Fitness Catch-All

Jayhawker wrote:

Which brings me to my problem. Since I started swimming, I'm suffering from what seems to be several strained tendons (self-diagnosed). I get really sharp pains on my back left arm and my lower abdomen. I also have more minimal sharp pains in some other locations.

Is this a resalt of lack of hydration? I drink a ton of water every day, keeping 32 0z bottles of cold water ready to go at all times. It's a huge part of my weight-loss. One of the main reasons I went with swoimming is that is felt like I would be at much less risk for injury.

Any suggestions?

When do you get the pains, and how long do they last?

If they're more like a cramp, that only lasts a few minutes, then it could be a result of too much hydration (or really, the wrong type of hydration). If you're drinking a large amount of water, you're running the risk of running low on electrolytes (sodium, potassium), which can cause cramping. Switch out some of your water for something with some salts in it - I sometimes use Nuun tablets for long workouts to keep my electrolytes up. They're calorie-free (or as near as dammit).

If the pains are lasting for days, then you, sir, have an injury. Stay out of the pool for a week or two, and let it heal. Switch out your pool time for other exercise, and if that still hurts, switch out to something else. When you get back into the pool, take it easy, ramp back up slowly, both in terms of intensity and duration, and if the pain comes back, stop again.

Longer term, there's a couple of things you might want to follow-up on to improve your swim and minimize the chances of injury recurring again. Swimming is a really technique-dependent sport. If your stroke is poor, you might actually be causing injury through bad form. Head on over to Swimsmooth.com, and spend 15 minutes watching the videos and considering whether your form is like that. Then, watch them again right before you next get in the pool so they're fresh in your head.

Going a little deeper, you might consider taking a couple of Masters swim classes. Most public pools run them - have a look in your local one.

You might also want to consider adding some core-strength routines into your workout schedule. A strong core will not only improve your swim, it'll improve your everything. Anecdotally, I've felt stronger across the board, and seen performance improvement across all my activities, as well as just feeling better in my everyday activities, walking around and wotnot. Here's a good all-round core workout that I adopted - I often throw a yoga mat down on the floor while watching TV in the evening and do a set of these.

Jonman wrote:
Jayhawker wrote:

Which brings me to my problem. Since I started swimming, I'm suffering from what seems to be several strained tendons (self-diagnosed). I get really sharp pains on my back left arm and my lower abdomen. I also have more minimal sharp pains in some other locations.

Is this a resalt of lack of hydration? I drink a ton of water every day, keeping 32 0z bottles of cold water ready to go at all times. It's a huge part of my weight-loss. One of the main reasons I went with swoimming is that is felt like I would be at much less risk for injury.

Any suggestions?

A bunch of wise stuff.

If you think it's an injury, look up some physical therapy exercises to do with that part of your body. With serious muscle strain there may be a tear or something in there. Not only does your muscle need to heal, but it needs to be built back up to full strength. Resting it will heal the tear, but the muscle won't be able to move to its fullest, and you will hurt yourself again quickly if you return to exercise before strengthening the muscle.

Putting my Water Safety Instructor hat on: swimming technique is extremely important, for both injury prevention, and stroke efficiency. Hydrodynamics and all that. There is no substitute for having a trained swimmer or swimming instructor watch your stroke and give you some tips. If you really like swimming, sign up for a class and see what happens.

93_confirmed wrote:
Bear wrote:

I happened to stumble upon this documentary last week that has me absolutely fascinated with the idea of a juice fast. The documentary was called Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead. It's a really good watch and there are some amazing weight loss & health improvement stories. My takeaway from the movie is that a lot of the processed "foods" that we're currently eating are basically slowly poisoning us to death. I think you'll enjoy it.

You can either just google the title and watch it on YouTube or Hulu. It's also available at www.jointhereboot.com.

Now back to juicer shopping! :)

That's a great documentary and it was one of the catalysts that got me (and the wife) into juicing. If you're looking for a good mid-level juicer that won't break the bank, check out this Breville ($150). We had a great results with it as did a few couples that we talk nutrition with. We used it for over a year and moved on to a Vita-mix ($450). The Vitamix is more of an all inclusive appliance but it can juice very well and we like that it incorporates all the nutrients, fiber, etc. that are normally lost with machines that separate juice from pulp. It also makes some killer frozen ice and ice cream!

