If you never had any back pain consider yourself very lucky, and you should read and implement everything in this blog post to PREVENT lower back pain.

If you have ever had a lower back issue you know how debilitating it can be.  It is not something to be taken lightly, ever.

This weekend I was able to attend a Lower Back seminar with the #1 expert in the world Dr. Stuart McGill. The one big thing I learned from this seminar is how after almost 20 years in the fitness field how little I know.  I was amazed at how much Dr. McGill knew, and how much he could assess, and help people so quickly.  The man has forgotten more about Lower Back Pain than most back experts will ever know.

I am very grateful for this experience and it’s my mission to share and help as many people as I can with what I have learned.

But first a quick story that will shed some light on why lower back issues are so important to me.

About 10 years ago I was in my prime for training.  I couldn’t wait to attack the next session of heavy training.  All day I would just think about my workouts, how much I was going to train harder, lift more, and smash through the weights.  I was an animal in the gym and I loved it.

All this changed one day, during one set, doing ONE REP.

I was going for a personal best in the deadlift of 585.  My training partner at the time was 6 5″ and about 270 lbs.  He was a big dude….all around big dude.  I went first, got set, got my mind set, focused, sumo stance, feet set, hips ready, drop and go, start pulling…the bar starts moving….1/3 up…yes….1/2 way….BOOM dropped it.

I had it….damn it…

Next up was my training partner……585 lb.  He pulled it…he nailed it..  That only meant one thing to me, I had to do it, I had to get it…HAD TO.

585 lb again, approach…go through my routine…get everything ready to attach the bar……chalk….feet set…..clearing my mind…over and over….strong pull….strong pull…..strong pull…..

I started to Pull…..it came up fast…same as before….. 1/3 done…moving up….1/2 way……started to stick.  Instead of letting go (which I should have done) I kept pulling…kept fighting….585 lb just below the knees…I can get it…keep pulling…….then it happened….I heard a pop.  I dropped the weight and it felt like someone had stabbed me in my back.

The pain was incredible, unbearable. I lost motor control, I could barely walk.  I lived across the street from the gym at the time and it might as well have been 1000 miles away.  Every step was sharp stabbing pain, every step was agony, everything hurt, it felt like I had been shot and I was just trying to get home, the pain was vicious.

I had had many injuries in my training, but nothing like this, nothing came close.

That was the rep that changed my life, my training, and everything about how I trained. I would never be able to train the same way again.

“Leave A Little In The Tank” – Bill Kazmier

Bill Kazmier

Years later the sentence above would make more sense to me than it did at the time.

Leave a little in the tank.

The meaning of this is don’t always push to failure.  Don’t always push to kill yourself in the gym.  Don’t always be pushing your limits.

Yes we all want to get stronger, it’s what drives us. But not every workout, not ever rep, not every set.  Leave a little in the tank. Come back stronger to fight another day.

I loved deadlifts, I think they are one of the best exercises you can do, but they can also be one of the most dangerous.  If there was ever an exercise to “Leave a little in the tank” it’s deadlifts.

How can you benefit from me getting a herniated disc?  I look at it this way, If I didn’t get injured and go through this I wouldn’t have the same desire to be a SMART trainer as I am now.  It’s not all about going harder, it’s not about just lifting more, it’s about being SMART, making steady progress, and KNOWING when is enough.

Herniated Disc Waiting To Happen

Here are some tips that can help you never have to go through what I did.  I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.

- Leave a little in the tank.  Can you pull that deadlift for 5 reps? Back it off at 4.  Is that extra rep worth it?

- Warm Up.  Never neglect your warm up.  If you don’t know how to warm up properly LEARN NOW.

- Do Soft Tissue Work.  It’s not the most exciting thing in the world, but it will pay dividends in the end for keeping your body healthy and mobile.

- Improve Hip Mobility.  Your lower back isn’t meant to be STRONG.  It’s meant to be STABLE.  Your Hips are meant to be STRONG.  Learn to lift with your HIPS

- Don’t Deadlift every week.  Pull for 3-6 weeks, then stop deaflifting.

