Niggly Injury
Status………
Over the last few entries in this journal, I have been
whining about a TFL pull and that I had curtailed my runs until the thing
feels………less cantankerous. In fact the TFL pull may not be a TFL pull at all;
it may be more of a gluteus medius pull, at its insertion on the femur. It just
seems that every time I try an exercise where I need to stabilize that hip
joint, there is a bit of pain. And in fact if you cruise through my many
entries, you will see there is a history of left leg knee and hip issues. However,
whatever is going in there I am happy to report that it is getting better but
it is a slow tedious process. Recovery is just as slow as the pulled calf and
broken foot injuries I muddled through 2 years ago (same leg by the way). We’re
talking 8 weeks plus in most cases. Besides the runs being impacted, I have
changed my squat routine a bit just to prevent aggravating the issue. I’ve
switched up the drop sets for a combination of mid-weight front squats followed
by a heavier back squat. And since the loads are about 25% lighter than the
original drop set, I’ve made these ass to grass instead the box squats I had
been working; trying to get a longer stretch. As long as I get a good warm up
and loosen that TFL/glute tight spot up with a foam roller, I can get through
the routine with minimal………..pain. Yes, if I do not concentrate on what muscles
I’m using to get ‘out of the hole’ (during the squats), that little tear, she
will talk to me, she will challenge my willpower to stick with the program.
With that said, probably a week out from the next macro, the
Endurance Macro, I’ll probably start running again. And we’ll keep it easy,
maybe supper SLOGs.
Key Performance
Indicators……………….
KPI’s for the month of May. No improvement but there is
progress.
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May Best
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|||
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Exercise
|
Sets
|
Reps
|
Total Weight Moved
|
|
Front Squat (Sup)
|
4
|
8
|
3,520 (110*32)
|
|
Back Squat (Sup)
|
4
|
8
|
4,640 (145*32) 8160
Total
|
|
Pull Up
|
4
|
8
|
----------
|
|
Heavy Bench
|
4
|
8
|
6,400 (200*32)
|
|
Drop Set Bench
|
4
|
12
|
6,480 (135*48) 12,880
Total
|
|
Row
|
4
|
8
|
3,200
(100*32)
|
|
Masculine Feelings (Scale 1 to 10) = 5+
|
|||
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Cardio; Dropped cardio completely TFL/glute injury.
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|||
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Notes;
Lower 3 exercises completed as a superset; Front Squat, Back
Squat and Pull Up. There is 4 minute spread between the start of each set. In
that 4 minutes you complete the 3 exercises plus just enough rest to allow
heart rate to settle out. This set is like an extended Sprint; very, very
whole body. All squats are Deep, Ass to Grass Squats. Calculated Squat 1RM – Front
137/Back 180.
Upper 3 exercises completed as a superset; Bench, Drop Set
Bench and Rows. There is 4 minute spread between the start of each set. In
that 4 minutes you complete the 3 exercises plus just enough rest to allow
heart rate to settle out. All are
neutral grip Bench Presses. Calculated Bench 1RM – 248.
|
|||
It’s too bad that the Niggly Injury shut me down as far as
cardio and squat routines. However, I do feel pretty good about what I did accomplish
and I do get a great pump from the combined front and back squat routine. In
fact I plan on carrying this front/back routine into the Endurance Macro.
And since this is the end of the 2016
Power Macro, the following data needs to part of my KPI’s
|
Skinfolds
|
||
|
Pec
|
6
|
Calculated BF = 11.2
Realistic BF (+4) = 15 to 17
|
|
Ab
|
8
|
|
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Thigh
|
12
|
|
|
Body fat calc is from ExRx and
is Age Corrected to 61. The end of the 2015 Sculpting Macro 12.6 Calculated.
End of Power Macro, maybe a 1 to 2% change (12.6 to 11.2).
