Saturday, April 23, 2011

" Two weeks- no training"

Flying is good.I love this photo
Yup, that is what the doc said on wednesday as he stitched up the four inch long incision across my chest. I had some weird spot removed and he decided to make me look like I had been in a knife fight.

"Uh, I don't know how that is going to happen doc", I said.

" You just don't want to tear open the stitches. Just do lower body".

I count swings as lower body so that's what I did today; although I wasn't really sure I would be able to do anything after waking up on Thursday, taking a look at the wound and realizing he wasn't kidding about the knife fight comment. He may be a surgeon but he wasn't a plastic surgeon. Luckily chicks dig scars, I'm told. At least my wife does,lol.

For the first 36 hours even reaching my arms behind me tugged on the stitches so I was a bit hesitant about todays training but I'm a fast healer and I was back to mild overhead stretching this AM and one arm swings felt fine. No pull at all on the wound.

Most excellent. Two weeks/ three days, it's about the same, right?

7:30-8 am
Joint mobility and stretchout. really working my thai squat position ala Kstar and it is amazing how this little detail in my foot position works it's way right up through my knee into my hip in the best way.

For so long I've had very strange knee mechanics due to many factors but I've always felt that my ankle and shin position were as much to blame for my knee pain of late than the crappy architecture inside the knee. Now I know I'm right.

Getting the ankle into subtalar neutral allows the popliteus to do it's job instead of being locked into an overstretched position and torqueing my knee in the wrong direction making what little knee flexion I do have even worse. Not to mention painful.

Dropping down into the thai squat and doing 5-8 pulses really re sets the ankle just like Brett and Jeff 's ck fms arch creating drills do, but allows me to work my squat pattern and hip mobility similtaneously.
Cool

One arm swings
12 kg x10/10 x2
14 kg x10/10
16 kg x10/10x 2
20 kg x10/10 x 5 sets

24 kg x8/8 x 5 sets

Tracy told me to cool it and not overdue and I was so happy that I could train I probably would have done just that. So I stopped there with the kbs, although I was amazed how strong I felt and how light the bells felt. It's been a pretty hectic week the last two and I thought I would be beat down but just the opposite.

Being able to train without wrecking the Docs work made me very happy. I have to be able to move or nothing works.

I need to be able to bend and twist and push and and pull and reach and squat and stretch and walk. If I don't do so I get so tight my asymmetries turn me into twisted knot of muscle and pain. Not good.

I need to get on the floor on a regular basis. I need to be able to stretch my arms overhead a lot during the day. My job as a trainer is pretty physical( as opposed to sitting at a computer all day not real work) and it's very obvious to me how much it is when something happens and I can't move well, or lift much.

And the more I work my body the more I have to open it up or it locks up tight.

Sitting is actually injurious to me. I can only sit so long before I HAVE to get up and stretch in a variety of ways. Another reason travel is so tough on me. Sitting in one position for hours is virtually torture for me.

SO even not being able to put my arms out to the side,let along overhead for 48 hours was already taking it's toll on my back and I knew this two weeks thing was just not going to happen. I would just have to be careful and go slowly.

It's not about the loads or the intensities but just being able to move without pain that is so vital to my well being. On so many levels.

Felt great to swing and my groove was solid.

2 KB deadlifts

2 16's x8
2 20'2 x 8
2 24's x 8 x 2

With my arms completely by my side I figured this was pretty safe move. It was and it was strong too.

CB rockits

10's x 20 x 3 sets

wanted to do more but thought better.

datsit.more Tuesday although I don't think I'll go overhead until they take the stitches.

12 comments:

Fatguy said...

LOL, way to keep your chin up about it all. I took 2 weeks off because of an injured wrist, and the first workout (light day) felt like I'd never before swung a kettlebell LOL

Mark Reifkind said...

I know, that's why I didn't want to take two weeks off.

guy said...

I've rarely seen a doc that was'nt portly, de-conditioned, and sorely lacking in knowledge of physical. Why do we listen to them again?

guy said...

Sorry meant to say lacking in knowledge of physical culture. ;)

Anonymous said...

Heal fast ;-)

Take care!

Mark Reifkind said...

guy

I rarely do unless I need something cut open. then they're great!

Mark Reifkind said...

thanks Bruce how is the hand doing?

Melody said...

Meh, stitches, schmitches. You're awesome. Heal fast.

Anonymous said...

@Mark
It's getting better day by day, but with kettlebells I can not train yet!
Thanks for asking ;-)

Take care!

Mark Reifkind said...

melody

lol, thanks. looks like your training is off the hook these days as well!

Juci SFG said...

Heal fast, Boss!

(We all know you had been in a knife fight, but you just don't want to admit) ;) LOL

Mark Reifkind said...

Judit

thanks and I will. It's nice to see it healing so quickly, perhaps a good sign of my organic strength as well.

It is an impressive slice, that's for sure ;))

190 x 1 x 12,210 static hold, 225 static hold, bodyweight squats 3 x 15

 What a freaking great day! This is without a doubt the best group of heavy reps I have ever done! Every set was just about perfect. Plus I ...