NaterMania

It LIVES.

It will soon get plastic surgery, but... IT LIIIIIIIIIIIIVES!!!

Apologies for the photo, I don't have a memory card here so it's the old-school phone camera. I don't have a fancy new phone with a great camera, so I had to paste together two separate photos.

This is the current test setup for my proper powerlifting squats!

I used 2x6x4 pieces for the frame, and some plywood that used to be part of my body lever/ NLC set up before I came up with a better one. There's also a piece of either 1 or 1.25" Schedule 40 that is the current anchor for the bands. Because of the short levers involved, it's totally fine. I'm still going to replace it with metal, because metal is shiny and looks professional, but in terms of pure utility it is functional. As you can obviously see.

The squat box is two cinder blocks on top of two other cinder blocks. Total height is 16". It is ROCK SOLID. The top layer is offset from the bottom layer by 90 degrees for stability, as you can see. The box is angled the way it is because that makes approaching and using the box easier and more intuitive. It also allows for a wider variety of foot positions, if you're into that kind of thing. I'll take a side photo to show bottom depth when I have a real camera again.

Total cost was 29 dollars. Total construction time was ~20 minutes.

Tools required: 1.5" paddle wood-boring bit, power drill, saw, screws, hammer (for making the inner pipe channels after cutting with the saw and screwing the frame together.

The plywood is currently only attached over the pipe, as that is where I need it ATM. I will do a weight check later on to see what the top and bottom band resistance is.

I'll tell you this: At the top it's HEAVY. I love it! Feels incredible... way better than doing separate heavy partial-range work.

super !!!!

Thanks Alex

For some reason, I'm having neurological symptoms in my right shoulder.

If I had to guess, it would be from the "king stretch" from drills and skills. I have partial numbness, specifically on the medial deltoid head. Rear and anterior are both fine. Partial weakness is present as well.

I hope this is a short-term issue. I don't want to deal with another three years of neurological bullshit.

I first noticed today.

Here's hoping for a 1st degree neuropraxia!

Joshua Naterman said:

For some reason, I'm having neurological symptoms in my right shoulder.

 

If I had to guess, it would be from the "king stretch" from drills and skills. I have partial numbness, specifically on the medial deltoid head. Rear and anterior are both fine. Partial weakness is present as well.

 

I hope this is a short-term issue. I don't want to deal with another three years of neurological bullshit.

 

I first noticed today.

 

Here's hoping for a 1st degree neuropraxia!

Bummer man.  I dont really have any advice that you couldn't give yourself but just take it easy.  I stopped lifting heavy back squat when I started feeling numbness in my thigh.

I am. I think, but am not quite sure, that it is fading already. It seems less numb than last night.

I don't seem to have much strength loss, but there is some. I hate nonsense like this!

I can finally do like 10 push ups fast without pain, and then I have minor nerve damage. #thisisBULLSHIT! (my first hashtag or whatever, already feel lame)

Check your neck. Thoroughly check your scalene on each side.

Roger that. Haven't noticed anything off, but upon inspection there is hypertonicity. Also found a triggerpoint low down on anterior. The numbness does appear to be going away even before self-treatment. I do think this will help, thanks!

One other thing I noticed is that, on the right side, there is not much palpable separation between the upper trap and the neck musculature. Left side is easily palpable.

Anytime!

Symptoms are steadily improving, and long duration gentle stretching is working nicely. Gained a ton of flexibility today, at least 20 degrees of hip flexion. It took a total stretch time of somewhere around 2.5 hours, with maybe seven 10 minute stretches and three 24 minute stretches, and a few others.

Feels very good, no soreness and no strain. Stretches were held just before hard endpoint.

I will probably spend at least an hour tomorrow on the pike, and 20-30 minutes on my shoulder flexion.

My traps are slowly getting huge. Slowly, but I've never seen such specific development on my body. external rotators are also getting much bigger.

I now realize why Dillon was so ridiculously strong in external rotation (and everywhere else)... freak genetics + handstand presses.

The exercise I'm using, which I'll probably video tomorrow, is just das beste!