|
||
Between the changes in skinfold,
albeit minor, and the consistent weight it’s a pretty good assumption that muscle
was preserved and again, a small amount of fat was lost. There was NO jaw
dropping change in physique, just good management of what I have. And finally
the comparison between Casey Butt’s, Your
Muscular Potential, and where we’re at, at the end of the 2016 Power Macro;
|
|
5’9” Average Joe (15% BF)
|
5’9” Mark Jennings (15 Sculpting)
|
5’9” Mark Jennings (16 Power)
|
5’9” Mark Jennings (16 Endurance)
|
5’9” Chiseled Athlete (10% BF)
|
|
Chest
|
38.7”
|
42.5
|
42
|
-
|
45.5”
|
|
Bicep
|
13.1”
|
14.5
|
15
|
-
|
16.7”
|
|
Forearm
|
12.1”
|
11.5
|
11.5
|
-
|
13.3”
|
|
Neck
|
15.3”
|
15
|
15.5
|
-
|
16.3“
|
|
Waist
|
33.5”
|
36
|
36
|
-
|
30.3”
|
|
Hips
|
41.0”
|
40.5
|
41
|
-
|
38.0”
|
|
Thigh
|
22.1”
|
23.7
|
24
|
-
|
24.8“
|
|
Calf
|
14.3”
|
15
|
15.5
|
-
|
16.4“
|
|
Torso Shape
|
Inverted V
à
|
Rectangular
à
|
Rectangular
à
|
Rectangular
à
|
Positive V
à
|
Planning This Year’s
Endurance Macro……………
It’s time to start putting together my thoughts for this year’s
Endurance Macro. Last year we did lots of sets with lots of reps at medium
weight. It was basically a two day upper and two day lower schedule; twice a
week, plus runs and sand bag carries. This year I’m thinking I’m going to tone
it down a bit; more pulls and pushes, some sand bag caries, sprints and a pull
up or two. And two days per week we’ll do whole body weight routines. I really want to work the back and see just
how far I can develop that lats.
What I would like to do is to stay line with Lyle McDonald’s
Stubborn Fat Solution. Get a release
of adrenaline, e.g. get the fat mobilized, then use that fat to power through
the rest of the workout, a low intensity burn. Maybe a modified Widow Maker? Maybe
5 or 6 hill sprints pushing a wheel barrel followed by a sand bag carry then 5,
1 minute on-off runs? Whatever I decide to do, the cardio needs to be
effective, more effective than my standard SLOG.
So the schedule may look something like;
|
|
Week 1
|
Week 2
|
Week 3
|
Week 4
|
||||
|
|
AM
|
PM
|
AM
|
PM
|
AM
|
PM
|
AM
|
PM
|
|
Monday
|
HIIT
|
Upper
|
HIIT
|
Whole
|
HIIT
|
Upper
|
|
Whole
|
|
Tuesday
|
|
Whole
|
|
Upper
|
|
Whole
|
Stretch
|
|
|
Wednesday
|
Widow
|
|
Widow
|
|
Widow
|
|
|
Whole
|
|
Thursday
|
|
Whole
|
|
Lower
|
|
Whole
|
Stretch
|
|
|
Friday
|
HIIT
|
Lower
|
HIIT
|
Whole
|
HIIT
|
Lower
|
|
Whole
|
|
Saturday
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sunday
|
Stretch
|
Stretch
|
Stretch
|
Stretch
|
Stretch
|
Stretch
|
Stretch
|
Stretch
|
Too Much of a Good
Thing…………..
The TFL pull I have been dealing with over the last few
weeks is just another example of overuse, between running and jacking up squat
frequency and of course, squat weight, I can only blame myself. So what are the
overall lessons learned during this last macro, this Power Macro?
· If I’m going to increase the frequency, use a lighter loading and concentrate on
what muscle I’m actually using, e.g. don’t try and squeeze in more intensity
(heavier loads) and higher frequency………. you’ll break yourself.
· The mantra Time
Under Tension doesn’t mean heavier, it just means more; more reps, slower
pace, iso holds……..
· Over the last year and a half I have been really
working the lower body. Between all of the squat variations and deadlifts
through the last four macro cycles, my butt and my quads have notably improved.
Lesson learned; it takes a while to see
noticeable gains.
·
If dropping weight (intensity) go for a FULL
stretch on the extension, to the point of relaxing, then contract the
muscle to initiate the lift. You should feel the burn in the last few reps of
each set.
Fat Loss……………
If you look at the stats I have recorded since last years
(2015) Power Macro and this year, you would notice that in this last year I
have dropped about 5% body fat; realistic
fat mass from 20% to 15%. However, the string measurements (waist, hips, thighs,
biceps, etc.…) have been pretty flat. I’m thinking water weight here, not just
a difference in fat. And that kinda’ goes along with the mirror checks; they’ve
been awfully good lately. What I think is going on here is the daily fiber intake.
I know that psyllium holds a substantial amount of water…….as proven by not
being constipated……but does it help pull inter-tissue water; make you look less
fat? My weight fluctuates maybe 3 pounds over the course of a week, and I had
always assumed water. I guess to see just how much water I’m holding I could do
a water flush, a couple of days of high water and salt intake followed by next
to nothing. That’s probably the only way to see, weight wise and mirror wise
what exactly is going on.
Conclusion……………
Overuse injuries will slow you down and if you take good
notes you may figure out what the issue is. I need to figure out where the imbalance
is; I need to correct the issue so that I can get on with my regular routines. Read
more books maybe, watch more videos maybe, get in touch with someone that can
help me solve the issue? If there is a chronic left leg/hip issue, let’s find
it and fix it, ASAP! Need to move through the issue so that I can still chase
that Last 10 Pounds.
MMJennings
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