Week 10
I can now say I have performed a backsquat, bench, and deadlift competition style since surgery. This was huge. The weight all felt smooth and I made sure not to go too crazy pulling from the floor and loading on the backsquat for the first time. Through this whole process it has amazed me how different moving feels. I was rusty I know this it took a few sets at the top weight to get my groove, but even when I did my former bad habits were replaced with different tendencies. Each rep I had to cue in my mind a different sequence of focus than I have had to in the past. For the most part I reset after deadlifts to limit risk on the eccentric some reps I did end up going touch and go and I was still okay. In squats I shifted my weight too far forward especially on the left side (numb foot/nerve damage). I had to think and feel my way around for depth, but good news is my sacrum could go into flexion as my hips extended. This spring I would feel a lock in my SI as I hit the hole and butt cheek to ankle fire. I can still sense how it used to feel, like a snake still squirming after its head was cut off. Maybe this is fear it will return or the residual part of healing. It makes sense when you carry around this heaviness and damage so long to feel a little lost and worried when it does finally escape you. It is a process to relearn what being okay and a good rep feels like. I am a different me and now the goal is to make this version even stronger.

205 5×5 squats

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​265 5×5 sumo deadlift

​​​I wanted to touch on another area I have been very focused on strengthening to mobilize.
Very often we hear this or that is tight and why we are limited in mobility and so you stretch. This provides temporary flexibility, but does nothing to improve strength or stability. Reasoning for why this muscle may be tight is weakness. Or it very well could be weak because it is tight. This is classic chicken or the egg either way you are limiting your health and performance. The body is working all the time to protect us from our movements and when it recognizes a weak point or instability around a joint we tighten up to prevent injury. When a muscle has been shortened for an extended period our brain struggles to fire and control.

A very common weak and tight muscle is the psoas and this is not one to be ignored. Literally the only muscle that connects on the upper and lower body. A tight psoas will shows up whenever someone attempts to squat. The positioning of the psoas over the hip socket literally allows this muscle to glide over the femur head. But if it is tight one can experience that pinch on the front side of the hips and limit ability to get in the hole. I have been incorporating activation of the psoas exercises. This will help with repetitions to fire the muscle and strengthen. In addition to this manual release of fascia and rpr resets are done prior.
Psoas lift and hold (keep toe flexed up)

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Thanks for stopping by and all the wonderful souls that have kept me encouraged and accountable to heal.