First day back after a little break due to my wrist
christianteach
Posts: 595 Member
I injured my wrist about 3 weeks ago and have barely been lifting while trying to give it time to heal. I started back today and picked up where I had left off, which was test day. I did okay on the first 4, although I barely passed on bench press, but by the time I got to the SLDL's I couldn't do them at all. My legs were shaking, my knees were bending, my arms were shaking and I just couldn't do it. I was able to take 90 second break and come back and do my curls. I'm not sure what happened... I don't know if I lost strength during that time or if it was something else completely. That was one of the few exercises I had actually been able to do while resting my wrist and I felt strong every time until today. I am also used to doing this at night, after eating a nice, big dinner. Today I did it an hour after crawling out of bed and the only thing I had in my stomach was a 190 calorie Quest bar. Maybe that was my problem...perhaps I had already burned up the protein bar by then. I was still shaking and a little sick at my stomach after getting out of the shower. I ate a yogurt and had a little water and then started feeling fine. You think it was because I didn't eat enough prior? Maybe I should have went back a week or two, instead of going full force into test day?? It's done now and I will move forward and just not increase my deadlifts, although that's disappointing because I was comfortable with them up until today. :grumble:
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Sorry to hear that, it must have been disappointing.
I do my lifting in the evening and I have a protein drink after that and dinner much later so I am not sure about whether it was because you hadn't eaten.
I do think it could have been because you went straight to Test Day after a longish break, and perhaps your wrists are still healing. If I take a break due to illness, I would go back to the beginning of that cycle, or even drop a weight or so, to get back in the groove without too much stress.
But look at it this way - you hit Test Day after a break of no lifting and you manged pretty well on so many of the workouts - that is testimony to the good shape you are in!
So don't get disheartened by this - and when you start the new cycle, take it easy on your body - if you need to repeat the weight it's not such a big thing. I am repeating Cycle 2 weight now, and I will soon be done and I do feel stronger this time, so the repetition was worth it.0 -
I agree with Paprad that it probably didn't help that you jumped straight into test day after your lifting break. That said, the program is designed in such a way that you can't avoid failing on exercises. Possibly multiple cycle's in a row... It's part of the game!
Don't know whether not having a meal beforehand makes a difference. Perhaps it does if you're used to having something in your stomach. For myself I'm used to working out first thing in the morning, before breakfast. Don't think eating before would sit well for me :laugh:
Anyway, I'm glad for you that you can lift again. Just be careful until you're fully healed :flowerforyou:0 -
I had this problem of feeling sick and shaky after my SLDs. In my case it was definitely a conditioning problem, like I was just pushing myself too hard. Since I slowed down my reps and focussed more on breathing and form plus doing cardio on non-lifting days I have definitely noticed an improvement in this area.
I don't know if it is the same for you but it may have been a combination of going too hard after having a break and maybe not eating enough before training.
I hope your wrist stays strong, my wrist played up a fair bit (old injury) from doing the barbell curls, I couldn't even lift my daughter up under her arms, so I had to change the exercise to standing upright rows late last cycle. This has been a good change, I actually prefer this exercise to the curls.0 -
I think if you miss more than a week or two at most you should probably restart the cycle... Especially if you're beyond week three.
It's not likely that you've actually lost much strength or stamina, but jumping straight back to where you left off can be a bit of a system shock. I'd say it's more likely to be that than a lack of eating, unless you really under-ate.
Even if you made it through and passed a few exercises, it might be a good idea to go through the cycle again. In the grand scheme of things, a few extra weeks isn't a big deal and you'll still be making gains.0 -
I think if you miss more than a week or two at most you should probably restart the cycle... Especially if you're beyond week three.
It's not likely that you've actually lost much strength or stamina, but jumping straight back to where you left off can be a bit of a system shock. I'd say it's more likely to be that than a lack of eating, unless you really under-ate.
Even if you made it through and passed a few exercises, it might be a good idea to go through the cycle again. In the grand scheme of things, a few extra weeks isn't a big deal and you'll still be making gains.