- STRETCH after you train.  Yes I know everyone knows they should, but no one does it.  Take 10 min post workout to stretch your HIPS & HAMSTRINGS & Thoracic Spine.

- Find your right height for deadlifting.  Deads from the floor not feel right?  Then maybe they are NOT right for your body.  Who ever said that the size of 45 lb plates was perfect?  Dead off blocks, improve your mobility, find your grove and stick with it. Don’t push when it doesn’t feel right.

My Back 10 years later with no deadlifting

- Stop using a belt.  You have the best weightlifting belt, it’s called your CORE!  Learn how to DEVELOP IT properly.

I hope my story and my tips help you.  If I can save one person a back injury then this blog post was worth it.

If you have any questions post them below.  Maybe I can help you with your back pain and your training. I am here to help you.

Some Resources That Can Help You :

- Lower Back Disorders (Stuart McGill amazon.com)

- Ultimate Back Fitness & Performance (Stuart McGill Gill Amazon.com)

- www.LoseTheBackPain.com

- Bullet Proof Back – Eric Wong

DS : Likewise, Rob, I’ve been reading some of the work you’ve been putting out for a while and found your dedication and passion inspiring to say the least. Your Ripped in 42 members are lucky to have you in their corner!! Okay, now back to me.

So is this the part where I talk about how awesome I am and include the shirtless pics of me bicep curling a Sherman tank while grating cheese on my abs and trying to not have the Victoria’s Secret models rip all my clothes off?

Aside from cuddling puppies and saving damsels from railway tracks on a semi-daily basis, I work as a kinesiologist in Edmonton, Alberta Canada out of a commercial facility called World Health Club, where I run the company-wide medical advisory board. My location is the executive location, so we get a lot of office workers with poor posture and high stress lifestyles coming through the door needing to be fixed up enough to stay hunkered over their keyboards.

I’ve built up a specialization in injury post-rehabilitation and work with a lot of physios, chiropractors and physicians to try to extend the current system of care beyond the rehabilitation mindset and into more of a total welness model. Pretty much all of my clientele come from medical referrals, and I’ve even had some clients recieve insurance coverage for their training sessions as a result. Most of my clients are in a one-on-one model, with only a few group and large group sessions each week as a lot of the clients need specific coaching and cueing to make sure they don’t get hurt any more than they already are.

I teach a lot of courses to other trainers on everything ranging from post-rehabilitation to cancer recovery to assessment components to make clients think you’re a ninja, so I try to keep up with the current state of research out there. I’ve been fortunate enough to travel and speak at a few conferences across North America and consult with a couple organizations around the world. Plus I write the odd article and a pretty kick-ass blog.

RK : Dean because of my lower back issues from too many years of being a hero in the gym and lifting too much too hard all the time my back is ruined. For years I could barely train at all because of my injuries. However since I started reading a lot of your information and watching your videos I have learned a TON and my training has improved big time. Often when people have a “Bad back” their back sometimes isn’t the problem. What do you generally see as the biggest issues that cause people to have lower back pain/issues?

DS : For most of the back injuries I see, the major issue is not knowing what the root cause was or what the actual problem is. Someone will say that their back feels really tight, so they start stretching it. Is the back tight because the structure has been compromised in some way and therefore needs more muscular support? And if that’s the case, wouldn’t stretching the tight muscles make the system more unstable and lead to more issues? Further, is it muscle-related, discogenic, ligamental sprain, or endplate fracture of the vertebral body? Maybe it’s stenosis and a degenerative change? Each one will mean different things in the rehab process, so not knowing what the issue is becomes a big issue. Unfortunately back pain is still something we as a community are trying to figure out, and since everyone will present differently with different symptoms and causes and things that make it feel better, using the same tools to fix the back won’t work for very long. I’ve had some clients where all we did was isometric contractions of specific muscles in sequence for the entire session, and others where I blended a few different techniques, based on what they responded best to. Others still required nothing more than nutritional guidance and technical correction to make their pain go away forever, but these are in the vast minority. If something hurts whatsoever, during or after the workout, we skip it until there is an improvement in function elsewhere. For some reason a lot of trainers don’t listen to the complaints of their clients and change their workouts up on the flye. You made it, you can change it!! Another big issue comes from not understanding the biomechanics of the exercises the person is doing. Let’s say someone wants to build bigger legs but they have some low back issues. Putting them on a leg press machine where they sit in full flexion, have the propensity to go through spinal flexion during the eccentric phase, and have a shear force imparted on their vertebrae and discs as a result of the direction of loading is pretty much a recipe for shooting a disc across the room. Likewise, back squats, while great, force the spine into a slight flexion that increases the torque placed on the low back, especially if the person tries to not let their knees go past their toes. Who ever came up with that idea of not letting the knees come past the toes should be beaten with an olympic bar for causing more knee and back injuries than they’ve ever prevented!! Instead of back squats, front squats are better as it allows the spine to sit more vertically, lets the core work harder to stabilize, and forces the thoracic spine to work ot pull the body into extension instead of flexion. That’s a trifecta of awesomeness right there!!

