PDA

View Full Version : Injury thread



Machine
07-10-10, 10:05 pm
I think I may have posted something like this before with some success...but I believe that the serious injury is something that is inextrikably linked to bodybuilding / physical culture.

Injuries and bodybuilding go together like peanut butter and jelly; there is no denying that one who is radically engaged in the pursuit of physical excellence must endure the tumults of physical injury as part of the usual course of business in this game. But the man who thinks that he may nurse an injury (or harbor the memory of one) for an inordinate amount of time is coldly mistaken.

I won't lie, I have torn so many muscles off the bone that sometimes, when I close my eyes, I can still here the crunching, grinding, tearing, and popping.

But many, many successful and driven athletes will tell you that you have to have a short memory in this game...or you will be cursed to re-play past injuries in your mind over and over again. This thread might be somewhat theraputic for the frustrating bullshit that is an athletes daily life after the moment that something went POP!

Let us give it a try.

MACHINE

FITGYM
07-10-10, 10:23 pm
Machine,

I was a crash dummy as a kid and went into gymnastics. I have had broken bones. pulled and dislocated stuff. I've had my share of car accidents and even rolled a navigator and walked away. I am a candidate for a helmet but I've always went back to the gym because it's what kept me going all these years. If it wasn't for the muscle on my frame I'd be a broke down 41 year old with all kinds of pills in my medicine cabinet but I'm not. I've always taken my "Animal Pak" as my multivitamin. The iron is what cures me and keeps me young.

You have to break a few eggs to make an omelet.....

Legacy
07-10-10, 10:46 pm
You guys should check this book out. I am always up for literature and I read this book a few weeks ago and it really gives a lot of insight. You can find it on other sites cheap and I think the local bookstore might sell them too. Good read though, very informative, especially for new guys getting into the game.

http://www.musclemedicinebook.com/

IronWilson
07-11-10, 2:04 am
Well I have been to every specialist, doctor, and 2 physical therapists for my injury, and all I have to show for it is one hefty medical bill. No one can figure out what is wrong with me, so he doctors just say it's fibromyalgia. I don't believe it at all, but maybe it's just wishful thinking. But regardless, the situation pisses me the fuck off. One day, suddenly I had bicep tendonitis, then came the knee pain, then neck pain, back pain, now shoulder pain and weird nerve responses. It seems that I'll never be cured of all of this pain, so right now I'm trying to construct new ways of building muscle that can work for me.

The Misfit
07-11-10, 4:20 am
Injuries and bodybuilding go together like peanut butter and jelly; there is no denying that one who is radically engaged in the pursuit of physical excellence must endure the tumults of physical injury as part of the usual course of business in this game.

MACHINE

Much the same with other sporting pursuits. High school rugby brought me knee ligament damage (minor) and a grade 3 ruptured ac joint. Both of which have carried over into my current weight regimen. Knee problems are a reality I am fully aware of, because of this I am very critical of proper if not immaculate technique on movements such as the squat.
On the upper half, a ruptured ac joint has brought disfigurement to the site of injury. This has greatly affected training. Hard to explain but difficulties include a difference in strength output & range/plane of motion on the left side compared to that of the right side. I am still learning how to work around it.
All in all, I've come to learn the importance of proper technique, injury prevention methods/exercises and rest. Although practicing such will greatly reduce injury, I'm aware that it will not fully eliminate the risk of injury (It's not a mater of if but when).

Machine
07-11-10, 9:55 am
Machine,

I was a crash dummy as a kid and went into gymnastics. I have had broken bones. pulled and dislocated stuff. I've had my share of car accidents and even rolled a navigator and walked away. I am a candidate for a helmet but I've always went back to the gym because it's what kept me going all these years. If it wasn't for the muscle on my frame I'd be a broke down 41 year old with all kinds of pills in my medicine cabinet but I'm not. I've always taken my "Animal Pak" as my multivitamin. The iron is what cures me and keeps me young.

You have to break a few eggs to make an omelet.....


