So in my introduction I mentioned I was injured…since I won’t be able to delve into my hardcore training for a few months it seems to be a good idea to really explore injuries and how they not only affect an athlete physically but also mentally and emotionally.
Being injured is…well….is horrible to say the very least. Prior to March 2010 I had never sustained a serious injury that has kept me out of the gym for more then 1-2 weeks. In high school I sprained my ankle and here and there I have tweaked my lower back or felt a little strain but with rest, massage and taking my training down a notch I have always made it through fine. To be honest I never thought it would happen to me.
How did it happen then? Well I had just arrived at the Arnold, it was Thursday afternoon and I wanted to get in a good workout before the expo opened in the morning. I head to the gym, alone, and upon arriving chat up the guys behind the desk. Matt, the manager, gives me a pre-workout I had never seen or tried…I am a sucker for a good pre-workout. My plan was heavy shoulders followed by some triceps. Even though I had been dieting I was still feeling great in the gym and the pre-workout really revved me up. Had I been thinking reasonably I may have toned this workout down…I was traveling so therefore probably a little dehydrated and tired and didn’t have that much food in me. Plus I didn’t have a spotter.
My workout started out great: Heavy Push-Presses, I hit 95 for 6 and finished with a drop set then went on to Rear Lats and Side Raises. With Shoulders done I went on to warm-up my Triceps with some Incline Close Grip Presses. I was only planning on doing one more heavy Tricep exercise, Skull-Crushers, but the benches were all taken so I decided on Overhead 2-Arm DB Extensions. My last set 3rd rep I was coming up with the 25 and the weight got away from my head. It was seriously like slow motion, I remember my arm giving out and feeling my shoulder muscles rip as the weight dropped from my hand. My shoulder had completely dislocated was sitting about 2 inches down on my arm. I have relived that moment, that set, hundreds of times…why….why me…but now I think why not me? I have constantly pushed the limits of my body, when I really start to think about it I am shocked I have not sustained any serious injury before this day in Ohio.
So as I sat on the ground beside this incredibly nice couple from Colorado kept me talking and had other notify the staff and wait for the Ambulance. In what seemed like an eternity the EMT finally came but could not offer any relief I had to be taken to the Emergency Room to have my shoulder put back in the socket.
We get to the ER, they have to put me out to put my shoulder back in, load me up with morphine and send me on my way…after getting an MRI a few days later I find out that I have a torn labrum along with some nerve damage and pulled shoulder muscles. My doctor, Dr. Romeo gave me my options and without surgery there was an 80% chance of re-injury plus my training would suffer. I decided surgery was the best option. The earliest the specialist can get me into surgery is April 20th so I schedule the surgery and wait…
We don’t have to tell you how lucky we all are to have the best soldiers in the World. It is a sad reality that while protecting each of us, many soldiers are badly injured. That’s why we love the Wounded Warrior Project. They help many men and women that have been injured in battle. To support them, we donate 10% of all web sales. We would also like to give some props to http://www.musclefire.com/wwp.php for their support. $1 of every shirt goes straight to the WWP. Now you can get your supps and shirts all while supporting some National Heros!
Over the years I have posted on several message boards doing training logs and providing my insights on lifting, bodybuilding, powerlifting and a whole host of other topics. I have finally decided to start my own blog and have decided to make my home at Axis Labs!
Who am I??? Well my stage time started 6 years ago when I embarked on training for my first Figure show. After 3 years of training for Figure I had heard “too muscular and too conditioned” one too many times and I crossed over to Bodybuilding. As a lifetime natural athlete I knew my chances of earning a Pro-Card were slim to none but my goal was not just to earn a Pro-Card it was to be my very best when I walked on stage and enjoy what I was doing. For me, that meant lifting heavy-really heavy! and coming into shows as lean as I could. I knew with these goals Bodybuilding made more sense for me.
In my ever present quest to add size and compete at my highest level I found Powerlifting. Although I have only been Powerlifting for 2 years I love it…I love the day of the meet where I can step on the platform and use my training to compete against my own numbers and the other girls at the meet. Two of my favorite things in life is to be strong and to compete, Powerlifting is an outlet where I can do both!
Currently I am very excited about the relationship I am forming with Axis Labs and have been testing their products over the last few months. My next Bodybuilding show will not be until Team Universe 2011 but I am anxious to test out SMASH Fully Loaded when my diet gets rough! My next Powerlifting Meet was supposed to be USAPL Nationals this May BUT…
Unfortunately my training hit a speed bump this year when I dislocated my shoulder. Just last week I had shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum and will be down for a few months as I go through rehab. In that time I hope to get to know more of you and let you into my world. This is my first injury and I have learned so much about myself and my body. I will take these tough lessons with me as I continue to try to build my physique.