RK : Along the same lines of lower back pain my philosophy is always to “prevent” before something can go wrong. For most guys who like to lift big and are not doing anything now to prevent injuries what advice would you give in preventing lower back issues & problems?

DS: You and I can both attest to the fact that back injuries, or injuries of any area, truly do suck. If you want to take your training seriously you have to use every trick in the book. If it means you spend 10 minutes each workout foam rolling everything you can find, do it. If it means getting to bed on time and eating enough vegetables and taking your vitamins, do it. Work with a qualified coach who can tell you if you’re developing a spinal hinge on your deadlifts or that you’re scapular rhythm isn’t ideal for your overhead presses or that your jump pattern puts you into a valgus stress when you land which will eventually demolish your knees. Otherwise you’re playing Russian Roulette against your body, and eventually it’s going to win.

RK : Let’s back up and go personal, how did you get your back injury? And what kind of training have you been doing now to get strong again? I saw you smash a 405 lb deadlift on your blog, thats a HUGE accomplishment after an injury. I used to deadlift 405 for sets of 12, and now 405 would cause my vertebra to explode out of my back and fly out like a frag grenade. Give me a brief overview of what you are doing in the gym.

DS: I may need some tissues here to go into such a personal story. I may have to give you a topic to talk amongst yourselves kind of like the Coffee Talk lady, but here goes. I initially hurt my back playing football. I got tackled awkwardly, managed to dislocate my SI joint, bulge three lumbar discs and partially tear my quadratus lumborum all at the same time. It took me about 6 months to walk normally without an aid or a limp, and another 2 or three years to feel “strong” again. The downside was I was still a dumb egocentric kid who wanted to lift heavy things that I probably shouldn’t have lifted, and wound up redamaging the discs and going through chronic SI joint issues for the better part of a decade. I tried everything under the sun, physio, chiro, massage, active rest, you name it, nothing worked. All the time I was researching and trying to figure out ways to get my own spine into good shape and make my clients get some great results as well.

About a year and a half ago I re-tweaked it when I was at a conference in Las Vegas, and decided I was tired of it and would do everything in my powers to get it back in shape. I started video taping my own workouts to check my spinal positioning and worked really hard at mentally contracting specific muscles around the spine and through the core. One of the interesting things that happens when there is damage to the spine is the muscles around that specific segment will down-regulate their activity, sort of like a dimmer switch. Without getting those muscles firing again at their fullest potential, the body develops compensation patterns to allow for movement without pain or problems, but these compensation patterns eventually overload and wear out, leading to more problems. I wanted to learn how to contract each muscle specifically to make sure they were firing the way they needed to. Once I got to a point where I could contract the specific muscles on cue, I started integrating my movements with core activation, and began to train the tissues with loads.

I always had to be consious of how much soreness I had after the workout for a few days, as I would always feel great during but wouldn’t know if I overdid it until the following morning when I needed help putting on my socks. I started to put my energies into technical analysis of my lifts, video taping them from pretty much every angle I could think of and watching my spine over and over again to see what was going on, then adjusting my technique as needed. Essentially, I was coaching myself!!