I didn't completely miss them. I did what I could do (squats, deadlifts, and BOR I continued but did the two heavy days instead of the 3 days so I could rest my wrist longer in between), sometimes I also did BP and OBP (but my son had to help me get the bar to my chest then I was fine) but I couldn't do the curls at all. I really don't want to start cycle two over because the progression in this routine is painfully slow. Speaking of which, what exactly is hypertrophy...is it increasing the size of the muscle but not necessarily strength? My goal is to get leaner, firmer and more compact (look good naked), increase lean body mass while decreasing fat, and to become stronger. Is this the best approach for that?0 -
I had this problem of feeling sick and shaky after my SLDs. In my case it was definitely a conditioning problem, like I was just pushing myself too hard. Since I slowed down my reps and focussed more on breathing and form plus doing cardio on non-lifting days I have definitely noticed an improvement in this area.
I don't know if it is the same for you but it may have been a combination of going too hard after having a break and maybe not eating enough before training.
I hope your wrist stays strong, my wrist played up a fair bit (old injury) from doing the barbell curls, I couldn't even lift my daughter up under her arms, so I had to change the exercise to standing upright rows late last cycle. This has been a good change, I actually prefer this exercise to the curls.
If the curls bother me again, I may just eliminate them from my routine. No need to create a problem when I don't have to.0 -
Sorry to hear that, it must have been disappointing.
I do my lifting in the evening and I have a protein drink after that and dinner much later so I am not sure about whether it was because you hadn't eaten.
I do think it could have been because you went straight to Test Day after a longish break, and perhaps your wrists are still healing. If I take a break due to illness, I would go back to the beginning of that cycle, or even drop a weight or so, to get back in the groove without too much stress.
But look at it this way - you hit Test Day after a break of no lifting and you manged pretty well on so many of the workouts - that is testimony to the good shape you are in!
So don't get disheartened by this - and when you start the new cycle, take it easy on your body - if you need to repeat the weight it's not such a big thing. I am repeating Cycle 2 weight now, and I will soon be done and I do feel stronger this time, so the repetition was worth it.
After reading through all these responses again today, which prompted me to read what I had originally wrote, I see I wasn't clear in my original post. I was still lifting while I rested my wrist, although I probably shouldn't have been. I did the exercises that didn't bother it too much, such as SLDL, BOR (I should not have been doing these), Squats and even sometimes I did bench press and OHP if my son was home to get the bar off the ground for me (I couldn't do that). I did two heavy days instead of the 100%, 90%, 80%. So I did like 5 heavy days in a row, although spread out, and didn't do all exercises. It worked better for me that way because it allowed my wrist more time to rest between days.
With that said, I'm a very impatient person so this routine in itself is very slow paced for me. I like fast results, although I know that's not always what's best for me. I apologize for all the confusion! I should have proof read it before posting because I do see why you all thought I hadn't lifted for a couple of weeks, which wasn't the case. My fault!0 -
I didn't completely miss them. I did what I could do (squats, deadlifts, and BOR I continued but did the two heavy days instead of the 3 days so I could rest my wrist longer in between), sometimes I also did BP and OBP (but my son had to help me get the bar to my chest then I was fine) but I couldn't do the curls at all.
Ah, ok... I thought that was the case, but something made me think you hadn't been lifting at all for a couple of weeks & I assumed you'd decided to rest the wrist completely for a bit.
I really don't want to start cycle two over because the progression in this routine is painfully slow.
If definitely is, but honestly, almost any routine is going to be painfully slow.Speaking of which, what exactly is hypertrophy...is it increasing the size of the muscle but not necessarily strength?
In simple terms, yes hyphertophy = increased size, but hypertophy and strength aren't mutually exclusive... quite the opposite. If you get bigger, you'll be getting stronger. SBR is intended to provide a mix of strength & endurance, hypertrophy's part of it.My goal is to get leaner, firmer and more compact (look good naked), increase lean body mass while decreasing fat, and to become stronger. Is this the best approach for that?
I guess I'd be hesitant to say "best" because "best" is really whatever you're going to stick with. SBR will get you all of the above but, then again, any number of routines will get you there as well. This one has the advantage of blending strength & endurance, being cut-friendly, and it has has built-in de-loads & self-governing progression.
