injuries/problems

[SOUTHFLEX]

1.) general lethargy,severe: low energy throughout day outside gym (good in gym because preworkout fuel stimulants, but not tryimg to stay on caffeine etc. all day). Low mental energy also. this is really a drag.

2.) lower back, muscular: terrible lower back muscle-cramping, especially on right side, when try to do back or legs past couple workouts. have to cut heavy lifting short, and sitdown for awhile. this is new. begins to hurt just from standing up now. need to figure this one out asap for legs tommorrow.

3.) left knee: gets a bit swollen after heavy squats day etc., and at a certain point down into movement gets weak, and is painful, like cartlage is worn out. seems to be getting worse. for me there is no other way or reason to lift other than heavy. i like doing 6-8 sets of squats sometimes, with sets of 3's and 2's reps, all the way out heavy. but i don't want to end up needing surgery just to walk around. what's the problem and what to do???

4.) i just a few weeks ago changed gyms from one that had weight belts, to one that does not. i only used belts for my heaviest sets of squats and d-lifts about 50% of the time or so, if i felt like i needed it that day, but without whenever possible. but at the new gym as there are none, i don't have a belt for the times when i do feel like i could use one for a particularly heavy set that day. i don't know if my current back pain couyld've been prevented by using a belt, i kind of don't think that's it, but since i'm unsure and thinking about buying one, how many of you conuse weight belts and consider them mandatory for heaviest lifts? opinions please.

right on all, SOUTH

 

[SOUTHFLEX]

sr

 

[captainahole]

1.) general lethargy,severe: low energy throughout day outside gym (good in gym because preworkout fuel stimulants, but not tryimg to stay on caffeine etc. all day). Low mental energy also. this is really a drag.

2.) lower back, muscular: terrible lower back muscle-cramping, especially on right side, when try to do back or legs past couple workouts. have to cut heavy lifting short, and sitdown for awhile. this is new. begins to hurt just from standing up now. need to figure this one out asap for legs tommorrow.

3.) left knee: gets a bit swollen after heavy squats day etc., and at a certain point down into movement gets weak, and is painful, like cartlage is worn out. seems to be getting worse. for me there is no other way or reason to lift other than heavy. i like doing 6-8 sets of squats sometimes, with sets of 3's and 2's reps, all the way out heavy. but i don't want to end up needing surgery just to walk around. what's the problem and what to do???

4.) i just a few weeks ago changed gyms from one that had weight belts, to one that does not. i only used belts for my heaviest sets of squats and d-lifts about 50% of the time or so, if i felt like i needed it that day, but without whenever possible. but at the new gym as there are none, i don't have a belt for the times when i do feel like i could use one for a particularly heavy set that day. i don't know if my current back pain couyld've been prevented by using a belt, i kind of don't think that's it, but since i'm unsure and thinking about buying one, how many of you conuse weight belts and consider them mandatory for heaviest lifts? opinions please.

right on all, SOUTH

test level could be low, need more supplementation like iron, super multi's or low minerals. Best to go see a doc and have a work up done to fine out for sure.
lower back could just be from not wearing a belt where you have always for heavy. Not saying its a back injury just working new muscles could be the issue. so it will be that way until it strengthens to meet your workout level.
knee could be tendonitis just from being overworked. do you wrap your needs or use knee support that could give you help and take some of the pressure off the knee and alow it time to heal.
I use a belt for heavy deads and squats so I am up for using it.
take care of the injury's and have a workup done to ensure everything inside is okay.

 

[johnwest]

adrenal fatigue?

 

[Crocodome]

Hi, here's what I think. You have over-trained. It sucks. Sit out a week. When you go back, drop the weights down and do not use a belt for anything. It sounds like you need a stronger core.

 

[captainahole]

Hi, here's what I think. You have over-trained. It sucks. Sit out a week. When you go back, drop the weights down and do not use a belt for anything. It sounds like you need a stronger core.

that's a good point as well. Never crossed my mind. how often do you train? and how long in the gym?

 

[SOUTHFLEX]

4 times a week. 3 way split: #1 quads/hams/calves/abs
#2 chest/delts/traps/tris/fores
#3 back/lats/bi's/abs/fores/(sometimes light calves again)

wk. 1 is: #1 mon., #2 tues., wed. off, #3 thurs., #1 again fri., sat. off, sun. off.
wk. 2 is: #2 mon., #3 tues., wed. off, #1 thurs., #2 again fri., sat. off, sun. off.
wk. 3 is: #3 mon., #1 tues., wed. off, #2 thurs., #3 again fri., sat. off, sun. off.
with slight variation as needed. this i run for 8-12 weeks usually before switching to one of my other staple mass routines.

i've recently considered adrenal fatigue, a close relative recently was tested and showed very low adrenal production, like borderline Addisson's Disease, and had similar symptoms. i'm not quite that bad, but am really feeling it, stuck on the couch sometimes without stimulants to jack me into gear. looking into it.

i don't stretch enough preworkout, or warm-up as much as i should, i jump into heavy sets after just one moderate warmup set on d-lifts, etc. that's always worked for me, but i'm just turned 30 now...