Last year I set a goal of deadlifting 405 because at one point I couldn’t even bend forward to touch my knees, so a goal like this would prove to myself that I could control the injury instead of vice versa. I started lifting heavy again after almost a decade off in September 2010, and managed to pull 275 and couldn’t walk for the rest of the week without looking like I was trying to not go to the bathroom right then and there. By March 2011 I managed 405. I took a break for a few months then last week I managed 425 without having done any heavy lifts in 5 months! To say I was happy would have been an understatement. One of the other unknown issues with back injuries is the propensity to go through depression and subsequent weight gain. I had all the above, and even managed to get up to 245 pounds at my heaviest this past January.

Since then, I’ve dropped 20 pounds, am eyeing another 20 pounds, plus I’m hoping to get to a 500 deadlift sometime in 2012.

Dean thanks so much for all your information and help man, I owe you personally for a lot of great info and I am sure my readers will love this. Give me some information like your blog and any upcoming seminars etc.

DS: Hey thanks for the opportunity to share some info on really great questions. Your readers can check out my blog at www.deansomerset.com, and also the current release of Muscle Imbalances Revealed: Upper Body, where I drop knowledge bombs on fascial training and advanced core conditioning, along with presentations from smart guys like Rick Kaselj, Tony Gentilcore, and Jeff Cubos. I’m also planning a new product for the end of Novemeber called Post Rehab Essentials.

It’s a 3-day workshop I recorded and have condensed into 12 hours of on-line videos you can download and watch on your iPods or iPads or whatever the kids are into these days, and goes through injury concepts for personal trainers plus step by step guides on how to work with the most common injuries, from rotator cuff tears to total knee replacements and everything in between. Thank you Dean for this awesome interview!

BTW Be sure to Check out Dean’s new product at Post Rehab Essentials.

For a another fantastic program I strongly suggest you check out Muscle Imbalances Revealed 2.0.

It went something like this.

BJJ instructor “Was that your shorts that just ripped?”

Me “No man that was my bicep, but I think I am OK to keep rolling.”

Shock can do amazing things to control pain and I was in total denial, I knew my bicep was torn but I didn’t want to face it, maybe it was only a partial tear?

I had hoped for the best until I looked at my torn bicep and saw that it had rolled nicely up my left arm.  I had movement but my arm felt like play dough. Then the numbness and tingling started to kick in.

I was partially in denial because my brother had a torn bicep as well, left arm as well, genetics be damned, I had myself a torn bicep, off to emergency I went.

Ironically enough the emergency doctor had gone through the same bicep tear, only his happened doing a preacher curl. I was still a bit in denial but not long after he assured my worst possibility, complete bicep tear, that rip sound was my bicep tendon ripping off my ulna.

I had surgery two days later.

However I wasn’t going to let this slow me down, I was on a mission to recover FAST, and recover fast I did.

Here are some tips for bicep tear recovery that will help you.

- Train the other side of your body.
Yes you may be in a cast but you can still press, curl, pull with one arm. I was doing over 20 1 arm push ups in 3 weeks!

- Train your legs (often) and do cardio. The only drawback is your cast + sweat will make you itch like crazy, worth it all the same.

- Think Positive! That chatter in your brain, don’t say things lie “I will never recover or be as strong again”, with “I will recover from this bicep tear and be stronger than ever”. Mindset works.

-Load up on quality joint supplements.

I took Primaforce Elastamine & Cissus, took double tbe dose, I know for a fact this helped. Also be sure to get lots of Fish Oils & Berries.

I am glad to say after3 years my bicep tear has never been a problem, I am actually stronger than ever.

Check this video of me post bicep tear doing Towel Chin Ups & Rope Climb from a dead sit.

Thank you Dr. Stone for the amazing surgery.

I hope these tips and information help you if you have a torn bicep and need to recover.

Leave me a comment or bicep tear or injury story below.

This is a story of me and a nasty Bicep Tear and my recovery so far.

It happened about 3 years ago.  It’s a great story, but not if you have a weak stomach.

I can still remember the the sound of my Bicep Tear perfectly.

It sounded like someone taking a pair of jeans and ripping them, you could hear it all throughout the gym.  The only problem was I wasn’t wearing jeans and that RIIIIPPP sound was the sound of my Left Bicep Tendon tearing off the bone on my left arm.

