Plans for when I'm in Durham

...Just noticed that Crossfit Durham offers four week camps to work on Oly lifting and barbell work.  Of course I'm drawn to the Oly lifting but I don't think my hip is ready for that yet, so when they offer the barbell course next I'll take them up on it.

Speaking of hip, less then 12 hours for when I see Dr. Hauser, really hope this last treatment is it.

The Wedding Post

Many, many things have changed in my life this past week.  First, I am now married to a beautiful, smart woman. She has always been there for me, and I am amazingly lucky to have her in my life in any respect, let alone spend the rest of my life with her.  The wedding/reception was awesome; only wish that I had more time to spend with everyone, it simply felt too short.  

Happy Day.

On a nutrition note, this past week has been horrible.  Family was in town and they were on vacation so I was constantly surrounded by cookies and cake and pizza and chips and all kinds of things that I don’t normally eat.  Not only that, but there has been so much of it.  I have gone from feeling slightly hungry all the time to feeling slightly/really full all the time, and it hasn’t been a pleasant experience.  And yet, I kept eating.  Hopefully soon I can get back to eating healthier foods. Like now.

Also, with this past week trying to fit in time for work and wedding and family stuff there was not a lot of room for the gym.  In fact last week I only worked out once.  Haven’t been too happy about that but it is what it is.  I got to work out today, and I plan to workout tomorrow.  As long as that keeps happening I’m fine.

Third, I am moving again.  The wife (eek!) is enrolling in Duke law this fall and so we are moving down to Durham in like a week.  I’ve never been one for change but I am excited for her and the new experiences that await us.  This weekend we drove down to Durham and picked out an apartment.  Again, with the drive down and nothing to do but eat out the diet has been nothing like it has been.  Although I will say the food scene in Durham is unreal.  Every restaurant we visited had amazing food.  Especially Dame’s chicken and waffles.  Delicious.

Concerning food, I've found an NC paleo food delivery service, Custom Fit Meals, which seems like it's a lot like power supply up in DC.  Glad people are realizing there is a demand for this.  I'm going to have to test it out and see what it's like, they seem to have a lot more options then power supply, which I'm meh about.  Just put it in front of me and I'll eat it.

I am unsure what to do workout/rehab wise once we get down there.  Optimally I will have like six more weeks of rehab until I can start doing some type of Oly lifts.  I am unsure about my desire to rejoin a crossfit gym like Crossfit Durham, as I seem to respond better to a progression plan with weight lifting.  It seems that after two years most people burn out on crossfit and move on to something else.  I seem to be no different.  However, if the one of the gyms there offer a 5/3/1 plan or some Oly-only programming I’m all about it. …I also know that I will be very lonely working from home with Kristin gone all day with school, so I will definitely need the community support of something like a box.  …I have also noticed that the student gym center offers bumper plates for oly lifting, so perhaps I’ll do digital coaching with Angie my coach from Crossfit Rise. Time will tell.

Kristin also found a candidate for Bobby’s replacement, Ellen at active edgefit.  Hopefully I won’t need to see a massage therapist like I have in the past because my hip/shoulder will be in better shape.

Speaking of, Tuesday I will see Dr. Hauser for the last time, at least last time this year.  If I end up needing to see him again, it will be next year when my FSA is replenished.  I hope that he will say I’ve completely healed, but I have a feeling he will suggest I have another treatment.  As always, hopefully this will be the last time I see him.  Currently if I do not use ANY external or internal rotation I can squat to full depth and not have my hip click.  However, if I had any rotation for things like putting on my pants I get a click still.  ...I seem to be ok if I bring my hips down to my feet, but if I bring my feet to my hips it's a completely different story.  For example, I can squat to full Oly depth and there is no click, but in the roman chair if I bring my knees up higher than 90 degrees then there is a click.  It’s nice that I’m seeing progress, but it is a little disheartening that I seem to still have a ways to go.  If I don't get up to 100% (aka no clicking or pain) after this then I guess I will hold off on the Oly lifting until sometime next year.  I'm not sure about this, but since it was Oly lifting that worsened the situation in my hip I'm hesitant to get back into it.

