit C
30mg zinc
1 gram Gotu Kola powder
1 gram Glucosamine
600mg MSM
600mg Chondroitin

Thanks International Protein for my endless supply of Gultamine!!! And Thank you Australian Muscle for my daily Vita-Freak multi, and other awesome supps


I am gradually slipping back into reality. I have almost completely stopped the painkillers, and the swelling is finally starting to subside! Going to the gym a few times and getting back into doing some work has been great. Good to see some old friends as well. I am about 10 days walking stick free and determined to get rid of this limp. I'm managing to do some light upper body work, and today I managed to get a really good training session in:

BTN lat pulldown
30kg x 20
50kg x 15
60kg x 12 x 2

Seated DB shoulder press 
24 x 20
32kg x 15
36kg x 10 x 2

Seated Bicep curl (alternating arms)
16kg x 24
18kg x 24 (add 5 double arm hammer curls)
20kg x 24 (""    "           ""             '"           '")

Seated DB incline bench
36kg x 20
40kg x 15 x 3

Standing DB lat raise (medial deltoid)
10kg x 12 x 3

Tricep rope pulldown
20kg x 20 x 3

So I am getting there...it just felt good to finally have a decent training!!! Although the weights were light, I adopted body-builder style muscle awareness and pumped my muscles with a shitload of blood!!

So I guess this now becomes my training blog on my road back to Strongman. I gotta say, I am feeling pretty damn good today. Life is good, although about to become much busier with my return to work, and then Uni!!!

I will do an update soon with any significant health or training breakthroughs. Thanks for reading!!!

Light weight baby!!!! 105kg

27/1/2014