If you missed it, here it is again.
Not the most perfect form but I am very happy to have my Dead-Lift back up to over 400 after last Summer's Back Injury.
Although this isn't the heaviest weight I have managed to lift in my years of training, this was certainly a huge mile-stone for me as its the first time I have been able to break 400 since my set back last Summer when I re-injured my lower back, this time causing major sciatica pain.
For those of you who don't know, I have degenerate disc disease and that has caused me several back issues over the years. It's something I have dealt with since my last year of service in the military and an issue I must be continuously aware of.
Last year I re-committed to my goal of becoming Stronger in the gym. Over the past few years, my focus has been on more of a body-building approach with my fitness routine and not so much about how much weight I could Bench, Squat or Dead-Lift.
Now, those of you who know me know that I am very aggressive and usually have to learn lessons through experiences. I hardly ever use a methodical approach or think things through. I typically go by my gut, instincts and excitement and most of the time it works for me but there are those times life has to tell me to stop and re-evaluate my choices.
Last Summer my body made that decision for me as I was making a couple of mistakes in my training program. It stopped me by causing severe back pain and my entire left side went numb. My left leg was useless and I had no control of my foot flopping to the floor as I walked. I had times when I would stumble and fall just walking. I had never experienced this kind of pain before and I if I told you I wasn't scared, I'd be lying to you.
I immediately scheduled an appointment with my Chiropractor who re-assured me that I was out of place and that he could take care of this issue without me needing to worry. It took several months for me to be able to get back in the gym again and start from scratch.
To this day I still have the slightest numbness in my left big toe.
I contribute this re-injury to these Big 3 Mistakes I was making.
My entire training was so focused on Strength that I neglected the simple things, such as stretching and recovery. I pushed hard every workout and I was feeling great every day with my training. However, what I didn't realize was that I was causing my body to work with major imbalances, eventually to the point where it couldn't take anymore.
Mistake #2 - Trying to Advance in Strength Every Single Training Session.
My obsession with lifting more and more weight each and every week had me adding weight to the Barbell every single session. If I could do more than 5 reps, I HAD to take the weight up. Now, I WAS Squatting, Benching and Dead-Lifting this weight with correct form, technique and range of motion but just because you CAN, doesn't always mean you should!Mistake #3 - My Grip Truly was WRONG!
When it came to the Dead-Lift I have since figured out that my grip was causing the biggest imbalance in my back. As I was lifting heavy, I would always use an overhand / underhand grip. This of course is one of the strongest grips you can take on the bar but here was the problem - my left hand was ALWAYS underhand while my right was ALWAYS overhand.This past January I re-evaluated what was important to me and even though my focus is still on Strength and Performance, I decided these goals weren't as important as staying injury and pain free. I decided I wanted to add a level of athleticism to my goals as well as learning more about Mobility and Recovery and implying them. I brought this practice into Mayhem Fitness as well!
Since I have learned from my mistakes here is what I have done to fix them!
This can be as simple as foam rolling, trigger point therapy with a lacrosse ball, Yoga, and band work such as pull-aparts and over-unders. I spend just as much time focusing on Mobility as I do Lifting and it has helped tremendously.#2 - I Train Smarter
Every training session and every week doesn't mean I need to try and out lift my previous workout. I now implement percentages into my training that allows my body to recover but still get in an effective workout. I typically train heavy for 3-4 weeks and use a de-load week but even more often than that strategy I listen to my body and train hard on the days I am really feeling it and take it a little easier on the days I need to. I'll be honest in saying that this approach seems to produce slower strength gains but I'm staying injury free and that's most important to me today.#3 - I no longer use the Overhand / Underhand Grip
I decided that since this grip caused my weakness and injury when I was Dead-Lifting that I would no longer use it on a regular basis. I still sometimes (very very rarely) use it but have stuck to an overhand grip during my training and refuse to use lifting straps. This has helped my grip strength and makes me work within the limits of my bodies capacities without putting it in awkward positions the way the Overhand / Underhand grip would do. If I do use the overhand / underhand I make sure I switch hands on every single rep that I perform. I recently discovered the hook grip where you grab your thumbs along with the bar. I was using that grip yesterday when I hit 405.The take home lesson I encourage you today is to truly pay attention to everything you are doing in your fitness and lifting routine. No how to become in tune with your body and what its capable of instead of always pushing it to the max every time you're in the gym.
Now, its true, you must push yourself to your limits if you expect to break plateaus and find out what you are truly made of just be smart and take care of your body in the process.
And just because I had a set-back, didn't mean it was time to give up on my goals, even if it meant starting all over!
Keep Training Hard and Do Work Maniacs!
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