Update on everything

I know it’s been quiet on the blog front, and I apologize for that (been busy planning the wedding and all), so here’s a quick rundown of where I’m currently at:


Hip rehab: When I started doing modified squats and deadlifts I started having back/core issues. My core muscles were going all kinds of out of whack with the reintroduction of these compound lifts. I soon realized that I was doing too much weight. I mean, my legs were strong enough to squat 155, but if I wanted to do it properly with a tight core throughout I needed to lighten the weight and really focus on the core/technique. It’s humbling squatting 125#, but when I switched to lighter weight all of my back/core issues went away. Hopefully I can start increasing the weight here AND have good core technique. It’s all rust and hopefully it will come back quickly. 


 I’ve now been given the green light to start working on speed work. So now I can focus on speed during the concentric portion of the movement, while I still have to be slow on the eccentric portion. Still nothing like working on explosive power like the Oly lifts, but progress is progress. I’m now doing front squats, mainly just working on form. Everything I’m doing is now three sets of ten reps, so now I’m front squatting a whopping 65 pounds. My form is very rusty, when I start to hit depth I can feel my lower back wanting to round out, do the butt wink. However with weight this light I’m able to shut that down and keep the spine stable. I’ve got a long road ahead of me here. 

Status of the hip: I very rarely experience pain now, but I still feel something off in the inguinal canal area. It’s very vague, hard to pin down (typical) but part of that vagueness is that it’s very faint, not like the pain that I was experiencing a year ago. Prolotherapy seems to have really helped me out. I can do so many more things now that don’t make my hip click, my ROM has greatly improved. However, there are still some motions that are guaranteed to cause my hip to click. One thing I have noticed is raising right knee to my chest and towards my left shoulder will definitely cause a click/clunk. If I rotate my knee outwards it doesn’t happen. …I don’t know if this is significant but I plan on letting Dr. Hauser know when I go to visit him in about two weeks. I am still seeing improvements, I just need to figure out when I should just let it be and move on. I still have a dream where my hip doesn’t click at all, but perhaps if I’m no longer in pain that won’t be necessary? I guess my fear is if I leave the labrum partially healed it will re-tear if I go back to Oly lifting/crossfit.

My best so far.

Status of six pack: My other dream, a dream I’ve had since a kid, seems to be closer and closer to reality. I know I still have a ways to go, but this is closer then I have ever been to seeing my abs. Since I started cutting my intake I’ve also gone a more low-carb route. However, I seem to look better the day after I have some sort of cheat snack or meal (ie, sugar). So I’m trying out raising my carb intake and seeing what happens. …It just so happens that with the wedding this week family is starting to show up and with them are all kinds of crap that I don’t normally eat. As I’m typing this I’m questioning the wisdom in having some chips that were left out in the kitchen. My stomach has been very unhappy with me lately, and this all stems from deviating from what I normally eat. I like to think that I have a strong will, but when I’m surrounded by people who are eating pizza it can be hard not to indulge in a slice. Thankfully I will be able to go back to my routine soon.

I know a lot of women dream of looking perfect on their wedding day, and as a dude I haven’t really ever given it much thought until like a month ago, but I am really, really happy with the way I look. Honestly I think this is the best I’ve ever looked, so I’m glad that it will be well-documented through the many, many photographs that will be taken. I am very happy I have found a way to make this work despite my inability to crossfit. As long as you do some type of strength training and keep a great diet it is possible.

Status of shoulder/neck/back: Every time I go to visit my chiropractor she notices some combination of my c6-c7 are out of place. This joint instability, according to Dr. Hauser, is the cause for my discomfort. Hanging from a bar has been tremendously helpful. I used to wake up , foam roll, and then stretch. However, I found this left me with all kinds of discomfort that would last throughout the day. Now I stretch first, and after my a burst of searing pain for about five seconds my shoulder seems to fix itself and then I’m no longer in pain. I wonder if the stretching is just a Band-Aid, and that I should continue with the prolotherapy to stabilize my c6/c7. Obviously something I will just have to figure out. …I might wait this one out until next year starts so I can use my FSA again (tapped that out a while back).

Personal Update: I can’t believe that I’m getting married in a couple of days! I have been very lucky to meet such a wonderful girl as my fiancée, and even more lucky that she loves me back.