Sounds like we are reading from a similar playbook...I dont believe in any of the pill popping shit either and refuse to be knocked out while they work on an elbow, shoulder, or knee, I'll take the local, its a bitch getting those slack jawwed doctors to not knock you out. Fuck'em Its our body right!

Wage war!

MACHINE

Machine
07-11-10, 9:58 am
Well I have been to every specialist, doctor, and 2 physical therapists for my injury, and all I have to show for it is one hefty medical bill. No one can figure out what is wrong with me, so he doctors just say it's fibromyalgia. I don't believe it at all, but maybe it's just wishful thinking. But regardless, the situation pisses me the fuck off. One day, suddenly I had bicep tendonitis, then came the knee pain, then neck pain, back pain, now shoulder pain and weird nerve responses. It seems that I'll never be cured of all of this pain, so right now I'm trying to construct new ways of building muscle that can work for me.


I've heard every story in the book myself, I supposedly have the "medical markers" for Rhumatoid Arthritis now...the way I see it, and with the shit I've been through...Rhumatoid Arthritis sounds like a fucking day off to me. I applaud your positive attitude and enthusiasm....outstanding!

Good luck

MACHINE

Machine
07-11-10, 10:00 am
Much the same with other sporting pursuits. High school rugby brought me knee ligament damage (minor) and a grade 3 ruptured ac joint. Both of which have carried over into my current weight regimen. Knee problems are a reality I am fully aware of, because of this I am very critical of proper if not immaculate technique on movements such as the squat.
On the upper half, a ruptured ac joint has brought disfigurement to the site of injury. This has greatly affected training. Hard to explain but difficulties include a difference in strength output & range/plane of motion on the left side compared to that of the right side. I am still learning how to work around it.
All in all, I've come to learn the importance of proper technique, injury prevention methods/exercises and rest. Although practicing such will greatly reduce injury, I'm aware that it will not fully eliminate the risk of injury (It's not a mater of if but when).


You have the ideal mindset for this special kind of warfare...well done brother!

MACHINE

FITGYM
07-11-10, 8:26 pm
You guys should check this book out. I am always up for literature and I read this book a few weeks ago and it really gives a lot of insight. You can find it on other sites cheap and I think the local bookstore might sell them too. Good read though, very informative, especially for new guys getting into the game.

http://www.musclemedicinebook.com/


good book..i have this one

B. Rowe
07-11-10, 9:16 pm
Seems like every time you start to get things rolling, BAM!!! You get smacked in the face with some stupid injury. Some are minor like tendonitis but still put a hamper in your routine others take you away from the game for some time. We never take the time to heal properly which leads to perpetual pain. Ive been pushing off patellar tendon release in both knees for 3 years which has put a damper on my leg training, and recently got an umbilical hernia. i can still train and be productive but at some point they need to be taken care of but im too damn stubborn to take the time off to get them done.

Machine
07-11-10, 9:28 pm
Seems like every time you start to get things rolling, BAM!!! You get smacked in the face with some stupid injury. Some are minor like tendonitis but still put a hamper in your routine others take you away from the game for some time. We never take the time to heal properly which leads to perpetual pain. Ive been pushing off patellar tendon release in both knees for 3 years which has put a damper on my leg training, and recently got an umbilical hernia. i can still train and be productive but at some point they need to be taken care of but im too damn stubborn to take the time off to get them done.


Gotta love those umbilical hernias, I'm on my fourth. It always presents a certain level of difficulty to train through the injuries that we incur with alarming regularity. It is re-affirming just to hear other athletes talk about the same shit I go through. Thank you all for sharing.

