Windmills: My work as a cautionary tale

So, second week of F1.

 

Everything going along smoothly.  Working my MN/PE1>im sets like a stud (ok that's how I see it), heading into my 3rd set of windmills (right arm...my smoother side) ready to kill it like Don Quixote (younger folks may have to google that).

 

I Lean over....smooth, good stretch in hamstrings, feels solid so I think "I'll just try squeezing a bit more with my abs, you know...really compress, and increase the ROM a bit"...

 

...AND BAM!  

 

Burning pain in my left adductors (Windmills 1, Steve 0)  

 

Pain subsided when I removed the stretch, and 2 days later I still only have pain when I try to do the movement again. However ROM is SHOT on that side.  Literally can't even get my body to parallel to the floor with proper form.

 

LET THIS SERVE AS A WARNING...If you're an older athlete (I'm 42 this year), don't push to hard on mobility/flexibility work...be humble and let time do it's job.  

 

Not sure what to do, but continue the Windmills with a limited ROM, avoid any sort of straddle stretch that could aggravate the injury, and hope it heals in the next couple months.

 

Ugh   I never learn my lesson.

Hope you have a speedy recovery and thanks for the cautionary tale.

Thanks Murray.  And you're welcome.  

 

Someone told me one time that everyone has a purpose in life.  Even if that purpose is just to serve as a cautionary tale to others 

I spent 2 months doing windmills seated across the corner of a bench while I nursed a previous (to GB) hamstring issue.    Now I am going to test for mastery next week.   Finally!   I've been doing 5x15 tuck-ups for weeks.

 

So, I'm just letting you know that while you work on rehabbing your issue, enjoy the tuck ups.  LOL

Ah...Jennifer!  Interesting work around for rehab.  I'm going to steal borrow that idea.  Wonder if that will still pull on the adductors..hmm.  

 

Think I could do them standing with a narrow stance?  And gradually open up? 

 

Luckily I don't mind tuck ups.  I like how they feel on the abs.  Besides, I can use a bit more work on my compression.

 

I DO hate being stuck in one place though.  Oh well.  Do the crime, do the time.  I'll consider it character building.

I am sorry to hear about this and I hope you are not sidelined for too long. Thanks for the heads up because I was concerned about this exercise.  I first tried it with no weight for the first time last week in order to get the mechanics down because it looked complex and like nothing I have ever done in my soon to be 43 years.  Wow was my shoulder tight that first session!   Last night, after getting comfortable with the range of motion last session, I started using a 5 pound dumbbell.  My shoulders are sore today like when I used to do heavy dumbbell presses.  I have a ways to go to get this movement down.

 

BTW -  if you have not tried it, seek out a traditional Chinese medicine acupuncturist (trained in China).   When I strained my back severely doing barbell squats last year (prior to bodyweight training), I was on prescription strength anti-inflammatories and even took muscle relaxers.  After five days on these pain meds and no relief, I decided to see what my acupuncturist (that cured my tendonitis before) could do.  After one treatment, my back had immediate relief - far better than five days of pain meds.  She used what is called "cupping therapy" and it worked like magic.  The Chinese Olympic swim team is known for cupping therapy I later learned after researching this technique.  I should have went to her on day 1 of my injury.   Although she told me a second treatment was not necessary, I followed up with her again a few days later for good measure.  I know what it's like to be in pain and I just wanted to share what helped relieve my pain.  This is where I went for treatment in my neck of the woods (http://www.acupuncturemn.com) to give you an idea of what to look for if you have not tried acupuncture.  Luckily for me, I found people that knew what they were doing. I have heard some horror stories of bad acupuncturists out there that have ruined people's perception of acupuncture.

I just got a bit ahead of myself.  I've done bent presses and windmills in the past (they're actually old time strongman lifts) as a strength exercise.  Figured I had it down.  

 

Completely discounted the fact that I haven't done them for years, that I have tight hamstrings from my office job (sitting...ugh), and my side split flexibility is currently (prior to this) ... well, lets just say it's awe inspiring, and not in the good way.

 

I also, for whatever reason, wasn't cognizant of the fact that the windmill movement does work/stretch your adductors, as I mostly felt it in the hamstrings.  Stupid is the word that comes to mind.

 

So back to square negative one.  

 

Regarding acupuncture...never tried it.  I'll have to see if there is a reputable, classically trained practitioner around these parts.

 

Thanks Mike.

I hurt myself today doing windmills on the first rep of the first set.  I have been doing GB foundations for about 10 weeks and while I found windmills challenging I never thought I would injury myself  doing them.  I was well warmed up and had just finished my arch body holds/ hip circles and was only using 5 pounds.

 

I had the weight in my right hand and felt an odd sensation in my left hip and stopped.  I hadn't pushed the ROM at all as I always ease into this iM on the first set.  About 15 seconds after I stopped I felt my entire low back and hips on both side start to tighten up and I knew I had definitely injured something.    I never felt and sharp pain, clicks/pops, or any other warning signs in this or any of my prior workouts using this movement.  But now I am sitting on the couch with ice on my hip and drugs in my blood hoping I won't lose too much training time.