Unleashing The Beast Within

Saturday, August 26

Incline DB Press

20/26/26 x15

A. Neutral-grip Chin-ups
x14 x4

B. Good Mornings
60x15 x3

A. Incline DB Flies
14/18/18 x15

B. DB W's
7x15 x3

A. DB Curls
16x15 x3

B. Lateral DB Raises
10x15 x3

C. Sit-ups
x10 x3


Early-morning assistance.

Some tightness in the mid-back, this time on the left side.
 
Tuesday, September 19th

Power Snatches

50x3 x2
60x3 x3

Cleans
90x3 x5

Squats
100x6
120x6
100x6

Bench Press (last rep paused)
100x5/5/7

Good Mornings
60x10 x3


Low back (right side) spasmed on me during cleans and is still pretty stiff and painful.

Other than that, a nerve in the upper back (right side of the spine) has been sensitised and has been giving me a good amount of almost-constant pain for the last 15-20 days.

Plus leaving the EuroBasket and coming to my club in Trikala half-way into the pre-season prep, which was a huge mess when I got here and requires a ton of work to getting things in order.

Plus the hotel I'll be staying at until May is a shithole.

In other words, I've seen better days.
 
Monday, September 25

Squat

100x8
120x8
140x8
150x8

Paused Bench Press
100x6 x8

Good Mornings
60x10 x3

Ring Rows
x15 x5


Low back was pretty bad (very sensitised and spasming) the entire last week, today was the first day it was a bit better. It was ok in the squats, still tight/painful in the good mornings.

Upper back nerve pain is still a thing. Been popping muscle relaxants and ibuprofen pills every now and then for a while now.

Squats were super easy, bench was not (but then again, upper-back pain makes benching harder).
 
Thursday, September 28

Bench Press
(last rep paused)
80x5
100x5
110x5 x5


Upper back same shit.

Left knee with some pf pain (since the cleans on the 19th).
 
Tuesday, October 3

Hang Power Cleans

80x5
90x5
100x5 x2

A. Deadlift
130x5
155x5 x4

B. Dips
x10
[+16]x6
[+20]x6/6/20

A. Reverse Lunge
60x6+6 x4

B. DB Press
17.5x6/6/6/10

C. DB Row
30x10 x4

A. Power Snatch
50x5 x5

B. Face-to-bar Burpees
x8 x5

C. Thrusters
50x5 x4

D. Chin-ups
x8 x4

E. Rowing Machine
13kcal x6


Low back (left side) spasmed on the first set of thrusters.
 
Thursday, October 5

Handstands
x3 attempts

Cleans
80x3 x8

A. Bench Press
80x8
90x8 x3

B. Chin-ups
x8 x5

Squat
100x8
110x8
120x8

A. Good Morning
60x10 x3

B. Lateral DB Raises
7.5x20 x3

C. Fitball Crunches
x15 x3

D. Supine-grip Pull-aparts
MBx20 x3

E. DB Curls
15x15 x3


Low back is painful/stiff, but it's not too bad in every-day life.

Upper back/lower neck nerve pain is still going strong and is fucking bugging me 24/7. In the last couple of days I've also been getting numbness/tingles on my right hand (mainly around the thumb and index). Some nerve is getting seriously jacked back there.

Things are generally not going all that well in my life, right about now.
 
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Sunday, October 8

Plyo Tuck Jumps

x10 x3

A. Muscle-ups
x3 x4

B. Single-leg Box Jumps
x3+3 x3

Cleans
90x3 x5

A. Squat
100x6
120x6
140x6
160x6

B. Incline DB Press
30's x8 x4

C. Ring Rows
x12 x4

A. Deadlifts
100x5
140x5 x2

B. Incline DB Flies
15's x15
17.5's x15 x2

C. W's
7.5's x15 x3

A. Lateral DB Raises
10's x20 x3

B. Fitball Crunches
x20 x3

C. Fitball Leg Curls
x15 x3

D. DB Curls
15's x20
17.5's x20 x2
 
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Monday, October 9

Running

3,6 k in 18 minutes
 
Tuesday, October 10

Plyo Tuck Jumps

x10 x3

Hang Power Cleans
80x5 x3

A. Reverse Lunges
40x10 x3

B. One-arm DB Press
17.5x10 x3

C. One-arm DB Row
30x15 x3

A. DB Press
30+30 x15 x4

B. Pull-ups
x8 x4

A. Incline DB Flies
17.5x15 x3

B. Face Pulls
MBx20 x3

C. Sit-ups
x10 x3
 
Thursday, October 12

Power Cleans

90x3 x10

Muscle-ups
x2 x3

Deadlifts
120x5
140x5
150x5
160x5

Bench Press
100x6 x6

Chin-ups
x10 x4
 
Friday, October 13

Running

3,6 k in 18 minutes
 
Thursday, October 5

Handstands
x3 attempts

Cleans
80x3 x8

A. Bench Press
80x8
90x8 x3

B. Chin-ups
x8 x5

Squat
100x8
110x8
120x8

A. Good Morning
60x10 x3

B. Lateral DB Raises
7.5x20 x3

C. Fitball Crunches
x15 x3

D. Supine-grip Pull-aparts
MBx20 x3

E. DB Curls
15x15 x3


Low back is painful/stiff, but it's not too bad in every-day life.

Upper back/lower neck nerve pain is still going strong and is fucking bugging me 24/7. In the last couple of days I've also been getting numbness/tingles on my right hand (mainly around the thumb and index). Some nerve is getting seriously jacked back there.

Things are generally not going all that well in my life, right about now.
Sorry to hear about your neck, radicular symptoms suck. I have major issues with my neck as well, it's the worst. Have you seen anyone about it?