MACHINE

Shukin
07-11-10, 10:18 pm
Becoming injured is part of life, weather it be physical or emotional, the key i believe is in recovery, how well you recover. I have been involved in Martial arts all my life, combined with weight training and other sports like Ice hockey, there is always risk involved, but that is life. Hell, a woman my mom works with had to get her Achilles heal operated on cause she fell off the curb wrong getting off the bus. You can't let injuries, or the fear of injuries stop you or you would never leave your house.
Since weight lifting seriously these past years I had a hernia operation, pulled back muscles, pulled leg muscles, mostly out of stupidity! I was going too heavy without a belt, (thought it was better for my core cause I read it in a mag), and because of improper technique!
Honestly, this forum keeps me going, so much support here from guys and gals I've never met but very much trust.... Keep it real..

Thank you all,
Shukin

BigChrisF
07-12-10, 1:59 am
Gotta love those umbilical hernias, I'm on my fourth. It always presents a certain level of difficulty to train through the injuries that we incur with alarming regularity. It is re-affirming just to hear other athletes talk about the same shit I go through. Thank you all for sharing.

MACHINE

If they aren't already repairing the area with mylar mesh, then ask them to use that when in busts through again. Right after you smack them for not using it the first, second, third or fourth time...

Razor
07-12-10, 8:37 am
Seems like every time you start to get things rolling, BAM!!! You get smacked in the face with some stupid injury. Some are minor like tendonitis but still put a hamper in your routine others take you away from the game for some time. We never take the time to heal properly which leads to perpetual pain. Ive been pushing off patellar tendon release in both knees for 3 years which has put a damper on my leg training, and recently got an umbilical hernia. i can still train and be productive but at some point they need to be taken care of but im too damn stubborn to take the time off to get them done.

Yeah we're all like that in one way or another. It's the addiction we have to the iron that no matter what happens we have to keep going. The HARDEST thing in the world is to take extended rest. None of us want to do it, hell how many of us would opt for no rest if our bodies were somehow capable of it??? When an injury occurs you just want it to heal overnight so you can hit the gym the next day and get back on the horse. Unfortunately our bodies need to heal and need to rest. Not doing so always causes more harm than good.

squattingtillipuke
07-12-10, 12:49 pm
I hear this loud and clear...

Go good for a long period of time and bam it's a torn rotator cuff with bone spurs and dr found arthritis in the shoulder similar to a 50 year old (I was 30 at the time)

Get back from that and it is a back injury and elbow tendonitis (which I ignored) and ended up much much worse then it should've gotten to.

Then for some stupid fucking reason, I get the notion to have a skill saw try to cut off two of my fingers...

After each injury I just rise up out of the ashes and change things a little here and a little there and try to construct the vision that I want to see in the mirror...now if shit would just leave me alone to do it!!!!!

rev8ball
07-12-10, 12:55 pm
But many, many successful and driven athletes will tell you that you have to have a short memory in this game...or you will be cursed to re-play past injuries in your mind over and over again.
MACHINE

Absolutely true! It is very similar to the psychological "programing" that women have that allows them to not consciously remember how painful childbirth is, otherwise the human race would never perpetuate.

Good stuff...

B. Rowe
07-12-10, 7:40 pm
Absolutely true! It is very similar to the psychological "programing" that women have that allows them to not consciously remember how painful childbirth is, otherwise the human race would never perpetuate.

Good stuff...

Flipped my bike doing a wheelie at 70mph on the highway. Took 5 weeks for me to be able to run again, only took 3 months for my dumb ass to start riding wheelies. Good thing i moved to the city and had to sell it. If you step into the gym, the playing field, or life in general and are afraid of getting hurt thats when the worst things are going to happen.

Machine
07-12-10, 8:32 pm
If they aren't already repairing the area with mylar mesh, then ask them to use that when in busts through again. Right after you smack them for not using it the first, second, third or fourth time...

I dislocated the mesh twice already...I generate a lot of valsalva...


MACHINE

Machine
07-12-10, 8:36 pm
Yeah we're all like that in one way or another. It's the addiction we have to the iron that no matter what happens we have to keep going. The HARDEST thing in the world is to take extended rest. None of us want to do it, hell how many of us would opt for no rest if our bodies were somehow capable of it??? When an injury occurs you just want it to heal overnight so you can hit the gym the next day and get back on the horse. Unfortunately our bodies need to heal and need to rest. Not doing so always causes more harm than good.