My lats have shrunk a lot, from not being able to use them very much (obviously) which is pretty annoying. It'll take 1-2 years to build everything back to where I was when I first got here, once my shoulders and elbows are fully fixed.

On those fronts, good progress continues! The shoulder continues to get less painful, I have more or less full sensation back (I can even feel it when I hit my shoulder hairs with a pen), and the elbow is responding well to the stretching.

I will be implementing long stretches for my lats as well, and soon. Probably tomorrow. The hardest part of that is the grip. Right now 3-4 minutes at a time is all I can handle.

I'm about as content with my progress as I can be, and I finally tried Kinesio tape today! I ran a strip uo the trap-1 fibers, just the clavicle to nuchal ligament fibers, and also the infraspinatus.

Let me be frank: The tape has virtually zero force-production. Not more than a few ounces, at most, I don't think, but dude... it WORKS.

You don't even need to know the fancy shapes unless you want your tape jobs to look cool, just tape from origin to insertion (or visa versa, whichever is easiest) and be sure to shave the skin and clean with rubbing alcohol prior to taping, and use a 50-70% stretch on the tape. I need a strip for my lower traps, but seriously I am pretty excited about this stuff. Every little proprioceptive tool helps!

I now have a copy of the clinical kinesio book, and it's pretty freaking cool. Cleaned up my taping technique a lot, and it is even more effective. I taught one of my professors how to help me put some tape on, and she noticed an immediate and significant improvement in posture. She was pretty surprised, she didn't think it would do very much.

Rehab is going well. Doing negative curls for 10 reps with 25 lbs, at a 1/10. I will be trying 30 lbs today for a few reps. I can do a few sets of pull ups, and push ups aren't an issue.

A finger technique for handstand that Burnham shared with me has helped me dramatically improve my handstand position on the wall, getting much more open and feeling much more stress on the lower traps. Very cool I think this is going to help me immensely.

I also figured out how to modify serratus slides to be (to me) more effective when done with a freemotion machine (or bands)

That's slowly gotten me to 230.5 lbs at 12% (according to 3 site measurements at mid-pec, abdomen, and mid-thigh) at 73" tall,
which actually puts me at a FFMI of 26.35, which indicates steroids according to the current research. Compare that to 204 at 6.92%, which was an FFMI of 24.7 or so, well below the threshold of 26.

If I ever get to like 9% at 230, I would be at a 27.29 FFMI, quite a ways into the "steroid range." There's nothing I enjoy more than breaking the system. My favorite part of this is that I don't have to do all the ridiculous stuff that Poliquin is doing with his private clients. I do not know what the limits are, and am not sure I care to find out, I mean all I'm doing is my gymnastics work.

That means that, according to all the research, I shouldn't be able to have the body composition I have at my height and weight without  anabolics. I call that success, and I haven't even been particularly specific about energy balance. I also haven't been able to train very much.

I am quite positive I can do a good bit better with a healthy body and more specific nutrition.

I believe, more strongly than ever now, that almost everyone undervalues the simplicity and effectiveness of applying basic thermodynamics and food absorption characteristics to nutrition.

Speaking of Dillon, strength, and HS presses, a proper HS press from L sit or tuck planche requires enormous serratus anterior strength. The proper pattern is actually quite similar to what I am doing for serratus rehab, and explains why all of Coach's gymnasts, regardless of age, have very impressive SA development. Just holding a proper handstand develops quite a bit of this.

I lost quite a bit of weight over the past two weeks due to insufficient food

I guess when you're riding near the top end of the natural FFMI range (according to the literature) it doesn't take much to really lose quickly.

I did manage to not lose any muscle yesterday, apparently, which is good.

I ended up having 20g of protein and 50g of carbs every 90 minutes while I was painting... the job took 10 hours of nonstop work. I hate cinder block walls

Skinfolds and weight are from one hour after waking, hydrating with ~20 oz water, and a little cooking. The water still, most likely, does not represent optimal hydration for me, as my urine was quite yellow. I probably need another 20 oz or so, which would put my true weight at 224.

Foundation is going well, working its steady magic.