To chime in, we got a Vitamix a while back and it is the best purchase we've made in ages. Every morning we have fruit and vegetable smoothies and they're a snap to make. We had a juicer once and it was a pain to clean.

I guess I should mention my fitness program: the routine I've been working more or less since the surgery and the rehab is this: first thing in the morning I get on the exercise bike for 30 minutes. Then I do some work on the abs and about 20 minutes of dumbbells. I usually walk to work (20 min each way). Haven't done any hiking this summer (the wife is having foot issues) but we've been cycling.

I'm down over 30 pounds from my all-time highest weight and have gone down from a 42 pants size to a 38. We also did the Elephant Rock bike ride which was the longest I've ever been on a bike in my life (32 miles). Not bad for a guy that was recovering from open heart surgery this time last year.

NSMike wrote:

Oof, no, Good Mornings are dangerous.

I disagree. Good Mornings aren't any more dangerous when performed properly than Deadlifts are. The catch, and I don't know that this can be footstomped enough, is that just as with deadlifts doing them improperly *will* lead to a fairly severe lower back injury.

AnimeJ wrote:
NSMike wrote:

Oof, no, Good Mornings are dangerous.

I disagree. Good Mornings aren't any more dangerous when performed properly than Deadlifts are. The catch, and I don't know that this can be footstomped enough, is that just as with deadlifts doing them improperly *will* lead to a fairly severe lower back injury.

I do stiff legged deads all the time and don't find them particularly dangerous. I don't think they are any more dangerous than good mornings.

Paleocon wrote:
AnimeJ wrote:
NSMike wrote:

Oof, no, Good Mornings are dangerous.

I disagree. Good Mornings aren't any more dangerous when performed properly than Deadlifts are. The catch, and I don't know that this can be footstomped enough, is that just as with deadlifts doing them improperly *will* lead to a fairly severe lower back injury.

I do stiff legged deads all the time and don't find them particularly dangerous. I don't think they are any more dangerous than good mornings.

The secret, dear friends, is to keep the back in isometric contraction. You are using the powerful hip/hamstring muscles in motion. With SLDL and Good Mornings, don't think 'bend' think 'push out butt'. I recommend get used to doing SLDL or Romainian Deadlifts right before trying good mornings.

I track real time, via Fitocracy, with my Android. I am sort of on Wendler's 5/3/1, but I'd never claim to him that I am... Also a big fan of Coach Rip and Starting Strength. Still not happy with my Power Clean form, but they got me over the 365 deadlift hump! I train alone. The only time it really bugs me is on bench day.

Does anyone know of a good road running shoe that offers good support. I have heel spurs and they can be painful if I don't have good support when I'm running.

EverythingsTentative wrote:

Does anyone know of a good road running shoe that offers good support. I have heel spurs and they can be painful if I don't have good support when I'm running.

Crap, you too? Know of any tricks to alleviate the issue? I have the same on my right foot. Total bummer, since I enjoy walking so much. And when I go for a morning run, it pretty much messes the rest of the day for me.

wickbroke wrote:
Paleocon wrote:
AnimeJ wrote:
NSMike wrote:

Oof, no, Good Mornings are dangerous.

I disagree. Good Mornings aren't any more dangerous when performed properly than Deadlifts are. The catch, and I don't know that this can be footstomped enough, is that just as with deadlifts doing them improperly *will* lead to a fairly severe lower back injury.

I do stiff legged deads all the time and don't find them particularly dangerous. I don't think they are any more dangerous than good mornings.

The secret, dear friends, is to keep the back in isometric contraction. You are using the powerful hip/hamstring muscles in motion. With SLDL and Good Mornings, don't think 'bend' think 'push out butt'. I recommend get used to doing SLDL or Romainian Deadlifts right before trying good mornings.

I track real time, via Fitocracy, with my Android. I am sort of on Wendler's 5/3/1, but I'd never claim to him that I am... Also a big fan of Coach Rip and Starting Strength. Still not happy with my Power Clean form, but they got me over the 365 deadlift hump! I train alone. The only time it really bugs me is on bench day.

Pretty much in the same boat when it comes to training alone. The only day it bugs me is bench. I've found that I tend to wuss out on the heavy stuff when I know I could have probably gutted out one more rep or at least half of one.