You have to be in close touch with your mental, emotional, and spiritual connectivity relative to your physical person, and you must have great perspective with regard to your position in the world. This is the best way to drive acceptable outcomes in high stress situations.

MACHINE

Machine
07-12-10, 8:39 pm
I hear this loud and clear...

Go good for a long period of time and bam it's a torn rotator cuff with bone spurs and dr found arthritis in the shoulder similar to a 50 year old (I was 30 at the time)

Get back from that and it is a back injury and elbow tendonitis (which I ignored) and ended up much much worse then it should've gotten to.

Then for some stupid fucking reason, I get the notion to have a skill saw try to cut off two of my fingers...

After each injury I just rise up out of the ashes and change things a little here and a little there and try to construct the vision that I want to see in the mirror...now if shit would just leave me alone to do it!!!!!


You are collecting quite a little medical file for yourself here young man! The best part of your story is the part where you are STILL FUCKING KICKING ASS AND TAKING NAMES!!!

Outstanding...Keep your pecker hard and your powder dry...and the motherfucking world will turn brother...

MACHINE

Machine
07-12-10, 8:41 pm
Flipped my bike doing a wheelie at 70mph on the highway. Took 5 weeks for me to be able to run again, only took 3 months for my dumb ass to start riding wheelies. Good thing i moved to the city and had to sell it. If you step into the gym, the playing field, or life in general and are afraid of getting hurt thats when the worst things are going to happen.


I couldn't have said it better brother!

Lay off the fucking daredevil shit...you got training to do...

MACHINE

BigChrisF
07-13-10, 2:37 am
I dislocated the mesh twice already...I generate a lot of valsalva...


MACHINE
Sew...harder?

As for listing injuries, I don't know how many I've had from training. Even just trying to think of the major injuries is too many. Off the top of my head I can think of 2 knee injuries, 2 quad tears, 1 ham tear, 2 tricep tears, 1 bicep tear, 1 lat tear, 1 teres major tear, 1 erector tear and the less said about my shoulders, the better. This is all in about the last half dozen years...unfortunately.

If I tried to list all the injuries I have had in life, that would be a long, long list. I'm pretty indestructible, but that doesn't stop the world from trying.

JasonG
07-13-10, 7:07 am
Two most recent were tendonosis in left rotator cuff and front delt. Had compartment syndrome in all four compartments in both calves. Had surgery to release anterior compartment in both legs at the same time. In gym two weeks later, but ripped open the incision in my right leg. Took a pic of the blood pooling down my leg and sent to the wife asking if I should go to the er. When I got there the nurse said you were doing WHAT after two weeks of surgery?? Then brought in another nurse to show her. Now I got a big gap in part of my incision and was infected so the shit still isn't healed yet. On top of that my left foot is numb and can't move my toes up. Nerve doc shot current through that leg and says nothing is severed and it should come back in time when the adema goes away completely. Let me tell ya legs and cardio is a fucking bitch with a numb foot! Two weeks off helped alot with the tendonosis though.

B. Rowe
07-13-10, 7:04 pm
Absolutely true! It is very similar to the psychological "programing" that women have that allows them to not consciously remember how painful childbirth is, otherwise the human race would never perpetuate.

Good stuff...


Two most recent were tendonosis in left rotator cuff and front delt. Had compartment syndrome in all four compartments in both calves. Had surgery to release anterior compartment in both legs at the same time. In gym two weeks later, but ripped open the incision in my right leg. Took a pic of the blood pooling down my leg and sent to the wife asking if I should go to the er. When I got there the nurse said you were doing WHAT after two weeks of surgery?? Then brought in another nurse to show her. Now I got a big gap in part of my incision and was infected so the shit still isn't healed yet. On top of that my left foot is numb and can't move my toes up. Nerve doc shot current through that leg and says nothing is severed and it should come back in time when the adema goes away completely. Let me tell ya legs and cardio is a fucking bitch with a numb foot! Two weeks off helped alot with the tendonosis though.