If you're asking whether it's too focused on gaining size, to the point of working against your goals, then no, it isn't. 0 -
With that said, I'm a very impatient person so this routine in itself is very slow paced for me. I like fast results, although I know that's not always what's best for me.
Understandable but, in all honesty, ANY weight lifting routine is going to be relatively slow going... It's all about progression over time.
There are other routines you can try that'll probably get some results faster, depending on what you're after. P90X for increasing general fitness, but not so much for building strength or muscle. Classic 5x5 programs like Starting Strength, Strong Lifts, etc. for pure strength gains. SBR's a nicely rounded program, especially when mixed with some HIIT or light cardio on off days.I apologize for all the confusion! I should have proof read it before posting because I do see why you all thought I hadn't lifted for a couple of weeks, which wasn't the case. My fault!
I figured I was just losing it. ;-)0 -
By the way... Doing a couple of weeks of heavy days only is HARD with this routine and, while I can't say for sure, I would think that skipping certain exercises during those days (although probably not just curls) might even make it a bit harder.
There're some natural rest periods built in between exercises as you move from upper to lower to upper body, and skipping an exercise might have you going upper to upper or lower to lower in a way that's going to increase the stress of the workout & remove some of the rest-based recovery between exercises.
I've had more success doing one heavy, one medium on weeks where I can only work out twice. In fact, I typically do that on the fifth week of a cycle to give myself a little extra rest going into the weight increases of a new cycle.0 -
Thanks Jason! I know I risk sounding ignorant (which I am in this case, since this is all so new to me :blushing: ), but what is SBR?0
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Thanks Jason! I know I risk sounding ignorant (which I am in this case, since this is all so new to me :blushing: ), but what is SBR?
All Pro's "Simple Beginner's Routine" ;-)0 -
By the way... Doing a couple of weeks of heavy days only is HARD with this routine and, while I can't say for sure, I would think that skipping certain exercises during those days (although probably not just curls) might even make it a bit harder.
There're some natural rest periods built in between exercises as you move from upper to lower to upper body, and skipping an exercise might have you going upper to upper or lower to lower in a way that's going to increase the stress of the workout & remove some of the rest-based recovery between exercises.
I've had more success doing one heavy, one medium on weeks where I can only work out twice. In fact, I typically do that on the fifth week of a cycle to give myself a little extra rest going into the weight increases of a new cycle.
That's good to know! I had read I should do 2 heavy days if I can't do 3 workouts so that's why I did that. I would have much rather done it your way, especially with a sore wrist! I may do that this time since I did fail on my deadlifts, which quite frankly was one of the lifts I was most confident about. In fact, I just tested on Friday and yesterday (the next day) I did my set of 12 deadlifts just to show myself I could. I won't increase the weight since I failed on test day, because I realize doing them alone isn't the same as doing them as part of the whole routine. I'm still completely bummed though! I wouldn't have been near as surprised if I would have failed on BOR's (those have been most difficult all along, I started out pretty high with them) or BP. I think my biggest confusion so far with lifting is why my squats are so weak. I really don't get it. I'm a big girl (5' 9" and 178.6), with big legs. I should be able to lift a lot more than I do. :huh:0 -
Thanks Jason! I know I risk sounding ignorant (which I am in this case, since this is all so new to me :blushing: ), but what is SBR?
All Pro's "Simple Beginner's Routine" ;-)
Oh. lol0 -
That's good to know! I had read I should do 2 heavy days if I can't do 3 workouts so that's why I did that. I would have much rather done it your way, especially with a sore wrist! I may do that this time since I did fail on my deadlifts, which quite frankly was one of the lifts I was most confident about. In fact, I just tested on Friday and yesterday (the next day) I did my set of 12 deadlifts just to show myself I could. I won't increase the weight since I failed on test day, because I realize doing them alone isn't the same as doing them as part of the whole routine. I'm still completely bummed though! I wouldn't have been near as surprised if I would have failed on BOR's (those have been most difficult all along, I started out pretty high with them) or BP. I think my biggest confusion so far with lifting is why my squats are so weak. I really don't get it. I'm a big girl (5' 9" and 178.6), with big legs. I should be able to lift a lot more than I do. :huh:
Yeah, AP does say that you can do two heavy days... Basically, heavy rest rest heavy rest rest rest -- but he also says it'll crush you if you do it. When I tried it, I quickly decided that he's correct about the crushing ... especially after week 3 of a cycle.