I'd like to get a partner to work with on bench and shoulder days because working the negatives on presses even after you've exhausted your ability to press is a fantastic way to maximize hypertrophy. And you really can't do that without help on presses. You can cheat with rows and pulls, but it is pretty difficult to figure out a way to do that with presses.

oMonarca wrote:
EverythingsTentative wrote:

Does anyone know of a good road running shoe that offers good support. I have heel spurs and they can be painful if I don't have good support when I'm running.

Crap, you too? Know of any tricks to alleviate the issue? I have the same on my right foot. Total bummer, since I enjoy walking so much. And when I go for a morning run, it pretty much messes the rest of the day for me.

The best solution is to go to a specialty running store and have them check your feet out. They'll watch you run/walk outside or on a treadmill and find a shoe that provides the best support for you.

For heel issues, look for something called a heel cup. It's basically a gell insert that's just for the heel part of your foot and it helps a lot with the impact of the running surface to that part of your foot.

Really though, cough up the $120 to get a pair of shoes from a specialty store like Fleet Feet though.

karmajay wrote:
stronglifts.com - The base program and some details and advice on lifts.

Do you know anyone else that has used this program successfully?

I started stronglifts last fall after doing physical therapy for a torn ACL and MCL. During therapy we did some free weight squats and I decided I prefer free weights to machines. I have been pretty good about using machines for weight training for years. Not always great but I'd go 2-3 times per week with a break over the summer. I did some basic free weights (with some machines) during spring of 2011. I went back to all machines during the summer (I work at a college and my access to the weight room is limited).

In the fall I started stronglifts. My bench increased to 230 for 5 sets of 5. I never did any max lifts but I'm pretty sure it was more than 230. When I was in high school my max was 225. I never got above that. In about 9 months I was doing more than my highest max 5 times for five sets (though I never actually got 5 reps of 230 on the last set). With machines I was doing a max of 210 on the machine. Now I do 220 (max on the machine) with ease.

My squat got up to 400+ going almost parallel. I was pretty close but just couldn't get there. I was rounding my back and my form was suffering. I also had pain in my hips when going below parallel so I didn't do it. I decided to drop down to 130 and start over with the goal of doing "ass to grass" squats. It was a bit painful at the beginning but I believe I'm doing a better squat and working more muscles than I was (especially the hip adductors). I only had a few weeks before summer but I got back up to 230.

Overhead press was at 140 (also a high for me). Basically, I was at record highs for just about everything I had previously measured. I have not lost any weight but I've lost about an inch off my waist (35 to 34) and have definitely lost some excess fat. I am not dieting but have increased my protein intake and decreased carb intake. My biggest issue with diet is late night eating. I believe I could easily lose the rest of my fat if I got better at curbing the late night binges (including the beer).

After a few months I was doing my own program but still following the basics of stronglifts. I do almost entirely full body lifts and generally stick to the 5x5. I will do some 3x8 stuff. I try to minimize the amount of time between sets. I am very lucky in that over lunch there are rarely any students in there so I can take up 2 racks. A typical session is bench, rows, squats, stiff-legged deads for one circuit. Then another circuit of pull-ups, dead lifts, shrugs, calf-press, and overhead press or power clean and press. If I had to pick one exercise to do and could only do that one exercise it would be the power clean and press. It is just fantastic.

Now that it is summer I am not getting to the weight room much (just a couple times so far). I'm doing some dumbbell stuff and body weight exercises. I do more reps. I am also running/biking more. I find that the lack of a set time do exercise (over lunch) is a demotivator for me. When I have an hour for lunch I know exactly when I'm going to exercise and there are very few distractions to keep me from doing it (even if I go to lunch late I still go). I have been generally going after work but get distracted much more easily. Fall is just a few weeks away and I'll be back on the free weights again soon, though.

I started my first day on the protein, creatine, and BCAA dealio. I'm curious to see if it makes a difference. I'm building mass already, but it seems mostly concentrated on my back and chest.

Today at the gym someone asked if I was a wrestler. I laughed.

oMonarca wrote:
EverythingsTentative wrote:

Does anyone know of a good road running shoe that offers good support. I have heel spurs and they can be painful if I don't have good support when I'm running.