lol sounds like me, 1 week after having labrum repair and some rotator cuff clean up i was doing single arm dumbbell presses in the gym. Tore ligaments in ankle playin bball had to wear one of those moon boots and i was doing leg presses with it on, had to use crutches to get in and out of gym but i could leg press. Also tied a rope around my shifter on motorcycle so i could go to Myrtle Beach bike week cus i couldnt get the boot to go under shifter so i would just pull up on rope to shift up gears...ohh to be young and stupid

jeff00z28
07-13-10, 9:47 pm
surprisingly none from lifting. i pinched a nerve in my neck once and that was a bad 2 days, not rly an injury tho

Big Wides
07-13-10, 10:06 pm
Dislocated my patella (kneecap) twice within a year span. Doctors and athletic trainers told me I'd never be able to squat, clean, or deadlift heavy again. Took that with a grain of salt and was back to squatting, deadlifting, and cleaning within 3 months post injury.

Sprint
07-14-10, 7:30 pm
Yeah fully gettin you with the psychological problems. Torn adductors twice each in each leg all on separate occasions on the track. Each one kept me out of any training on the track for about 6-8 weeks ish. Managed to rupture an achillie's tendon running up the stairs once (not some basic training routine, I was just wanting to get from downstairs to upstairs & ended up in a heap on the landing at the top of the stairs. Better than a heap at the bottom I suppose). Pulled hamstring, wasnt too bad, healed fairly quick & was competing again 2 weeks later albeit with no training in between those 2 weeks but the comp went with no issues so i was back 100%.
Probably the absolute worst was tearing my rectus femoris in my quads coming out the blocks in a 100m. a 98m hobble followed that, cos it was a league match for the club, & finish last you score a point to the clubs overall total, dont finish & you dont score. Unfortunately every step of said hobble tore just a bit deeper each time. Took 3 & a half months before I could sprint again. I was probably good to go before that but I was holding back a bit, it took a sunday morning 30m time trials session to get me really pushing again, the introduction of the stopwatch got me focused on the sprinting & not on re-tearing the quad. That was 8 years ago & it's been fine ever since.
However, the adductors have been holding me back psychologically for about 8 months now. I think the psychological issues are because I've torn them more than once each time. Do it once & you can think "well, this is sport/training, injuries happen occasionally" but when you do the same thing twice or even more times it plays on your mind even more. Unfortunately, it can make you tense up a bit & make the recurrence you're thinking about even more likely to happen. A self-fullfilling prophecy in a sense.
Im just about ready to really give the adductors a proper spin soon, big competition in 2 weeks. It's another league match tho so even if something goes sideways (which it wont) Im finishing that fucking race even if its just my torso clawing its way down the track to the finish line.

B. Rowe
07-18-10, 12:35 am
Machine... how was the recovery time for the umbilical hernias? Mine isnt bad right now but it is progressively getting worse and i am trying to decide when to get it done. I could go some time before getting it repaired but doing do alot of fitness model work and it is not too applealing to look at.

BigChrisF
07-18-10, 2:01 am
I don't know about Machine, but a buddy of mine took 2 weeks off training and then it was 6 weeks before lifting heavier weights again.

fawaz
07-27-10, 12:24 am
buldged disk
strained and sprained lower back
bruse under the nail had to peal my own nail of
severe sorness so bad couldnt go to school
strained calve
and a few strained everywhere round my body

intoodeep25
08-07-10, 3:47 pm
goin through a lower back injury right now...its always something. take 2 steps forward to take 1 back...dont even know what it is yet, gotta wait til freakin wednesday to hit the chiro and hopefully get a gameplan together. hopefully its minor...its so easy to get down on yourself when things like this happen...it just makes me appreciate what i do on the daily that much more

Firedrake
08-09-10, 2:31 am
You have to be in close touch with your mental, emotional, and spiritual connectivity relative to your physical person, and you must have great perspective with regard to your position in the world. This is the best way to drive acceptable outcomes in high stress situations.