I thought I was ok, at the time I was grappling and I said to my the guy I was rolling with that I think I just Fu*ked my arm, I still had movement, I didn’t have pain as such but I had numbness, but I was in complete denial and shock as my whole left bicep had gotten about 3 inches shorter.

Bicep Tear means off to emergency I go.

At emergency they were pretty good to me.  Funny enough the local doctor that was treating me tore his left bicep as well lifting weights, he was about 135lbs soaking wet and said he tore it doing preacher curls in the gym.

Then comes the inevitable question from him “Did you ever use Steroids?  They increase tendon tears you know”.  My reply was something along the lines of “Yes I do know that Steroids do that, did you use them when you tore your bicep doing preacher curls?”

His reply of course was “No”, which was the exact reply I gave him.

Left Tendon In My Hand snapped as well...surgery #3

Silly doctors.

Anyways moving forward, next step was my orthopedic surgeon.  He was a great guy (I have been to see him 3 times since), but he made it very clear to me that I would never grapple again, my martial arts and weight lifting more than likely was over, and I would never be competitive with anything again.

I was devastated.

I did everything I could to improve recovery on my bicep tear, I ate super clean, took lots of supplements to help (Cissus, Glucosamine, BCAA’s, Glutamine,  every joint product I could use I took).

I hit the gym regularly, training the other side of my body, and hitting cardio and legs frequently, I was determined.  I had 1 arm push ups mastered (I think at my best I did 30 of them, no joke).

My recovery was awesome and my MINDSET was unstoppable.

Well just this last week I did everything that my Orthopedic Doctor said I wouldn’t do, and I am damn proud (and maybe a little stupid but hey that’s me).

Right Bicep Tear While Sparing

Here is me getting some personal best lifts after 2 bicep tears and 1 bicep surgery (Tore my right bicep boxing sparing, but only outer head rupture, no tendon, so no surgery).

Anyways here is me hitting Chin Ups with 50 lbs at The Arnold Classic, Doing Chins with 70 lbs at my gym Heavyweights Training Center & doing a Rope Climb from a dead stop only using my arms, and also doing clap fat grip chin ups.

Moral of the story, NEVER EVER EVER GIVE UP on anything you want to do.

And thank you to the amazing doctor that has the ability to fix something like that.  Incredible the professionals we have access to.

Please share your stories of overcoming, whether it’s an illness, injury, or anything at all. I would love to hear from you.

If you have had any injuries like a Bicep Tear share them below.

Between my blog, e-mail, at my store and my gym I am always doing my best to help people progress and reach their fitness goals.

One question I get asked a lot is “How To Improve Muscle Recovery”.

Numerous things take place when you use a muscle, that is a whole other blog post in itself, for now I am going to just go over some of the things that I do to improve muscle recovery and reduce DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness).

Before we get into that though I want to go over the whole soreness thing.  Soreness is not the only indicator of a good workout or getting gains.  I hate it when people want to be sore for 3-4 days, this is not a good sign.  If anything it’s a very bad one.  You should feel like you have been worked, but you shouldn’t feel like you got hit by a truck.

For example, here is an easy way to get REALLY SORE.  Hit yourself in the legs with a baseball bat.  That will make you sore but it does not mean you are building muscle.

Another example go do 10 sets of 10 squats and then don’t eat anything for about 6 hours.  Your recovery will be utter sh*t.  That does not mean being sore is good.

So lets not focus on HOW SORE we are, and rather lets look at how to Improve Muscle Recovery so we can train harder and heavier the days following a hard workout.

It is VERY important to improve muscle recovery, if you have a hard leg workout on Monday and you have to bench on Tuesday you want to improve muscle recovery so that you can attack that tuesday workout, and not just get through it.  The faster you can recover, the better you can train.

#1 Use BCAA’s

The best way to improve muscle recovery is to use BCAA’s.

I can’t stress enough how much I love BCAA’s.  I have been using them for years now, even going way back before you could order them online or in supplement stores.  I used to order compressed tabs that were like horse tablets and I used to eat about 20 during my workout.  Needless to say it sucked and didn’t have the best impact on my stomach while doing squats!