Crap, you too? Know of any tricks to alleviate the issue? I have the same on my right foot. Total bummer, since I enjoy walking so much. And when I go for a morning run, it pretty much messes the rest of the day for me.

Better way to alleviate heel spurs is to stop landing on your heels when running. Switch to a mid/forefoot running gait, which should eliminate impact injuries on your heel, and should help with shin splint issues if you have those as well.

As for shoes, any good shoe is going to give you proper support. Heel spurs and shin splints are stress injuries caused by the way you run.

AnimeJ wrote:
oMonarca wrote:
EverythingsTentative wrote:

Does anyone know of a good road running shoe that offers good support. I have heel spurs and they can be painful if I don't have good support when I'm running.

Crap, you too? Know of any tricks to alleviate the issue? I have the same on my right foot. Total bummer, since I enjoy walking so much. And when I go for a morning run, it pretty much messes the rest of the day for me.

Better way to alleviate heel spurs is to stop landing on your heels when running. Switch to a mid/forefoot running gait, which should eliminate impact injuries on your heel, and should help with shin splint issues if you have those as well.

As for shoes, any good shoe is going to give you proper support. Heel spurs and shin splints are stress injuries caused by the way you run.

Thanks for the advice! Out of curiosity, can it be healed?

I used to get runner's knee, and I was using a mid-foot strike with a pair of good shoes that have extra arch support for my flat feets. The thing that finally fixed it was switching to a straight up forefoot (or barefoot-style) stride. Requires more work from the calves, but definitely cleared up the runner's knee.

So I guess the answer is maybe? If what you've got is a minor stress thing, then switching strides may just make it go away. If you've actually torn/bruised/busted something, it might not, but it's definitely worth a try.

oMonarca wrote:
AnimeJ wrote:
oMonarca wrote:
EverythingsTentative wrote:

Does anyone know of a good road running shoe that offers good support. I have heel spurs and they can be painful if I don't have good support when I'm running.

Crap, you too? Know of any tricks to alleviate the issue? I have the same on my right foot. Total bummer, since I enjoy walking so much. And when I go for a morning run, it pretty much messes the rest of the day for me.

Better way to alleviate heel spurs is to stop landing on your heels when running. Switch to a mid/forefoot running gait, which should eliminate impact injuries on your heel, and should help with shin splint issues if you have those as well.

As for shoes, any good shoe is going to give you proper support. Heel spurs and shin splints are stress injuries caused by the way you run.

Thanks for the advice! Out of curiosity, can it be healed?

Depends on the injury. I had chronic shin splints which don't bother me so long as I keep running in a minimalist shoe; I've switched back a couple times under duress, one of which resulted in two months off for an overuse injury. The second I took the day off running and hit the elliptical.

For your situation, I'd say ask your Doc about it.

I think I'm going to go find a dairy farm to work on for the summer. When I was working on the farm as a teenager I could easily throw a 100lb sack of grain on each shoulder, walk it the length of the barn (100yds) and throw it in the calf barn. I don't think I could even lift a 100lb bag of grain today.

Unfortunately I'd need to quit my job but at least they'd pay me and I'll be as strong as an ox.

93_confirmed wrote:

That's a great documentary and it was one of the catalysts that got me (and the wife) into juicing. If you're looking for a good mid-level juicer that won't break the bank, check out this Breville ($150). We had a great results with it as did a few couples that we talk nutrition with. We used it for over a year and moved on to a Vita-mix ($450). The Vitamix is more of an all inclusive appliance but it can juice very well and we like that it incorporates all the nutrients, fiber, etc. that are normally lost with machines that separate juice from pulp. It also makes some killer frozen ice and ice cream!

So how has your experience with juicing been? Have you lost weight? Do you feel better?

I can't believe everyone has the same amazing results as the creator of the documentary.

Bear wrote:

I think I'm going to go find a dairy farm to work on for the summer. When I was working on the farm as a teenager I could easily throw a 100lb sack of grain on each shoulder, walk it the length of the barn (100yds) and throw it in the calf barn. I don't think I could even lift a 100lb bag of grain today.

Unfortunately I'd need to quit my job but at least they'd pay me and I'll be as strong as an ox. :)

It's funny. At my gas station, my mechanic tosses around 100 pound tires all day, swings slide hammers, and uses prybars all the time. I joked to him that it looked like a Crossfit workout. He laughed and said, maybe I should charge folks $150/month to do my job.