MACHINE

Damn straight.

I've been fighting back trouble since I was in the Army in the early 70s, thanks to a couple of training accidents and a jeep rollover when my Equipment Depot was attacked by terrorists in 1974. It finally got fixed three years ago, but by that time I'd lost most of the muscle in my legs due to nerve impingment. The doctor inserted 3 artificial disks, built a titanium cage from my S1 up to L2, and transplanted nerves from my thigh to my spine to make my legs work right again.

I fell and tore the left bicep off the elbow in 2002 -- and the surgery to fix it damaged the nerves to the left hand so I couldn't open it for six months. I had arthritis surgery in the left shoulder in 2003 to grind a quarter-inch off the acromion and glenoid process and repair the labrum. I tore the right quad off the kneecap in 2004, and mangled the left pretty badly, in a fall caused by the impinged nerve in the back.

. . . and that's just in THIS century. <grin>

Over the years I've shattered both tibia (left in 3 places, right in 5 - 1973), broken the left foot and wrist, sprained the right ankle three or four times, partially tore the right hamstring (1992 I believe) doing deficit deads.That last one is the only one that actually happened in the gym.

In the past year, I was diagnosed with polycythemia vera, which means I produce too many blood cells and they have to drain half-a-liter off every month, had bouts with kidney stones and diverticulitis, and came down with fuckin' SHINGLES three weeks before my competition.

Tomorrow morning, they're going in and shove a plastic tube up me to run a stint from my left kidney into my bladder so it'll drain better.

I expect to be in the gym no later than Thursday, and hitting it hard on Saturday with Wingman, who's coming in from Ohio to train with the local crew.

Mostly, my response to any of these issue or injuries is to be pissed that they're getting in the way of my training. I don't -think- about what's gone before, or how far I've come, because I -know- the judges won't care. They didn't ask what I went through to get to the stage two weeks ago, and it doesn't matter. They guy who took both my classes had ALSO had back surgery (we compared scars), and gotten through prostate cancer. I have NO fuckin' excuse.

It's just something else to get through on the way to our goals.

It's mind over matter -- if you don't mind, it doesn't matter.

Sprint
08-09-10, 10:27 am
Damn straight.

I've been fighting back trouble since I was in the Army in the early 70s, thanks to a couple of training accidents and a jeep rollover when my Equipment Depot was attacked by terrorists in 1974. It finally got fixed three years ago, but by that time I'd lost most of the muscle in my legs due to nerve impingment. The doctor inserted 3 artificial disks, built a titanium cage from my S1 up to L2, and transplanted nerves from my thigh to my spine to make my legs work right again.

I fell and tore the left bicep off the elbow in 2002 -- and the surgery to fix it damaged the nerves to the left hand so I couldn't open it for six months. I had arthritis surgery in the left shoulder in 2003 to grind a quarter-inch off the acromion and glenoid process and repair the labrum. I tore the right quad off the kneecap in 2004, and mangled the left pretty badly, in a fall caused by the impinged nerve in the back.

. . . and that's just in THIS century. <grin>

Over the years I've shattered both tibia (left in 3 places, right in 5 - 1973), broken the left foot and wrist, sprained the right ankle three or four times, partially tore the right hamstring (1992 I believe) doing deficit deads.That last one is the only one that actually happened in the gym.

In the past year, I was diagnosed with polycythemia vera, which means I produce too many blood cells and they have to drain half-a-liter off every month, had bouts with kidney stones and diverticulitis, and came down with fuckin' SHINGLES three weeks before my competition.

Tomorrow morning, they're going in and shove a plastic tube up me to run a stint from my left kidney into my bladder so it'll drain better.

I expect to be in the gym no later than Thursday, and hitting it hard on Saturday with Wingman, who's coming in from Ohio to train with the local crew.