as far as test levels, i think i'm cool, sex-drive is off the chain, i've gained 7lbs. of lean mass in the last month and seen an average of close to 30% strength increase in all major movements. but who knows. if i could afford blood work rght now i'd be on cycle and any potential problem solved . . .

far as overtraining, that's a definate, but i've been toning it down the past few weeks. did too much on chest and shoulders tonight i know . . . it's hard to stop though man!!! 2 full hours tonight of fast and heavy. i've been gaining still though. but i know it's too much and catching up with me, i can feel the bad soreness. i'm gonna cut down to 3 workouts a week for 2-3 weeks and except legs gonna go really moderate and focus on pumps on back and chest, and cut shoulders/traps/bi's/tris to just minimum maintainence during this time. if that's not enough, i'll sit out 1 week and do active recovery only for 1-2 more. or maybe by then be able to afford this next cycle and heal up overnight!!! we'll see. i'm on top of it Bros.
right on respect, SOUTH

 

[b fold the truth]

Are you using AAS? All are sides of high androgen use. A lot of my friends taking A50 say that the only time they feel good is when they are training.

Low back, knees, tiredness, etc...could be fatigue. I'm not a fan at all of taking a week off. I'm on a 10 week vacation and I'm averaging 1 session a week. And I hurt 2x more than when I was training 3x a week. I'm stiff and sore all the time in my joints and the less I train the more I hurt.

You could have weaknesses. Abs, lower back, hamstrings, upper back, etc... Technical issues? Sometimes the answer is simply changing your training patterns. Change the exercises that you are doing for each body part for 1 month. Your body, muscles, and CNS will all fire on a different pattern allowing things to heal, relax, and reset.

That make any sense? Give you any ideas?

 

[SOUTHFLEX]

yeah, i think i need to switch up a few things, go a bit lighter on squats and d-lifts for a couple weeks (no 2 and 3 rep sets, my favorites), and work on core strength, and while i'm at it my cardio coul use a kick during this time. my back's so tight right now i almost CAN'T bend over, and last night was just pecs/delts. i neglect stretching etc., and let my cardio go, in the pursuit of heavy, and get annoyed with warmups . . . i need to actively rehab a couple weeks, see what's injured and what's just hurt, and start back heavy in 2-3 weeks more responsibly, my body apparantly has stopped letting me get away with this shit. if i mess my kneeup for real for real i'm gonna on the out for a long time, and that would be unbearable. as long as the back and knee come back online after this lil rehab period, in the end it'll be all for the good, i need the extra cardio, stretching and core training i plan to emphasize during this time, and probably need the overall extra heal up time, and will likely come back stronger. also, i'm gonna adjust my sleeping schedule and see if that helps with the lethargy, same wake up/sleep time every night (no more eratic work hours, period) and no more oversleeping when i can, and we'll see.

also, no i'm not on cycle, but i know what they mean about the drol and lethergy. this these past weeks has been worse than that though. it's like i've got to motivate myself to eat even though i'm hungry, then gotta lay on the couch before i fall asleep standing up and motivate myself to go brush my teeth, now sit down a minute before i can get dressed. like physical exhaustion lethargy, but kind of like in my head, like i just can't wake up for real, super droggy. today is not so bad as the last week though, we'll see. if i go to the grocery store, i am taxed, done, zero energy left, can barely keep my head up. but i can wrestle for an hour hard. WTF? i'm seeing a homeopathic/chiropractor dude tommorrow. we'll see what he says.

it can't be test levels though. i was wondering about that myself some, up till this last month, even though i felt good in the gym still. cause my strength had stayed about the same and zero weight gain except a little fat for like over a 2 month period. then i doubled my protein to 2 gm per lb bdywgt a day (where i would've been before then if i could've possibly afforded it) and in the past 1 month have gained over 7 lbs in lean mass and my weights on basically everything have gone up close to or over 30 fucking percent. couple weeks ago safety squatted 18 plates for 2 clean reps, ass damn near to the floor on both. but then had to drag my left leg around for days cause the knee and am scared to push it that hard now till i find out what's really wrong with it . . . it's been with me for months on and off, at times worse even and from lighter weights than the recent squat. got caught in a tight heel hook and had tendon pain BAD for several weekis, then it went away, couple years ago, then picked up a big guy in a fireman's carry slam and hurt it again in feb. and could barely walk for a couple days, then it went away. but this currently feels totally different, it's like grinding/swelling/pressure inside the knee, but i wonder if it could be related, an injury from a weakened tendon not supporting it's side. it was an mcl, same spot, in both the wrestling injuries. i don't know. i can live with the pain as long as it's not gonna give out on me in some heavy squat someday, or leave the kid unable to walk right in ten years . . . man i never had a training injury in life that didn't just go away till now. we'll see Bros. thinking of some deca in this coming i'm slaving away for currently to accumulate the funds, i've never needed the joint rehab effect so i've never noticed it much when i've run it, but guys say it works wonders on this type of thing, sometimes permanently healing stuff up. gonna look into that.
right on fellas. respects, SOUTH

 

[johnwest]

Deca works but remember it not only heals but kills pain too so be careful. Another thought is you could be prehypertensive form gaining mass so quickly. Your body might need some time to adjust. Likely a combination of things.