I've often advised those seeking to increase their pull-up performance to use bent arm hangs and negatives. The strategy worked for me in getting from 10 bodyweight pull-ups to 20. Ironically, in my attempt at the OACU, I've completely forgotten this advice. Instead, I've pursued a path of increasing resistance with weighted and assisted one armed work and it seems to be taking forever. Back to square one.
What I'm going to do is work towards a one armed bent arm hang, then the one armed negative and see how it goes from there. A one armed bent arm hang is just outside my grasp, so I supplemented my purchase on the bar with two fingers of the free hand. This is what I did today.
11-30-11
-20 advanced tuck lever rows
-2x5x6 single-arm db C&P (back is still wonky)
-2x6x10 second, assisted one arm bent arm hang (2 finger assist)
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Monday, November 28, 2011
TFCC interim report
In case you were wondering, I was, how long the treatment phase is, it's 8-12 weeks ( checked to make sure). Yup, I've got to wear the brace a bit longer. What I can report up to now is that it no longer hurts to do simple things like wash my face or grasp a frying pan. On the weight bearing test, however, I am still not at 100%, more like 80%, and it's still a struggle closing the COC grip trainer on the affected side.
I haven't been sitting on my hands all this time, as you know. I'm still working out, but activities like Sambo and Karate have been discontinued, at least while the wrist is recuperating. Whether I continue with them after recovery is the big question. Don't they say doing the same thing over and over again, in my case fighting, but expecting a different outcome, not getting injured, is a mark of stupidity?
Anyway, my daily workouts over the past week have consisted of 20 tuck lever body rows on the pull-up bar followed by elevated pike push-ups. The pike push-ups are an intermediate step towards handstand push-ups (HSPU). A good base with HSPU's will help in attaining the Maltese (and flag). I've done HSPU's and handstand holds before the wrist injury. The torn TFCC requires this intermediate step. To get into the elevated pike position, I stand a leg's distance from a wall, rest my feet against the wall and assume an inverted pike. Usually I'll do 5x5, with a 10 second bent arm hold after each set. So far, so good. No wrist pain. Yesterday, I used push-up handles to increase the range of motion.
The day after Thanksgiving I did a short workout comprising burpees and tuck-lever body rows: 5x10 of each. It was one of the few times, (second?), since tearing the MCL that I did burpees. I don't know what I was afraid of. I've been doing lots of squats, cleans, swings and rowing anyway.
I haven't been sitting on my hands all this time, as you know. I'm still working out, but activities like Sambo and Karate have been discontinued, at least while the wrist is recuperating. Whether I continue with them after recovery is the big question. Don't they say doing the same thing over and over again, in my case fighting, but expecting a different outcome, not getting injured, is a mark of stupidity?
Anyway, my daily workouts over the past week have consisted of 20 tuck lever body rows on the pull-up bar followed by elevated pike push-ups. The pike push-ups are an intermediate step towards handstand push-ups (HSPU). A good base with HSPU's will help in attaining the Maltese (and flag). I've done HSPU's and handstand holds before the wrist injury. The torn TFCC requires this intermediate step. To get into the elevated pike position, I stand a leg's distance from a wall, rest my feet against the wall and assume an inverted pike. Usually I'll do 5x5, with a 10 second bent arm hold after each set. So far, so good. No wrist pain. Yesterday, I used push-up handles to increase the range of motion.
The day after Thanksgiving I did a short workout comprising burpees and tuck-lever body rows: 5x10 of each. It was one of the few times, (second?), since tearing the MCL that I did burpees. I don't know what I was afraid of. I've been doing lots of squats, cleans, swings and rowing anyway.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
A torn TFCC
Finally, my orthopedist diagnoses my bum wrist- torn TFCC (Triangular Fibrocartilage Complex). The treatment, he says, is arthroscopy. I trust the man. If there is any cutting to be done, I am more than confident he can do it. It's just that he won't know whether the surgery will involve debridement, that is removing damaged tissue, or whether he can sew things up. I'd thought about alternative therapies. I was particularly keen on PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma therapy), where growth factors and other proteins extracted from your own blood are injected into your soft tissue injury. Unfortunately, my insurance won't pay for PRP.
In my search for alternate cures I came across the Wrist Widget. http://www.wristwidget.com/ What I like about this brace is that it makes my wrist feel stable immediately. It fits my wrist just as I would tape it. If all goes to plan, the TFCC will heal by itself. I'll be able to measure return to function with a simple bathroom scale instead of an MRI machine. If after wearing the brace for a few weeks I can press down on the scale without pain to a level close to what my unaffected arm can do, I am good. If not, there's still the option of arthroscopy. I'm on my second week of wristwidget voodoo. Wish me luck.
Training continues despite the injury. The details are pretty similar to what you've seen before.
11-10-11
-20 bodyweight pull-ups from a tuck lever
-dumbbell clean and press (1-6-1 pyramid)
-10 sec tuck planche
What's new is the tuck lever pull-ups and the tuck planche. The pull-ups were easy, but they probably set up the terrific abdominal cramp I experienced when I attempted the tuck planche. Ay chihuahua!
In my search for alternate cures I came across the Wrist Widget. http://www.wristwidget.com/ What I like about this brace is that it makes my wrist feel stable immediately. It fits my wrist just as I would tape it. If all goes to plan, the TFCC will heal by itself. I'll be able to measure return to function with a simple bathroom scale instead of an MRI machine. If after wearing the brace for a few weeks I can press down on the scale without pain to a level close to what my unaffected arm can do, I am good. If not, there's still the option of arthroscopy. I'm on my second week of wristwidget voodoo. Wish me luck.
Training continues despite the injury. The details are pretty similar to what you've seen before.
11-10-11
-20 bodyweight pull-ups from a tuck lever
-dumbbell clean and press (1-6-1 pyramid)
-10 sec tuck planche
What's new is the tuck lever pull-ups and the tuck planche. The pull-ups were easy, but they probably set up the terrific abdominal cramp I experienced when I attempted the tuck planche. Ay chihuahua!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)