Thankfully now with the amazing variety of BCAA’s on the market you can get them in powder form that tastes amazing and won’t leave you in a bind (get it….ok bad joke lol).  I really recommend Xtend, Optimum Amino Recovery & Modern BCAA’s.  This just a few, there are tons of great BCAA’s on the market.

#2  Get Carbohydrates Post Workout

I know that when building muscle we always get obsessed with protein.  Protein, Protein, Protein.  I get it.  However for years I made the mistake of only focusing on Protein post workout.  IE 2-3 scoops of whey protein with a glass of milk, I thought this would do the job.

Wrong.

You really need to focus on a COMBATION of Carbohydrates & Protein, but the Carbohydrates got to be there.  I usually try to get my carbs post workout from Waxy Maize Starch, mixed frozen berries, banana’s and spinach.  Yes it sounds nasty but it actually tastes awesome.

I vary my carb intake depending on my goals (IE Fat Loss, Muscle Building etc.)

#3 Cardio Post Weights

Look plain and simple, stop being so damn lazy when lifting weights and take 8-10 minutes and go hop on a bike before you leave the gym (Especially after a hard leg workout).  You want to do this for numerous reasons, but the big ones are flushing out lactic acid and getting fresh blood flow to the muscles to clear out a lot of the “junk” caused by hard workouts.

This will help you a ton, and make you feel fantastic.

#4 Get A Massage

The benefits for this are so many it is another blog post in itself.

Bottom line, get a massage.  If possible I recommend getting a good massage once a week.  It is one of the best ways to reduce soreness, improve blood flow, reduce inflammation, and damn it just feels amazing!

#5 Foam Roll & Stretch

Yes I know, rolling sucks, as does stretching, but you have two options.  You can do 8-10 minutes of it now and PREVENT injuries OR you can do none now, and get hurt, then end up doing 20 minutes a day AFTER YOUR INJURED.

The choice is yours, and trust me I am trying to help you here.

#6 Contrast Showers

Here’s the deal.  Heat is your enemy for recovery post workout.  Heat will make you feel awesome at the time, but it will make your soreness worse.

Cold is your friend, but cold SUCKS!  So the best way to do it is a contrast shower.  So you start off warm, switch to cold for 10 seconds or so, then go back to warm.  Repeat.  I don’t suggest you go to extreme cold starting off as it can be quite the shock to the body.

Contrast showers work awesome, but they totally suck!

#7 Epson Salts

When I was doing a lot of martial arts and MMA training I was always achy and sore.  It’s not the same muscle soreness from lifting, essentially having someone hit you, repeatably, causes pain and stiffness, who knew!

Epson salts can be a great way to reduce DOMS in a relaxing way.  Some people swear by them.  I haven’t used it much recently but I did a lot a few years ago.

So there you have it, Six simple and easy ways to Improve Muscle Recovery.

If you have any other good tips to add on improving muscle recovery please add them below, I look forward to hearing from you and I hope this helps you.

This is really important for ANYONE Training With Lower Back Pain.

I got this question via e-mail and it was TOO GOOD for me not to reply and help.

I suffer from it, and it is HELL.

———————————————————————————————-

Hi Rob,

I’ve been subscribed to your mailing list for a while now and I’ve enjoyed all of the great information you have on your website.

One thing I noticed is that, like me, you suffered from a herniated disc in your back some time ago. Last summer I injured my back and went to physiotherapy where I was told that one of my discs had a minor hernia (the physio deduced this through some physical assessments and concluded that I had severe sciatic nerve irritation). After some rehabilitation it started to improve and I began to lift again but avoided deadlifts and squats (much to my dismay). About a month ago, the same thing occurred! It is taking MUCH longer to heal this time and I still cannot lift. I am starting to get discouraged because I am only 24 years old and I never want this to happen again (the pain is absolutely EXCRUCIATING).

I was wondering if you had any tips or suggestions about how to go about training again, safely. You appear to be back in top form after your injury so I am curious to know what it is you did. I don’t want to give up weight lifting but after my back gave out a second time I am beginning to question whether I should change how I keep fit.

