Introduction/injuries/imbalances

Hi. My name is Lori. I live in the Seattle area. I've been doing Crossfit for about 2 1/2 years. I was 42 when I started and had been at my desk for 20 years and I was pretty deconditioned. I skied every year and hiked, but that first winter I had gone to Revelstoke, Canada, and I could no longer keep up with my 6 year old. I had been limited from exercise for a couple years due to a health condition, so I got that cleared by agreeing to work with a trainer. In Crossfit I got strong really fast. It changed my life. I liked the gymnastics movements, so I started training with a coach and a group of adults a couple days a week at a gymnastics gym. My coach warned me that my overall strength was increasing at a rate greater than what my ligaments and bones would handle and he told me to take it easy. He went on to take a job at a gym in another part of the state, but I often think about his advice, and how it probably did apply to me more than I was willing to admit. I was enjoying Olympic lifting and I found a coach. I competed locally and really enjoyed it. My coach competes internationally every year and my intention was to begin to travel with him and his wife, until last summer when I was in a car accident and I hurt my back. I rehabbed, did PT, did a 12 week cycle and felt pretty good, and then was messing around with some deadlifts one day and reinjured. They ran tests, I have a torn disc at L5/S1. I've gotten a variety of opinions. My chiropractor and physiatrist both say to take up another sport. My PT sees more harm in being inactive than in continuing to lift and says that my MRI doesn't look much different than what you would find if you could see the MRI of many 45 year olds. What I have found is that some movements increase my pain and some decrease it. I've been listening to my pain.  Pull ups, handstand holds, hollow rocks, a little cardio all seem to make me feel better. If I load up a bar and do heavy squats or cleans I can really feel it for the next few days in the form of peripheral nerve pain in my leg and a band of pain across my low back. I'm a bit crooked, my right hip seems to stick, I can do a pistol (with some support) on the left side fluidly, but on the right side it isn't fluid. I don't know where I heard about GB, but it keeps popping up and I'm intrigued. I love to lift, I love following a program, but I am in this for longevity first. I'm trying to find something to replace lifting. The hardest part has been not training with my coach, he and his wife are wonderful training partners and we've had a lot of fun the past couple of years. Lately I've been training at a Crossfit gym again and just scaling things quite a bit.

Would following this programming help with the imbalances? My hesitation comes from the lack of a coach. I would love to have a GB affiliate in our area. I enjoy that coaching relationship, and it makes me feel secure knowing that someone is watching my progress/safety. Could I do it in addition to a couple Crossfit workouts a week (for the community/coaching aspect of them)?

Hi Lori,

Welcome! I love to see more women joining the forum. Yes, this program will help you address your imbalances, if you’re willing to follow the program progressions. Simple, but not easy to do. 

There are a lot of great, knowledgeable coaches here in this forum, so no worries about that. Someone will be guiding you along the way and watching you progress. As far as fitting a couple of CF workouts a week, it shouldn’t be a problem. I think the biggest decision you will have to make is to choose which one (CF or GB) is your priority right now and then program accordingly. Either way is cool. I would advice against trying to do both at once without first answering that question and being very clear about your intentions. Cheers.

Thank you for the reply. On women...one of the things I've wondered about is how this translates. Was it written for men? Do women progress the same way?

Right now, May 4, 2016, (not to say it won't change), my priority is to get stronger, fix my imbalances, and eventually get back to Oly lifting and being able to Crossfit without modifying the heck out of everything. It seems like this might be a good way to work on that. If this will get me there, I'll focus on this, for now, for as long as it takes.

I'll poke around the forums. Trying to figure out the difference between online courses and the other too.

 

I'm sure @Coach Sommer can elaborate about gender specific programming details (if any) down the line. I'm doing Foundation 1 and so far I haven't seen any modifications that are gender related. 

If your priority is strength and fixing imbalances, Foundations is your path. If mobility has been an issue for you in the past, look into the SS (Stretch Series). 
Oh, and Coach just announced there's new intro pack coming up Monday, so stay tuned!

I think you already know your answer. If the gymnastic movements make you feel better but the barbell exercises aggravate your pain you will love Foundation, Handstand and Stretch. There is plenty of help on the forum and you can get your form checked by posting videos. 

If you are concerned about longevity and health you need to do exercise that build the body. Once you develop your foundation the olympic lifting and Crossfit will be easier. Most importantly you will be training pain free. You can do some Crossfit along side Foundation. You will need to scale Crossfit appropriately and only do workouts that improve your health. If a workout is causing you pain then it is against your goal of good health and longevity.

I work as a physio and use variations of Foundation, Handstand and the stretch series with alot of patients. These exercises work perfectly for correctly imbalances and restoring good movement.