My body talked…I listened (for once)

I was a little nervous heading into today’s DL session…which is a good thing I suppose, because it had me much more aware and alert of “feeling” things out with my body. It’s been a week since I strained my lower back (very low & deep), and while it was feeling pretty good by today, I wasn’t going to rush into anything or push my luck. One stupid set and I could derail myself for months…or worse.

So, like I mentioned, the back was feeling pretty good by today. Just a little bit of tightness first thing in the morning, but 95% better than last week, that’s for sure. I spent some extra time doing myofascial, mobility and activation work (thanks again to @moremuscles for sending me some great info to help) prior to my first DL set. I started light & began to ramp up. I was feeling good and could tell I’m getting stronger from the floor, even at a 1” deficit. Everything was feeling great, but then during my set of 275 I felt a slight “twinge”/cramp start in my L upper calf. Nothing with the back, but I could tell these other areas were likely compensating and working a bit harder than normal. I did some quick myofascial release on the calf and decided to test out 315. It went up smooth, but that calf was still talking to me.

So, I decided to stop at 1 rep there and call it for DL’s for the day. Sure, it sucked, because I was feeling strong otherwise and wanted to make a good jump this week…but, I felt it was much better to listen to my body and continue to focus on recovery. I’m supposed to go for a new 1RM PR on conventional DL next week, so I figured cutting some volume down this week wouldn’t be a bad idea anyway. That sort of set the tone for the rest of the workout, too. I went up a bit on wt for squats, but didn’t push volume too high. I also cut cleans short because I could really feel the body fighting me to continue and the calf kept threatening to do far worse than cramp. So, I called it there. No conditioning today. My body was obviously telling me to chill out a bit, so I listened and will probably be much better off for it when I go into week 4 of the program next week.

  • Barbell Deadlift:
    • 135 lb x 8 reps (+65 pts)
    • 185 lb x 3 reps (+65 pts)
    • 235 lb x 2 reps (+76 pts)
    • 275 lb x 2 reps (+100 pts)
    • 315 lb x 1 reps (+106 pts)
  • Front Barbell Squat:
    • 135 lb x 5 reps (+66 pts)
    • 155 lb x 2 reps (+51 pts)
    • 175 lb x 2 reps (+58 pts)
    • 185 lb x 2 reps (+62 pts)
    • 185 lb x 2 reps (+62 pts)
    • 135 lb x 12 reps (+79 pts)
    • still being careful w/low back, as it started feeling a little tight once I hit 185. Otherwise, legs felt strong.
  • Dumbbell Bicep Curl:
    • 35 lb x 8 reps (+28 pts)
    • 40 lb x 6 reps (+27 pts)
    • 40 lb x 6 reps (+27 pts)
    • 30 lb x 12 reps (+29 pts)
    • seated on bench - L forearm is a little strained, so again, decided to take it easier today & actually scaled wt. back a little from last week.
  • Power Clean:
    • 135 lb x 4 reps (+45 pts)
    • 135 lb x 2 reps (+33 pts)
    • right off the bat, I could feel these straining the L upper calf, so I cut reps short and didn’t push trying for the last couple of sets. Also bailed on the extra conditioning work today. The body was calling for a break, so I decided it was best to back off a little and give it what it needs 

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  1. leannmean said: Ha! It is so hard to listen to our bodies sometimes until they’re screamin’ at us. Something I’m working on, too. Glad you called it and left it at a good session!
  2. moremuscles said: Keep me updated on how those recruitment exercises are working for you!
  3. warrior-fitness posted this

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