I'm in my first week on Creatine, BCAA, and Protein suppliments. I've put some fish oil and a multivitamin on that as well. I haven't taken the step of adding a pre-workout cocktail like Nitric Oxide yet, but I've started the experiment.

AnimeJ wrote:
oMonarca wrote:
EverythingsTentative wrote:

Does anyone know of a good road running shoe that offers good support. I have heel spurs and they can be painful if I don't have good support when I'm running.

Crap, you too? Know of any tricks to alleviate the issue? I have the same on my right foot. Total bummer, since I enjoy walking so much. And when I go for a morning run, it pretty much messes the rest of the day for me.

Better way to alleviate heel spurs is to stop landing on your heels when running. Switch to a mid/forefoot running gait, which should eliminate impact injuries on your heel, and should help with shin splint issues if you have those as well.

As for shoes, any good shoe is going to give you proper support. Heel spurs and shin splints are stress injuries caused by the way you run.

My podiatrists said my heel spurs were cause by my overly tight calf muscles. This caused the achilles to pull unusually hard on the heel. I've stretched out my calf and I don't have half the pain I used too but running can be painful on occasion.

If overly tight calves/hams caused heel spurs, mine would be off the charts. Bending at the waist, I can get a few inches past my knees. He's the doc and all, but that sounds really strange to me, given that I have a similar situation, but no issue with my heels.

*shrug* People vary. Bodies are different.

I've been really really trying to gear myself up for a training program that I can sustain but there's one nagging thought in the back of my head that's keeping me from jumping in full bore. That thought "what's the point"? I seem to be caught in a rut of start/stop/start/stop.

I know at first blush that might seem odd but here's where that's coming from. I'm 46 years old and my best competitive days are behind me. I'm never going to be in the shape I was in when I was 25 and playing volleyball six days a week. I may never be as strong as I was when I was 18 and working on the farm. Why would I put myself through this? Obviously there's the health implications of being in shape but damn, it's hard to get motivated when your only goal is to get into better shape. It's much easier to walk a little bit, diet a bit and lose a few pounds but I think without a specific target I'm really doomed.

When I was playing volleyball competitively I used to train with the season in mind. I think what I need is something to train for and that will get me over the hump. Anyone else in a similar position?

You'll live longer Bear. Think of it as a time investment that pays off later.

In a lot of endurance sports, a separate masters division starts at age 40 & most races have 5 or 10 year age group awards.
How about picking one that you like & see if you can kick all the other 40-somethings around?

Cod wrote:

In a lot of endurance sports, a separate masters division starts at age 40 & most races have 5 or 10 year age group awards.
How about picking one that you like & see if you can kick all the other 40-somethings around?

I run with a bunch of 50+ runners. I advise you do so too before you propose kicking them around.

Yea, serious Masters runners are insane. Tons of em out there still turning in 3 hour marathons. I don't know that I've ever been in good enough shape for that.

Paleocon wrote:
Cod wrote:

In a lot of endurance sports, a separate masters division starts at age 40 & most races have 5 or 10 year age group awards.
How about picking one that you like & see if you can kick all the other 40-somethings around?

I run with a bunch of 50+ runners. I advise you do so too before you propose kicking them around. ;)

Ditto here on the training partners, including one 60+ elite, so I am completely familiar with being soundly beaten by people more than 20 years older than me.

To Bear's point, it's good motivation...

Cod wrote:
Paleocon wrote:
Cod wrote:

In a lot of endurance sports, a separate masters division starts at age 40 & most races have 5 or 10 year age group awards.
How about picking one that you like & see if you can kick all the other 40-somethings around?

I run with a bunch of 50+ runners. I advise you do so too before you propose kicking them around. ;)

Ditto here on the training partners, including one 60+ elite, so I am completely familiar with being soundly beaten by people more than 20 years older than me.

To Bear's point, it's good motivation...

My dentist is 67 and has run the JFK 50 (a 50 miler that starts off with a 14 mile trail run along the Appalachian Trail) every year for the last 15 years. He also posts better 10 mile times than I do. The first time I ran with this group, he took me on a 14 miler that had me sleeping on the couch in pain for the rest of the weekend. And he isn't, by any stretch, the toughest old guy in the group.

Don't underestimate the old dudes.