Any advice you could offer me would be incredibly appreciated.

Best,
Nicholas Bremner

Hey Nicholas

Sorry for the delay, I get a lot of e-mails.

Thanks for the feedback I really appreciate it.

I feel your pain man, more than you know. I know how hard it is trying to train, and Training With Lower Back Pain is NEVER FUN.

If you haven’t experienced back pain or any pain related to herniations and flare ups you can’t understand.  My girlfriend hurt her back two weeks ago doing squat jacks (body weight) and she was 3 days in bed and a week before she could walk right.

I go through it every two months or so.  I do EVERYTHING I can to minimize it, but more than likely once the damage is done its more about minimizing than getting better.  So ALWAYS keep in mind that the injury is there.  Here are some things you can do to aid in minimizing.

Use THIS WARM UP from Dean Somerset every workout.  No joke I do this, or a variation of this everytime I train now to “wake up” my glutes and activate my core.

Here is the link to a SOLID ARTICLE on Dean Somerset’s blog about his injury and what he did to help recovery. This helped me a LOT.

When it comes to training with lower back pain this will help you a lot, as it did me.

Dean Somerset – How I Screwed Up My Back And What I Did About it…..

A LOT of lower back pain can come from many things, but common reasons are

- Weak Glutes
- Weak Core
- Poor movement patterns
- Poor Hip Mobility
- Improper Warm Ups

Make sure that every single warm up you do this.

1. Moderate cardio to get body tempeture up
2. Heat on lower back would help pre training
3. ALWAYS do the lower back/glute activation/core activation stuff in the video above
4. ALWAYS start with solid posture and core tension/stability BEFORE you do an exercise
5. Avoid ANY compression loading exercises (Back Squats, Deadlifts etc) (I know it sucks man, trust me I miss those exercises as well)
6. Train your legs more single leg, with less weight, and more time under tension
7. ALWAYS  ICE POST WORKOUT
8. Avoid Heat Post Workout (IE hot showers)
9. Contrast Showers are ok  Heat then cold (they suck but they are awesome)
10. Get a good post workout shake of BCAA’s and berries/greens to reduce inflammation
11. Foam ROLL.  Do this before you train and again at night or early morning.  This is a MUST
12 Use NSAID’s once in a while.  Don’t get reliant on anti inflammatory drugs (Although at night with a drink they sure make me sleep well lol)

This has nothing to do with the blog post, I just like it...a lot

Start reading everything by Mike Boyle, Tony Gentilcore, Brett Contreras, Dean Somerset, these guys are a wealth of information on back pain and management.

Two GREAT Resources are

www.LoseTheBackPain.com

www.MuscleImbalancesRevealed.com

Training with lower back pain can be brutally hard and painful, but hopefully this will help you.

I hope this helps and please keep me posted.

So about 3 years ago my doctor told me some devasting news, that I would no longer be able to lift weights intense again, and than there is no way I would be able to do jiu jitsu or martial arts….again

(See the pic on the left, that’s my reminder of how much it sucked when I couldn’t train)

He basically tore my heart out.  I was lost, I live for trainining!  Even though I have had a ton of injuries in the past I have always managed to workout around them.

Well this bicep injury was no different .  Never let anyone tell you what you can or can’t do!  Ever!

I also tore my left bicep about  a year ago sparring, freak accident.  So 2 bicep tears later here is me hitting a personal best on chin ups at the Arnold Classic.

The moral of the story, don’t let anyone or anything stand in the way of what you want to do.

Got an injury? So what, train around it.

Every time I think of some reason I can’t train (sore, tired, weather, whatever), I always think about the people that aren’t luck enough to have access to a gym, to good food, to health care.

The next time you say “I can’ t train I have an injury” suck it up, find a way to make the best of your sitation and deal with it.  There are thousands of people that would trade you anyday for a chance to have the luxuries and oppurtunities we have.

No excuses not to train, ever!

Massage assists in this process by improving muscle tone and helping to prevent fatigue and muscular atrophy which could result in injury. Injury is commonly caused by fatigued muscles that have become shortened (that is, tightened and strained). This type of massage has been known to actually lengthen the muscle, which reverses this problem.