Mostly, my response to any of these issue or injuries is to be pissed that they're getting in the way of my training. I don't -think- about what's gone before, or how far I've come, because I -know- the judges won't care. They didn't ask what I went through to get to the stage two weeks ago, and it doesn't matter. They guy who took both my classes had ALSO had back surgery (we compared scars), and gotten through prostate cancer. I have NO fuckin' excuse.

It's just something else to get through on the way to our goals.

It's mind over matter -- if you don't mind, it doesn't matter.

My sporting injuries just paled somewhat.

I feel humbled.

Thank you.

U Mad Brah?
08-09-10, 1:16 pm
does a good brah need to experience injury to be the best brahs?

Firedrake
08-10-10, 6:29 pm
My sporting injuries just paled somewhat.

I feel humbled.

Thank you.

That wasn't my intent. We ALL have obstacles to overcome. I've been around a lot longer than most of you, so I may have a few more. It is in the manner of the overcoming that we find our strength.


does a good brah need to experience injury to be the best brahs?

Injury? Perhaps not. Obstacles? Challenges? Something out of the ordinary to shake you from preconceptions and routine? Yeah, I think so.

My favorite example comes from one of my old hobbies: medieval swordfighting. I knew a young man we called a "mutant", because he was praeternaturally fast, amazingly strong, with incredible endurance, was completely ambidextrous, and had a quick eye for targeting. It was almost as though this was his gift in life. Yet, he never thought of himself as a good fighter. It came so easily to him, he didn't value it.

On the day after he stepped down from his first term as "King" of the Southern California kingdom, he was in a major car accident, and his steering column gave him an impromptu splenectomy. We weren't sure he was going to live. He was in the hospital, I believe, about nine weeks, while they pieced him back together.

When he was finally able to return to the fighting field, he had to start from scratch. Speed, strength, power and endurance were all gone, and he had to learn to fight all over again. It was, I think, a year and a half before he returned to his previous level of skill, and he eventually became both a better fighter, and a better teacher, because he had to consciously re-learn what he had lost.

More than anything else, I think we need to have our perceptions challenged and our pre-conceptions shattered before serious progress can be made. I think we need to have something which FORCES our focus.

My legs used to be my best bodypart. I was leg pressing 1200 pounds and more when I was in high school. It's taken me going almost to NO use of the legs with loss of almost all muscle mass for me to learn how to really train them. They're only now really growing, and I'm really looking forward to seeing what happens with them on this mass cycle. I'm planning on getting them back to being my best part again, or at the very least, on a par with the rest of me.

This may sound weird, but for me, NEEDING to push a little harder is actually a good thing.

Sprint
08-10-10, 7:00 pm
That wasn't my intent. We ALL have obstacles to overcome. I've been around a lot longer than most of you, so I may have a few more. It is in the manner of the overcoming that we find our strength.



Injury? Perhaps not. Obstacles? Challenges? Something out of the ordinary to shake you from preconceptions and routine? Yeah, I think so.

My favorite example comes from one of my old hobbies: medieval swordfighting. I knew a young man we called a "mutant", because he was praeternaturally fast, amazingly strong, with incredible endurance, was completely ambidextrous, and had a quick eye for targeting. It was almost as though this was his gift in life. Yet, he never thought of himself as a good fighter. It came so easily to him, he didn't value it.

On the day after he stepped down from his first term as "King" of the Southern California kingdom, he was in a major car accident, and his steering column gave him an impromptu splenectomy. We weren't sure he was going to live. He was in the hospital, I believe, about nine weeks, while they pieced him back together.

When he was finally able to return to the fighting field, he had to start from scratch. Speed, strength, power and endurance were all gone, and he had to learn to fight all over again. It was, I think, a year and a half before he returned to his previous level of skill, and he eventually became both a better fighter, and a better teacher, because he had to consciously re-learn what he had lost.

More than anything else, I think we need to have our perceptions challenged and our pre-conceptions shattered before serious progress can be made. I think we need to have something which FORCES our focus.

