Archive for the ‘BodyBuilding’ Category

So what can you do when the x-ray or MRI comes back & that back pain has been caused by disk degeneration all along?

This is what it may look like in there…

Thats kind of how mine looks except its two disks and the bone spur sticks out real sharp.

Well basically you have five different options which I will list here.

1. Ignore it & suck up the pain. Yep I did this unwittingly as after multiple visits to physio’s, doctors etc none of them did an x-ray or anything to help. A doctor may offer you anti inflammatory drugs but many of these can cause clotting & heart attacks over time.  Others cause gut problems. Over time the injury will get worse and many people have barely any disk left with the vertebrae eventually fusing together.
2. Physical therapy. Now if you decide to take action you will have to stop any activity that is putting serious pressure on your disks. You need to minimize loading on the spine & stretch that sucker. That means no more dead lifts, squats, over head press. No more physical laboring work, No renovating, digging, lifting etc. You can however still do pullups, and many other weight lifting exercises. Some actually stretch the spine and will help with the problem. Also running is out but stairmaster is in. I also recommend Yin Yoga & the program at ultimatehumanperformance.com.
3. Laser ablation surgery. Say you try the physical therapy & it does work (because it will) but still you cant do your job or workout like you want to. Or maybe for you the pain is still too great. The next step is a laser treatment that has 95% success. The surgeon will burn off the disk henia with a laser.  Here is the top US specialist for this relatively new therapy https://deukspine.com/. This should be your first choice for surgery as its barely even a surgery at all.
4. Artificial disk replacement. This one is a bit more serious. They will actually replace the disk with an artificial one & there is a 90% success rate. That means there will be a 1:10 chance you will be screwed. But you are already anyway without surgery at this stage. If it succeeds its problem solved as people are back to normal in a few weeks. Most people can walk immediately with minimal pain. After recovery you will be able to carry a backpack again and resume work. The only suck? They may go in through your guts.
5. Vertebrae fusion. This one sucks but its the only surgery they used to do. If your disk is really stuffed its still what they will do. The disk is removed and the bones of the vertebrae are screwed together. You lose all mobility from the joint and more strain is placed on the joints on either side. In 5 years or so you will need more joints fused as a consequence. This is your last resort if the pain is too bad. 80-90% success rate.

So those are your options in order of risk. If you are young & never had any disk problems it all sounds like an utter nightmare. As you get older this shit becomes normal no matter how fit, healthy & strong you are.

Yes I am going hard to keep going.

I took up the Hippensteel stretching regimen & have also looked into Gold Medal Bodies, Hyperbolic stretching, Foundation training, Yin Yoga, Convict Conditioning etc.

In other words I am working on general athleticism, flexibility & mobility in addition to the good old weights.

I stopped running & replaced it with Stairmaster
I stopped deadlift & replaced it with Pullup & Dips
I also started the ATG program and have my keen eye on Pacific Rim athletics

So thats it dont give up – try harder.

Yeah all of my wordpress blogs got infected with malware. Months ago & I hired a guy to fix it but he did a half pie job so for now this blog is working again.

Much has happened since last year. I moved away from Nelson as it was pretty boring & I was only there to escape COVID lockdowns. Meanwhile Auckland city has gone to the pack so I am with family up north for a while.

I was convinced my back issues were soft tissue caused by lipomas. Sadly this was wishful thinking. I got an MRI and have spinal degeneration in my lumbar. Basically 2 compressed disks and a vertebrae with bone spurs.

Seeing this on the MRI kind of made me sick to my stomach but there you go a 55 year old is likely to have it.

Immediately I stopped deadlifting and leg press. I also started the Hippensteel stretching program in earnest.

Now I can do a full quad stretch & get on to my back on the floor. Also good progress in other moves. In fact I am doing ROM I have not done since I was 19 in some moves.

This has essentially stopped all back pain during the day. Also I do dead hangs daily. At night it started to hurt a little but nothing like it was when I was still deadlifting.

Now I sleep on my side with a pillow between my knees or flat on my back. Works for me.

My spine is fucked and will never repair by itself.

3 weeks into keto now & I have lost 4kg, my mind is more alert, I can stretch deeper and relax. Most importantly my terrible back aches are hugely less. I believe that is from a reduction in inflammation as I have not lost that much weight.

I used psyllium husk & Musahi electrolytes to stop keto flu.

The food is good & probably less expensive than what I was eating before.

1. Power Cleans off the floor
2. Heavy Rack Shrugs
3. Heavy Lat Pulldown Isometric
4. Rowing Machine Sprints
5. Recumbent Bike
6. Stretches

I’m gunna do it one day a week

After 8 years of gradually worsening lower back pain I was 100% convinced I needed surgery.

I was sure I needed my lipomas cut out from above my hip. At times the pain has been excruciating. The lumps are right there where the pain is. What else could it possibly be?

I saw doctors, physios, chiropractors – no solution.

I tried all kinds of exercises, stretches and treatments – no solution.

Finally a couple of weeks back purely by chance I started doing some stomach vacuums just messing around.