Front squats have gotten stronger, using that band set-up is excellent!

Let's see... shoulders and elbow continue to improve, I can do PPP with pretty good lean again, and planche leans are getting better all the time.

Other than that, not much to report. I'm pretty close to completing F1, other than the Manna progressions. I am still developing the compression and flexibility for those, but that is coming along!

Weight is around 226. Body fat hasn't changed, skin folds are identical.

Shoulders are getting bigger from the F1 and H1 work.

I am finding that performing dislocates and the H1 overhead and behind the back extensions with the weighted bar is absolutely fantastic for my shoulders... hands are currently 38 inches apart. I have marked from 5 inches to 24 inches out from the center of my PVC pipe, and taped over with packing tape to protect the writing. I have taped two 4lb bags from my weighted vest to the PVC pipe, making it 9-10 lbs, just like the steel body bars at school.

I am doing these every day, multiple times per day. They just feel so good, I don' t know why I wouldn't do them all the time. I don't have any issues with soreness now, though I did the first two weeks.

For others who are inspired to do the same, I would ramp up over 3-4 weeks, because you're going to do a lot of unusual work with the shoulders at first.

I have graduated to H1 PE3 for work sets. I did a nice wall handstand with great alignment and wider than normal hands yesterday, just to see how the shoulder mobility is progressing. It is working! It's crazy how different the wall handstand feels now... I am excited for when I can finally do this with perfect alignment!

What a total victory over lifelong tight, problematic shoulders that will be!

As a side note, the Bulgarian split squats are quite good for weighted leg work. I'm doing them with 60 lbs now, 5 sets of 7 reps per leg. Bicep curls (for rehab) are up to 130 lbs now for 6 reps with an ez curl bar, and 55 lb dumbbells for 6 reps. The shoulders are a lot more unstable with dumbbells, and my right shoulder especially is limited, but these weighted bar drills are really helping!

F1: doing 20 push ups per set for 4 sets. Doing PPP for 5-10 reps, with various amounts of lean, for 1-2 sets.

Hinge rows are now 10-12 reps per set. I believe everything else is mastered.

V-ups are improving slowly, getting a much better feel for the bent leg and bent straddle positions. Back flexibility is the major issue here.

arch body rocks are 40-60 reps per set, depending. These are tough, mostly on the glutes actually. They get tired

Hollow body rocks are in the same boat, except its my abs getting tired They are doing better though!

Planche leans are doing well also, and so are reverse plank leans. My elbows have stopped hurting during the reverse PL leans! Finally!

Joshua Naterman said:

I am finding that performing dislocates and the H1 overhead and behind the back extensions with the weighted bar is absolutely fantastic for my shoulders... hands are currently 38 inches apart. I have marked from 5 inches to 24 inches out from the center of my PVC pipe, and taped over with packing tape to protect the writing. I have taped two 4lb bags from my weighted vest to the PVC pipe, making it 9-10 lbs, just like the steel body bars at school.

 

I am doing these every day, multiple times per day. They just feel so good, I don' t know why I wouldn't do them all the time. I don't have any issues with soreness now, though I did the first two weeks.

 

What a total victory over lifelong tight, problematic shoulders that will be!

 

I´ve been doing the same and feel the same way just fantastic!!  

My hands are now 32 inches apart. I have to warm up with 38-40 inches, but man... this is totally changing how my shoulders work. Definitely for the better.

I can't believe I can do this without any pain or clunking around

Everything else is going well too...

I have stopped using protein powder, partially due to the fact that chicken breast is more economical now and partially due to the fact that I'm cooking 4 lbs at a time, and I have a pretty set system for how to cook 2 days worth of food in ~45 minutes, so now it's all whole foods.

I'm 227 (getting bigger, apparently) and slightly leaner. Good nutrition is awesome. These iM exercises from H1 are really packing the muscle onto my traps. I don't know if this is happening to anyone else, but for me they are really making a big difference, and it spills over into the RC PE 1-6 especially, but definitely carries over into all areas. Very, very good stuff.