Is it on the dorsal side of your thumb and index finger you are experiencing the numbness? Sounds like n. radialis, which would make sense if you're right about the origin of the problem (low neck, upper back) as it stems from the C5-T1. Wouldn't you say?
 
Good time!
Also I saw your boobs playing guitar this AM. I had the sound off for greater effect! :p
Lol.

The time obviously sucks, but I haven't run in years so for the time being I'm primarily interested in getting my body relatively accustomed to it.
Sorry to hear about your neck, radicular symptoms suck. I have major issues with my neck as well, it's the worst. Have you seen anyone about it?

Is it on the dorsal side of your thumb and index finger you are experiencing the numbness? Sounds like n. radialis, which would make sense if you're right about the origin of the problem (low neck, upper back) as it stems from the C5-T1. Wouldn't you say?
It's the radial nerve, no doubt about it. The painful spot is almost certainly the C8-T1 area (it's roughly around the height of the scapular spine). Arm numbness (which starts from the elbow all the way to the thumb) is directly triggered by stuff like thoracic spine extension, neck position, upper-back muscle activation, etc. In other words, it's safe to say there is entrapment of the radial nerve on the right side of the spine around the C8-T1 (where the pain is located). Still, knowing all this doesn't really make a difference.

Numbness is only mildly annoying (other than the psychological factor of knowing something is fucked up), the localised spinal pain sucks biggly, though.

I haven't seen anyone, I don't think it would do much for me. I've been through ulnar nerve entrapment (higher up the cervical spine) with similar symptoms before, and seeing a doctor and doing a bunch physiotherapy sessions didn't do much other than waste my time. If in another month or two symptoms are still there, I guess I'll consider getting an MRI to see just how fucked up that whole area is :p
 
Sunday, October 15

Plyo Tuck Jumps

x10 x3

Hang Power Cleans
90x5 x5

Squats
100x6
120x6
140x6
160x6

Incline DB Press
30x10 x5

Deadlifts
100x5
120x5
140x5
160x5

A. Chin-ups
x12 x3

B. Incline DB Flies
15x15 x3

C. Lateral DB Raises
10x15 x3

A. Pull-aparts
MBx20 x3

B. Int./Etx. Shoulder Rotations
MBx15 x3

C. Fitball Crunches
x20 x3
 
It's the radial nerve, no doubt about it. The painful spot is almost certainly the C8-T1 area (it's roughly around the height of the scapular spine). Arm numbness (which starts from the elbow all the way to the thumb) is directly triggered by stuff like thoracic spine extension, neck position, upper-back muscle activation, etc. In other words, it's safe to say there is entrapment of the radial nerve on the right side of the spine around the C8-T1 (where the pain is located). Still, knowing all this doesn't really make a difference.

Numbness is only mildly annoying (other than the psychological factor of knowing something is fucked up), the localised spinal pain sucks biggly, though.

I haven't seen anyone, I don't think it would do much for me. I've been through ulnar nerve entrapment (higher up the cervical spine) with similar symptoms before, and seeing a doctor and doing a bunch physiotherapy sessions didn't do much other than waste my time. If in another month or two symptoms are still there, I guess I'll consider getting an MRI to see just how fucked up that whole area is :p
Yeah could be radial entrapment, but that would mean the issue is after the plexus brachialis. It could be within the plexus itself, but it's more likely that it's spinal root compression according to your cervical symptoms. I know what you mean about knowing not really helping, but I think it can. At least you know what you can do, and not do, to aggravate it.

Yeah cervical issues are some of the hardest to deal with. I'm sure you've tried some pretty worthless deep cervical exercises + cervical mobility or whatever. Those never helped for me either. Hows massage/soft tissue therapy working for you? There are guys out there who has a decent track record, but you need to find someone who specialises in cervial issues and is an expert. Normal physios just don't know enough.

Seems like you know your body very well, and sometimes that + time + regulating volume accordingly + working around it can alleviate the problem without specific intervention. Btw, what happened to your ulnar nerve entrapment? And was it a peripheral entrapment (like in the sulcus at the elbow) or am I understanding it right in that it was hypothesised to stem from the neck as well?

Don't know if an MRI would be of any use really, there's no clear connection between imaging and symptomatology necessarily. With someone who knows as much as you it probably wont effect your psychology negatively because you're so aware, but still. That said, if the symptoms keeps increasing and especially if the radiculary symptoms gets worse (especially atrophy or loss of strength), then it would be the smart thing to do. Likely you wont need an OP, but it does happen.

Either way, hope it clears up!
 
Seems like you know your body very well, and sometimes that + time + regulating volume accordingly + working around it can alleviate the problem without specific intervention.

This is pretty much what I've been working with the last 5 years.

Ulnar nerve entrapment was at the neck, due to neck injury, symptoms were exclusively at the fingers (now numbness is all the way from the elbow to the fingers). Took 3 months for symptoms to subside. I had done physiotherapy sessions plus NSAIDs but I don't think those helped at all.

No clear connection is a stretch. Sometimes they are unrelated, but when you have a case like mine, where symptomatology already shows a clear connection between pain on the spine and nerve symptoms distally, an MRI will help assess the condition of the tissues and whether an operation should or should not be consider.

And yes, since it's just numbness that means it's likely an entrapment at the dorsal/afferent root. If there were loss of motor function, then that would obviously require immediate attention.

Thanks for the comments, though. How have you been doing?
 
Monday, October 16

Running

4.6 k in 22:40
 
@NurseKnuckles

Lol, I definitely suck at running but that was an extra k on the same exact pace... I would call that marginal improvement. :p
 
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