My back pain immediately decreased dramatically. Now I do it frequently during the day – my back pain is greatly reduced.

How can this be?

Well its related to having a pot gut. Walking around all day with a bloated full stomach. Having a bit too much belly fat.

This in turn weakens the core, abdominal & lower back muscles. One of which is the Transverse Abdominus. This is like your natural corset all around your waist. Its the weakening of this muscle that causes the back pain.

The lower back muscle & fascia can rupture and result in lipomas.

So stomach vacuums seem to be the best exercise for this problem. They are not the only one – there are many exercises such as planks or the ab wheel. The pullover exercise for rib cage expansion also hits this muscle.

In yoga this exercise is called Uddiyana Bandha. A more advanced stage is called Nauli Kriya.

Here is how to do Uddiyana Bandha:

Exhale completely. Notice that you do this pressing in with both your chest and abdomen. You can pretend to be blowing up a balloon as much as possible with one breath.

The best time for practice is early in the morning, with empty stomach and bowels. The contraindications for uddiyana bandha are high blood pressure, hiatal hernia, ulcers, pregnancy, and menstruation.

You may not think these are good instructions as you are not able to do a vacuum by relaxing. Initially you have to tense & actively suck the abs in using force. Really you must contract the transverse abdominal to suck in the gut. Also you dont want to do a valsalva. You can keep breathing while holding the contraction

Despite this I recall as a kid I could suck in my gut more in the way they describe. Using a vacuum rather than a muscular contraction. This is a finer part of the exercise after the initial contraction. Lets not over analyze. Maybe after doing it via contraction you can lose some fat and gain more nerve control then explore the yogic methods. Certainly to begin with its unlikely you will be capable of Nauli Kriya.

Dont be afraid to strengthen & thicken the Transverse Abdominal using contraction.

By the way I can do 1000 consecutive stomach crunches quite easily – this is a different muscle so just having strong abs or spinal erectors is not enough.

Just read an article about a village in India where they all train to be bouncers. Really its a city of 50000 but anyway they are also plant based eaters.

They workout with weights & do yoga for 2-3 hours daily.

The diet:

“My suggestion is they drink at least three to four liters of milk a day,” said Vijay. “A dozen bananas and around half a kilo of fruit. During lunch, they also consume 1.5 to 2 kilograms of yogurt with three to four pieces of flatbread. In the evening, they should have two pieces of flatbread and one to 1.5 kilograms of almond-infused milk.”

The great Gama reportedly consumed 15 liters of milk, three kilograms of butter, mutton, nine kilograms of almonds and three baskets of fruits daily. That’s highly unlikely of course. I think 3-4 liters is doable but two max is enough surely.

Many small blood vessels line the inside of your nose. Their job is to help warm and moisten the air you breathe. These blood vessels can break and bleed.

How to take care of yourself at home

Rest quietly for the next few hours.
Do not sniff for 12 hours after your nosebleed.
Do not blow your nose for at least 12 hours after your nosebleed.
Do not put anything else inside your nose for at least 12 hours.
Do not lift heavy objects or strain for 12 hours after your nosebleed.

To stop a nosebleed
Get some tissues or a damp cloth.
Sit down.
Tilt your head forward so the blood drains out your nose and not down your throat.
Breathe through your mouth.
Using your thumb and index finger, firmly squeeze the soft part of your nose just below the bony part to put pressure on the middle part of your nose (called the septum). This is usually where the bleeding is coming from.
Use the tissues or cloth to catch the blood.
Keep squeezing for 10 minutes before checking to see if the bleeding has stopped.
If it is still bleeding, hold your nose again for another 10 minutes.
Placing a cold cloth or ice pack across your nose can sometimes help to slow the bleeding.

Many nosebleeds stop after 10 to 20 minutes of squeezing the soft part of the nose.

Always spit out any blood that gets in your mouth and throat. Swallowed blood can upset your stomach and cause you to throw up. When you throw up, your nose can bleed more or start bleeding again.

Ways to prevent nosebleeds
To keep the inside of your nose from drying out:

Lightly coat the inside of your nose with a lubricant such as petroleum jelly (such as Vaseline). Place a small amount on a cotton swab and gently rub the cotton tip inside each nostril.
Use saltwater (saline) nose drops or sprays directed by your doctor.
Use a humidifier at night in your bedroom.
Try not to take antihistamine medicines or use decongestant nasal sprays.
Open your mouth when you sneeze.
Do not blow your nose for three days after your nosebleed. When you blow your nose, always blow gently.
Do not pick your nose.
Do not smoke or expose yourself to smoky environments. Smoke irritates and dries out the inside of your nose.

When to get help
Go to the nearest Emergency Department if:

Your nosebleed does not stop after 20 minutes.
You get a nosebleed after an injury to your head.
You think your nose is broken after an injury to your face or nose.
Call your family doctor if:

You have four or more nosebleeds in one week.
You have nosebleeds regularly.
You seem to bleed more from a nosebleed than you have in the past.