Injury prevention is imperative for athletes. Massage helps the individual to be conscious of how their body functions and what restrictions it may have. It is also very important for athletes to keep their body cleansed of impurities, thus massage acts as a mechanical cleanser, by stimulating lymph circulation and quickening waste and toxic elimination. Also aids in digestion!

As we all know, when a muscle is pushed too hard without enough water, muscle spasms can occur. Massage works to relax muscle spasms and gives a relief of tension, while also provides natural recovery to the body. After an intense workout, the body is depleted of essential amino acids, such as L-Glutamine. Massage can offset this depletion as well as boost the immune system. Athletes know that it is vital that they stay in optimal health so they can continue to train.

To become sick and have to stop training for even three days can be detrimental to an athlete and their workout regimen. Massage helps by decreasing your cortisol levels and by doing so, boosts your immune system. Also by lowering your cortisol levels you are also aiding in abdominal fat loss. If you’re already suffering from a cold massage is helpful because it helps you to rid your body of these toxins at a faster rate.

One of the most popular reasons to schedule a massage is to relieve the amount of tension and stress that one may feel. This includes athletes; Training is difficult and requires an enormous amount of dedication and hard work. Also Increases circulation and lowers blood pressure, emphasizes the elimination of metabolic wastes, Effective because it lessens ischemia (reduction of blood supply to organs and/or tissues which affects muscular pain) also Improves the lymphatic system which also removes waste from the body thus resulting in less swelling from injury.

So with all the above Benefits of massage therapy you can’t go wrong, not to mention that most Insurance companies cover Registered Massage Therapy. Book an appointment today WithLesley Young R.M.T. at Kings Bridge Massage Therapy Clinic, 67 Kings Bridge Road, and St.John’s, NL 579-7962 for a deep tissue, relaxation, and Motor Vehicle accident or sports injury/prevention related massage.

(I generally don’t pimp people out on my blog but Lesley is a FANTASTIC Message Therapist, I highly recommend her!)

Friday while doing some boxing sparring at Bushido I tore my right bicep. I believe it to be a partial muscle and tendon tear judging by the pain and tenderness yesterday and today. But I will know more hopefully in the next few days.

Left Bicep Tear/Repair

I am really hoping it is just a muscle tear, as a tendon tear is a whole other big issue. I should know, 3 years ago I tore my LEFT BICEP tendon and had to undergo surgery. That was not fun, let me tell ya.

However since my surgery I have been training at a furious pace and with the exception of a tightness in my bicep tendon it hasn’t really impacted my training.

Here are some stats & info on bicep tearing if you have any interest in this type of injury.

Bicep Rupture:

Rupture of the distal biceps tendon at the elbow joint is much less common and accounts for less than 5% of biceps tendon ruptures. This injury is also usually found in middle-aged patients, although not always. There is usually some degree of tendinosus, or degenerative changes within the tendon, that predisposes the patient to rupture of the tendon.

The significance of a distal biceps tendon rupture is that without surgical repair, patients who experience complete rupture of the distal biceps tendon will notice loss of strength at the elbow. The strength will affect both the ability to bend the elbow against resistance, and the ability to turn the forearm to the palm-up position against resistance (for example, turning a doorknob or screwdriver).

What are the symptoms of distal biceps tendon rupture?
Distal biceps tendon rupture is characterized by sudden pain over the front of the elbow after a forceful effort against a flexed elbow. Usually the patient will hear a snap and have pain where the tendon rupture occurs. Swelling and bruising around the elbow are also common symptoms of distal biceps tendon rupture.

What is the treatment of distal biceps tendon rupture?
Most patients will experience benefit if the biceps tendon is repaired surgically. If the tear is incomplete, or if the patient is very low-demand (not active), then surgery may not be needed. However, most patients who want more normal use of their arm will benefit from surgery to repair the ruptured tendon to the bone.

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  Right Bicep Tear

References:

Branch, GL. “Biceps Tenon Rupture” www.eMedicine.com 3/9/2005.
Scanlon, MW, et al. “Management of Distal Biceps Tendon Rupture” Osteo trauma care 2002; 10: 160-166.