My legs used to be my best bodypart. I was leg pressing 1200 pounds and more when I was in high school. It's taken me going almost to NO use of the legs with loss of almost all muscle mass for me to learn how to really train them. They're only now really growing, and I'm really looking forward to seeing what happens with them on this mass cycle. I'm planning on getting them back to being my best part again, or at the very least, on a par with the rest of me.

This may sound weird, but for me, NEEDING to push a little harder is actually a good thing.

Maybe it wasn't your intent but it still an the effect.

Your second post more inspiring than humbling, but both moving me to the same degree.

U Mad Brah?
08-25-10, 12:45 pm
That wasn't my intent. We ALL have obstacles to overcome. I've been around a lot longer than most of you, so I may have a few more. It is in the manner of the overcoming that we find our strength.



Injury? Perhaps not. Obstacles? Challenges? Something out of the ordinary to shake you from preconceptions and routine? Yeah, I think so.

My favorite example comes from one of my old hobbies: medieval swordfighting. I knew a young man we called a "mutant", because he was praeternaturally fast, amazingly strong, with incredible endurance, was completely ambidextrous, and had a quick eye for targeting. It was almost as though this was his gift in life. Yet, he never thought of himself as a good fighter. It came so easily to him, he didn't value it.

On the day after he stepped down from his first term as "King" of the Southern California kingdom, he was in a major car accident, and his steering column gave him an impromptu splenectomy. We weren't sure he was going to live. He was in the hospital, I believe, about nine weeks, while they pieced him back together.

When he was finally able to return to the fighting field, he had to start from scratch. Speed, strength, power and endurance were all gone, and he had to learn to fight all over again. It was, I think, a year and a half before he returned to his previous level of skill, and he eventually became both a better fighter, and a better teacher, because he had to consciously re-learn what he had lost.

More than anything else, I think we need to have our perceptions challenged and our pre-conceptions shattered before serious progress can be made. I think we need to have something which FORCES our focus.

My legs used to be my best bodypart. I was leg pressing 1200 pounds and more when I was in high school. It's taken me going almost to NO use of the legs with loss of almost all muscle mass for me to learn how to really train them. They're only now really growing, and I'm really looking forward to seeing what happens with them on this mass cycle. I'm planning on getting them back to being my best part again, or at the very least, on a par with the rest of me.

This may sound weird, but for me, NEEDING to push a little harder is actually a good thing.

good post drakebrah... obstacles n challenges r what makes u stronger brahs...

Slopeskull
11-16-12, 1:34 am
I have an injury in my left shoulder area that has me stumped. the only way i can explain it is like this. imagine your bending down to touch your toes to stretch your hamstrings. dont touch your toes just let your arms dangle. in my left shoulder it almost feels like the collar bone it hurts. i took 2 weeks off and it still hurts. i can do chest, arms, shoulders, and legs with no problem. but any back movements that involve me leaving my arm towards the floor, (t bar rows, dumbbell rows, high rows, etc) it hurts there. any suggestions or ideas? i can work the rest of the muscle groups just fine with no pain whatsoever. i am stumped.

Maccabee
11-22-12, 8:48 pm
I have a lot of respect for all you guys here. You dont retreat or surrender.

I have never been injured at the level of all you guys here, but I have been hurt many times.

Minor quad tear 5 times

couldnt move my left shoulder for a month once...it took a month for me to be able to lift my left arm over my head

crazy shoulder problems and knee problems...never understood how or why...the pain just comes and goes...vanished over time

hurt my spine deadlifting once and was on the floor for a while...it took me about 30 mins to walk home and I only live 5 mins away...I had to take a few steps and wait until the pain left ....then repeat

bruising on my biceps and chest area...they were not tears but i just had bruises on them after training...it didnt hurt at all


When I first started training I never wanted to get hurt. I was scared. After getting hurt so many times and working throughout it became like second nature. I always trained through the pain. No retreat, no surrender. This is what life is. Life is a war and you have to fight like hell to win.