This blog will hopefully give you an in-depth look at competing, supplementing and just trying to survive in this industry. I have no shortage of opinions and a just enough knowledge, please don’t hesitate to ask me questions, get some feedback or challenge me!
September 29, 2009 – 9:19 am
The routine is done in a tri-set fashion. Basically three exercises back to back to back, without stopping. Each exercise is 30 repetitions at a moderate pace. There should be no pause at the bottom, and a slight pause at the top, or peak contraction. Be sure to avoid bouncing at the bottom of the rep. This will greatly take away from the concept. It should be a smooth, fluid motion. Constant tension is key here. The first set is typically done in a standing calf raise machine, although a seated calf raise may be substituted. The second set is standing with toes on a short ledge or weight plate, with body weight only. The third set is done the same as set #2, but with heels on the plate. This gives only the upper range of the rep and focuses on peak contraction. You will need something to hold for balance on the second and third portion of the tri-set. This rotation is done 3 times. In between tri-sets, deep stretching of the calves is necessary. Aim for a minute of stretching. This will be as difficult as the working portion, and just as important. You will notice increased muscle pump due to stretching of the surrounding muscle fascia. The muscle fascia is tissue that surrounds or “houses” the muscle. This can be very tight around the calf muscle. The idea is to stretch this out, so you have more room for muscle growth.
So here is what it should look like, on paper:
• Standing calf raise 30 reps
• Standing bodyweight calf raise (toes on plate) 30 reps
• Standing bodyweight calf raise (heels on plate) 30 reps
• Deep calf stretching 30 seconds to 1 minute
• All with no rest in between
• Complete full circuit 3 times with 2 minutes rest between full circuits
Remember, this is not for the faint of heart! Make sure you are properly warmed up, and prepare to be sore! If you want to improve your overall physique you don’t want to neglect any body part…including your calves. Besides that fact, a good set of calves can also make a great pair of legs look even better!
September 23, 2009 – 9:16 am
Most of us gym junkies that hit the weight room on a regular basis love to train, and love to train hard. Admit it though most of us love work on our strong points and sometimes forget to also focus on our weaknesses. Calves are often an afterthought when it comes to your training, aren’t they? Chances are you just throw in some machine calf raises at the end of your leg workout and call it good. I don’t blame you because I have been there too. Calves can be difficult to train and even harder to make improvements on. I have heard more than once that they are the most genetically predetermined body part. Don’t get me wrong, though. That does not mean you should not train them, or not train them hard for that matter. Or that you can’t make improvements in them. They are a major muscle group, just like our back and part of our legs. Most people would never put as little effort into training those other muscles groups as they do into there calf routine.
I’ve been there myself. Dead tired at the end of leg day, or just couldn’t quite fit them into my training program properly. I came across this calf routine not too long ago, and it seems to work quite well. I have used it with good success with a few of my clients. Before I give you the sample routine, I have to warn you. Although deceptively short and low on volume, it is very demanding if done correctly and should only be used once a week for short periods of time (3 weeks or so). Some more advanced lifters may be able to complete this twice a week. This time saving calf workout is not for the faint of heart. You may want to work your way up to it if you are one of the many that “forget” to train this body part or train them just with little intensity.
September 17, 2009 – 10:02 pm
Although increasing the amount of weight lifted for any given exercise is a great way to increase muscle size or performance, it is also a great way to get injured, if not done properly. This is the single most common, and possibly costly, mistake people make. Often times people are working out to impress there audience, such as the other gym members, or there workout partner. Proper form is not often enough taken into consideration.
Your form is paramount and should never be at the expense of weight. Too often we fail to realize that the muscle will respond to the stress that is placed on it. There are many different ways to increase that stress without increasing weight. Instead of picking up the heaviest dumbbells on the rack and doing curls rocking your whole upper body, or performing a full ten reps of half squats why not check yourself. Ask yourself a few important questions:
1. Am I using the proper form?
2. Do I feel pain where I shouldn’t?
3. Am I activating my core while performing this exercise
4. Am I jerking the weights around?
5. Am I capable of isolating the muscle group being work?
If you said yes to any of these questions you may want to check yourself. There is a much safer way to workout that will benefit your body! Try slowing down the repetition tempo, decreasing the weight at muscular fatigue to perform more reps, performing combination or supersets, or performing an isolation exercise prior to a multijoint exercise. All these will increase the stress to the muscle without adding weight.
It may come as a surprise how much more you can exhaust yourself and fatigue the muscles even more when you use the proper form, and incorporate new things into your routine besides just heavy lifting. The best part about using great form is that if you are working out not just for your but the audience at the gym the people who “really” know how to workout will be much more impressed by your impeccable form. Now go get your lift on and do it the right way!