I'm not sure if my "heavy / medium" alternative would be sanctioned by AP... almost certainly not as a regular occurrence, but I only do that if I just can't make my normal three days & that's not very often.
Squat's a seriously complex exercise... There're a lot of muscles in play, and there's a lot going on with them. It's easy to think of a squat as just quads & glutes -- especially if you've ever done leg press and pushed 2x what you can squat.
If it's any consolation, I kinda feel the same way about all of my lifts... taking 20 years off from any sort of semi-serious lifting has left me pushing WAY below where I was when I came out of college.0 -
That's good to know! I had read I should do 2 heavy days if I can't do 3 workouts so that's why I did that. I would have much rather done it your way, especially with a sore wrist! I may do that this time since I did fail on my deadlifts, which quite frankly was one of the lifts I was most confident about. In fact, I just tested on Friday and yesterday (the next day) I did my set of 12 deadlifts just to show myself I could. I won't increase the weight since I failed on test day, because I realize doing them alone isn't the same as doing them as part of the whole routine. I'm still completely bummed though! I wouldn't have been near as surprised if I would have failed on BOR's (those have been most difficult all along, I started out pretty high with them) or BP. I think my biggest confusion so far with lifting is why my squats are so weak. I really don't get it. I'm a big girl (5' 9" and 178.6), with big legs. I should be able to lift a lot more than I do. :huh:
Yeah, AP does say that you can do two heavy days... Basically, heavy rest rest heavy rest rest rest -- but he also says it'll crush you if you do it. When I tried it, I quickly decided that he's correct about the crushing ... especially after week 3 of a cycle.
I'm not sure if my "heavy / medium" alternative would be sanctioned by AP... almost certainly not as a regular occurrence, but I only do that if I just can't make my normal three days & that's not very often.
Squat's a seriously complex exercise... There're a lot of muscles in play, and there's a lot going on with them. It's easy to think of a squat as just quads & glutes -- especially if you've ever done leg press and pushed 2x what you can squat.
If it's any consolation, I kinda feel the same way about all of my lifts... taking 20 years off from any sort of semi-serious lifting has left me pushing WAY below where I was when I came out of college.
So that explains it... It crushed me and turned me to mush!
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With that said, I'm a very impatient person so this routine in itself is very slow paced for me. I like fast results, although I know that's not always what's best for me.
Semi-random thought this morning...
After I was reviewing my own workout stats last night, I flashed back to this "slow paced" conversation this morning. One thing that might help keep things in perspective is thinking of your progress in terms of total weight moved for your workouts.
I ran the numbers from your post in the stats thread and came up with this:
So, even though it feels slow-going, just your week three numbers show that you're pushing 730 lbs more than you were when you started. ;-)0 -
That's a great way to assess improvement, Jason. I did something similar when I took my very modest weights and extrapolated it to 12 months later - and realized that I may start small and progress slowly but in percentage terms it will be quite signficant.0
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With that said, I'm a very impatient person so this routine in itself is very slow paced for me. I like fast results, although I know that's not always what's best for me.
Semi-random thought this morning...
After I was reviewing my own workout stats last night, I flashed back to this "slow paced" conversation this morning. One thing that might help keep things in perspective is thinking of your progress in terms of total weight moved for your workouts.
I ran the numbers from your post in the stats thread and came up with this:
So, even though it feels slow-going, just your week three numbers show that you're pushing 730 lbs more than you were when you started. ;-)
Thanks Jason! My gains seem much more significant (as Paprad said) when I look at it this way. :happy:0 -
That is so cool! I should run my numbers when I need a little pick-me-up :happy:0