Being short on money and time, my food intake has suffered and I am around 222-223, but leaner for sure.

I hit 15,14,15,13 reps on my RC PE1 today. Very close to testing out of this.

My current warm up:

Hip stretches

Arm circles

2-3 sets of H1 iM 1 and 2

2 sets of each Xiaoping, alternating arms each set for 5-7 reps with 15 lbs

1-2 sets lateral raises + front raises, 2 reps each slow and controlled with a 2s hold at the top with 25 lb dumbbells (almost completely a product of the Xiaopings)

1-2 sets of Freemotion cable work

1-2 sets of rotator cuff work, both internal and external rotation

2 pull up negatives (VERY slow, with a long hold at the top focusing on scapular retraction)

1-2 sets weighted bar forearm pronation/supination/ulnar&radial deviation, 9 lbs @48 inch bar solid steel

Work sets: 4 sets of F1. I do 4 sets instead of 5 sets, simply because I do a bit of work in my warm ups AND I do some weighted work at the end of the workout, as you will see.

RC PE1

FL PE2 ( I find that I actually fail on the exact same reps as PE6, indicating that my actual rectus abdominus is endurance-challenged, and not hip flexors)

SL PE1

sPL PE5

MN PE1

SLS: PE1-6 for warm up, and weighted split squats (not a F1 exercise) for strength.

HBP: PE3

After work sets:

1-2 sets of Westside style bench press @185-195 lbs. Sticking with 185 for 10 reps for a long time... Form is good, but right scapula is hard to control perfectly for the last 3-4 reps. Gets better each week though. Westside style actually feels good, and I am working on using holds at the top to stretch out pec minor since I get neurological symptoms when I try to stretch it with the dislocates... too bad, because that was the best stretching I have ever, ever had for pec minor. Stupid cervical ribs... Bench definitely helps with HBP, but it's easy to do too much. I just do one warm up set with 135 lbs for form practice, and then 1-2 work sets with 185. Doesn't sound like much, but with all the F1 volume I'd be a fool to do any more than that.

I also like seated cable rows, because you can actually simulate the upper body movement of a full lay FL row without having to be loaded with your entire body weight. This has really helped with my scapular control, as well as strength in the later PE exercises of the RC progressions.

Making steady improvements. The key is not doing too much work, which is pretty easy to accomplish.

I have been unable to do much of the FL stuff for the last month or so due to a strained sartorius, and possibly other hip flexors. This is well on its way to being healed at this point... injury was due to a combination of slightly bad form on Bulgarian split squats... a little bit of external rotation here and there, I believe, on the rear supporting leg at the hip. but largely due to supersetting these with decline situps. That was just too much volume for my legs at one time, I think, and because i wasn't thinking about it as hip flexor work I didn't consider the volume implications.

Very minor, thankfully.

So, I've made a good bit of progress with incorporating the full fascial chains into stretches. This leads to some very interesting positions, but also to some very nice changes in how I feel, and how I can move. It is good stuff. I am holding the stretches for 60-120s, because it seems that less than that does not have as much of an effect on fascial contractility.

I have been taking the collagen for three days, so I don't think that's enough time for any meaningful changes to have occurred as a result of that. I am using 3 doses of 12-15g, spaced throughout the day.

For the first time since I injured  my back about 5-6 months ago, there was no clunking in my lumbar vertebrae when I did standing pelvic tilts a little while ago, right after a round of the stretches. I think this is a good sign.

I have not yet figured out how to do everything I need to do with these, but I am getting there. Some of these will probably be considered "high risk" by ACSM.

Working out on a timer is way harder than self-pacing.

I am finding that an empty ~1" thick wooden dowel of about 24" length is actually the best tool for actively stretching my shoulders.

The H1 iM is good strength work, but I am finding that the iM1 and iM3 work better for actual ROM improvement when starting with the empty wood dowel. This surprised me, but the feeling is very good and allows me to correct body position nicely.

Workouts are going well, but deck squats aggravate my right lateral meniscus. I am no longer doing these, since they are easy but damage my knee. Will be trying to get a doctor's appointment before my insurance deductible lapses...