No magic pill

[Phaedrus49er]

Yeah, not sure what brought HoP to mind, but I needed it, especially with the upcoming/ongoing mindfuck of re-learning how to study (and actually doing it).

Man, I got your text, LOL'd hard at both the content and randomness, and promptly passed out on the couch for some reason. In retrospect, I think I was actually a little scared that you were witnessing some "content" as you texted me

[Lost Dog]

Originally Posted by Phaedrus49er

--Thus concludes the major weight-bearing portion of this phase--only bodyweight stuff slated for next week (not that that's any less of a challenge for me right now)--but if I'm not mistaken (Roland and/or Tony will correct me if I am), the only changes next week are the strength workouts while the other three days are business as usual.

That's really the only change.

The girl is debating joining the women's challenge here, and since I'm trying to convince her that she needs to take a back-off week (which just happens to coincide with my own),

How long has she been lifting and how long has she been lifting without a break? Maybe she's fine.

hopefully I can get her to join me in a full week's worth of stuff on my program because I think that she'll get better overall results from this setup than her current program, but that's just me, which doesn't really matter since it's her program to decide on. I don't ask questions, I just work here.

Better results how? What are her goals and what's her current program? Does she have log here?

Oh, has the shoulder, post pop-age?

[Phaedrus49er]

Originally Posted by Lost Dog

How long has she been lifting and how long has she been lifting without a break? Maybe she's fine.

She's been lifting regularly since early March, four weeks since her last break, but recovery has become a bit of an issue, especially a knee that has been a problem the past couple weeks when doing weight-bearing, full-ROM squatting movements (back squat, front squat, barbell thrusters, etc). The pain is located on the lateral side of the kneecap, which makes me think it's an imbalance/motor recruitment issue that's pulling the kneecap out of alignment and, being a recurring issue, needs to be more aggressively addressed since some basic supplementary corrective work doesn't seem to have fixed the problem. Personally, I've better noticed my own imbalances with my current training than with any other program I've used (except maybe Core Performance, but that still seemed a bit disjointed in a couple areas).

Originally Posted by Lost Dog

Better results how? What are her goals and what's her current program? Does she have log here?

She simply hasn't liked her workouts lately (NROL4W), so motivation is an issue right now (her loads haven't increased like she wants them to, even though she has improved her basic lifting form in a lot of areas, which I consider to be significant progression). I've somewhat convinced her (I think) that the size she's gained over the past couple months isn't bad size and that the scale isn't the mirror; however, she still wants a "flatter belly", which she acknowledges is a dietary issue, plus more general athletic abilities as opposed to straight strength training, which means more conditioning work. There is no online log, just the paper one she keeps, which is a huge victory in my book--it was like pulling teeth to get her started on that one, so I'm not harping on it too much, maybe a little on starting FitDay. If it comes down to it, I'll setup and maintain her log on here.

Originally Posted by Lost Dog

Oh, has the shoulder, post pop-age?

I assume that's supposed to be "how is the shoulder." It's back to its normal, slightly-weaker-and-less-stable-than-the-right-side self, but it's getting better. You may've noticed that I did those one-DB C&Ps the other day, and I had no problems (I think the heavier loads helped force me into better form). However, that's the same shoulder that popped yesterday prior to the one-arm inclined push-ups (anterior rather than posterior)--no clue where it came from and ended up not really being an issue. I will say that my shoulders get hammered regularly on this program, which is a good thing for me since I'm sure I've developed compensating motor recruitment patterns around them over the years.

[gobbla]

Best thing I ever did for my knee was "heavy" squats. Low reps once or twice a week. I don't think I could ever run distances again but I can go through most days without noticeable pain.

[Lost Dog]

Four weeks isn't that long to go without a break. I don't taking breaks is bad, but I think that knee problem will still be there afterward.

Recovery on the knee vs recovery overall are two different things that can overlap. Obviously CNS and muscular recover overlap. Joint issues, too. She should post in the injury forum after filling out that questionnaire.

Don't post a log for her. Let her post her own log if she wants one. She won't be motivated by you posting for her.

[Phaedrus49er]

Originally Posted by Lost Dog

Four weeks isn't that long to go without a break. I don't taking breaks is bad, but I think that knee problem will still be there afterward.

Recovery on the knee vs recovery overall are two different things that can overlap. Obviously CNS and muscular recover overlap. Joint issues, too. She should post in the injury forum after filling out that questionnaire.

Don't post a log for her. Let her post her own log if she wants one. She won't be motivated by you posting for her.

I know it's short-time for another break, but it won't be a complete break per se, just a back-off week with some conditioning work to see how she likes it and how it treats the knee. Her Q-angle is typical of most females--significant--so I'm wondering if some of her high school track days are carrying over at all. You're right about the knee sticking around--this isn't the first time it's been an issue. She's a stubborn one, though, so a post in the injury forum might be a long time coming.

Yeah, I'll leave the training log to her to start, but I'm more interested in seeing a FitDay habit first, if for no other reason than to get a real idea of what she is (not) eating. I had no clue myself until I started weighing and measuring.

[foodfromafar]

What is a Q-angle?

[Phaedrus49er]

Mike Boyle talks about Q-angle in this article (mirrored copy since his website--and the original article--seems to be down this morning).

Q-angle is essentially the ratio of the widths of your hips to knees. The bigger the difference between the two (wider hips, narrower knees), the less obtuse the lateral angle of the knee joint (the angle's rays being the upper-leg femur and lower-leg tibia/fibula). Mike puts this in the context of distance running since the majority of people still equate endurance running with fitness. Elite runners have a similar body type (read: ~1:1 hip:knee width ratio); your average Joe/Jane probably has a larger ratio, sometimes up in the 2:1 range. As that ratio increases from 1:1, the risk of knee and other leg injuries increases in distance runners, especially injuries of a chronic nature.

/Cliff Notes

[Natalia]

just to add the illustration of Q-angle






Mine's not ideal. I don't do well running long distances.

[Phaedrus49er]

Originally Posted by Natalia

just to add the illustration of Q-angle






Mine's not ideal. I don't do well running long distances.

Sweet, thanks.

Yeah, mine is less than ideal as well, which knocked me out of doing much more than a 10K ever again. Not that I'm complaining.

[foodfromafar]

Thanks! I imagine mine is way out of whack as well because I have a fairly wide pelvis for my size (genetics - my sisters and daughters are also blessed with "the hips") and my knees tell me I'm not a runner!

[RedLefty]

Ben, so are you saying you have birthing hips?

[Phaedrus49er]

Originally Posted by RedLefty

Ben, so are you saying you have birthing hips?

You'll recall the People's Front of Judea conversation in the coliseum...

[Bytsi]

Originally Posted by Phaedrus49er

You'll recall the People's Front of Judea conversation in the coliseum...

This? YouTube - Monty Python's The life of Brian - I want to be a woman

(Dang it - I got youtube to embed once, and now I can't get it to work again!)

[Phaedrus49er]

Like this?



And yes, that's the one

[Bytsi]

What am I doing wrong? I tried embedding it, and it came up blank... sigh... it worked ONCE...

Maybe it's your log, not me