Picked up a copy of a VERY interesting e-book the other day: Underground Secrets of Faster Running by Barry Ross. I tend to be a bit of a critic -- some would say skeptic -- so reading this ebook was like reading a like-minded friend.
Barry blows away some of the "tried-and-true" principles of running training (e.g. that training for a faster "paw down" has any effect on speed) and, instead, suggests some very simple ideas:
1) The stronger you are and the lighter you are the better. You want to be able to generate the most force into the ground as possible and the two factors that affect force are your strength and your weight. The key is to get the first one up without increasing body mass.
2) The faster you get your feet off the ground, the better. This is also an effect of being able to generate more force.
3) Your muscles have enough stored energy for sprints up to 400m (and for some athletes, 800m). So the key is to train them to be able to access that energy.
Then he presents a compelling and exciting weight lifting and plyometrics plan for training. I won't give you all the details (I'd have to rewrite the book to do that, so just get the book to find out more), but here's the gist:
Low reps
HIGH weight (near your 1 rep max)
High volume (total amount lifted in a workout)
Today, my sprinting friend Cathy Nicoletti and I did a version of Barry's recommended workout (it wasn't exactly what he recommended because we were trying to find our 1 rep max amounts).
All I can say is, this is my favorite workout EVER!
Instead of leaving the weight room exhausted but pumped up, knowing I'll be unable to move, and really sore in 24-48, I walked out EXCITED, energized, and wanting to get back into the gym to do more! My body kinda tingled, like all the nerves were firing (similar to what you feel if you jump from a sauna to a cold plunge and back).
In fact, the point of the workout is to get better neuromuscular communication, so I'd say those nerves and muscles were having quite a chat!
The wanting-to-look-good part of me actually hates this workout, since it's not about building BIGGER muscles.
But the wanting-to-be-really-fit-and-fast part of me can't wait to see my 1 rep max go up and up. I'm hoping for a 2x bodyweight lift within 2-3 months.
I'll keep you posted...(and get a pic online with me heaving an Olympic bar with big stacks of plates (lifting these bars feels pretty macho, but DROPPING them -- on purpose -- is even more fun!)
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Friday, February 29, 2008
Who do you believe?
Okay, it's been about 12 days since the spondylolisthesis diagnosis and, after TONS of research, I'm perhaps even more confused than when I started.
There's an old joke: Two Jews, three opinions. Well, when it comes to Doctors, it's more like FIVE.
Here are the often conflicting theories and recommendations:
1) From the orthopedic surgeon: Let's give you a cortisone shot in the L5-S1 disk to reduce inflammation, get you some physical therapy, and, HOPEFULLY, you'll be able to run again, but maybe not. And if nothing makes the pain go away, we'll have to fuse your spine.
2) From a couple friends: Someone I know had their spine fused at that joint and now they feel GREAT.
3) The physical therapist: If we do these little exercises, working muscles you can barely feel, maybe L5 will shift back a bit and you'll be more stable and then be okay... maybe. Either way, do NOT do things that arch your back!
4) From the chiropractor: Looks like something with your SI joint (granted, he hasn't seen the x-rays)
5) From my friend the M.D. who does prolotherapy: The ligaments that hold the femur to the pelvis are loose, which is why all the other muscles are tightening up to compensate, and giving the IMPRESSION of nerve-related symptoms. A few treatments and you should be okay. Don't worry about the spondylolisthesis; if that had been the problem, you would have had back pain for the last 25 years.
(On the one hand, the fact that he was able to reproduce the symptoms by irritating the ligaments and NOT the nerve was reassuring. On the other hand, why didn't the symptoms go away when I stopped running for 3 weeks?)
6) From the Egoscue people (I've been a big fan of Egoscue in the past): Oh, you need to get some mobility in that L5 area, so let's do some exercises that involve arching in your low back.
7) From my Feldenkrais guy (love how Feldenkrais makes me feel): We don't really treat specific symptoms, but these exercises will get your body functioning in a more coherent way.
Well, all I know at the moment is that I still have most of my previous symptoms -- pain in my right glute, tighter-than-usual hamstrings, sometimes pain just medial to my hip flexor -- and I now have lower back pain that I didn't have when all this started.
OH! And a friend who has similar symptoms, and a similar history, just got a DIFFERENT treatment recommendation, including lumbar traction. Not surprisingly, half of the medical people I've spoken with recommend something like inversion therapy, and the other half think it's a horrible idea.
Can you say "frustrated"? I thought you could.
There's an old joke: Two Jews, three opinions. Well, when it comes to Doctors, it's more like FIVE.
Here are the often conflicting theories and recommendations:
1) From the orthopedic surgeon: Let's give you a cortisone shot in the L5-S1 disk to reduce inflammation, get you some physical therapy, and, HOPEFULLY, you'll be able to run again, but maybe not. And if nothing makes the pain go away, we'll have to fuse your spine.
2) From a couple friends: Someone I know had their spine fused at that joint and now they feel GREAT.
3) The physical therapist: If we do these little exercises, working muscles you can barely feel, maybe L5 will shift back a bit and you'll be more stable and then be okay... maybe. Either way, do NOT do things that arch your back!
4) From the chiropractor: Looks like something with your SI joint (granted, he hasn't seen the x-rays)
5) From my friend the M.D. who does prolotherapy: The ligaments that hold the femur to the pelvis are loose, which is why all the other muscles are tightening up to compensate, and giving the IMPRESSION of nerve-related symptoms. A few treatments and you should be okay. Don't worry about the spondylolisthesis; if that had been the problem, you would have had back pain for the last 25 years.
(On the one hand, the fact that he was able to reproduce the symptoms by irritating the ligaments and NOT the nerve was reassuring. On the other hand, why didn't the symptoms go away when I stopped running for 3 weeks?)
6) From the Egoscue people (I've been a big fan of Egoscue in the past): Oh, you need to get some mobility in that L5 area, so let's do some exercises that involve arching in your low back.
7) From my Feldenkrais guy (love how Feldenkrais makes me feel): We don't really treat specific symptoms, but these exercises will get your body functioning in a more coherent way.
Well, all I know at the moment is that I still have most of my previous symptoms -- pain in my right glute, tighter-than-usual hamstrings, sometimes pain just medial to my hip flexor -- and I now have lower back pain that I didn't have when all this started.
OH! And a friend who has similar symptoms, and a similar history, just got a DIFFERENT treatment recommendation, including lumbar traction. Not surprisingly, half of the medical people I've spoken with recommend something like inversion therapy, and the other half think it's a horrible idea.
Can you say "frustrated"? I thought you could.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Indoor Track Season is out... Prolotherapy to the rescue?
I used to be a gymnast. About 13 years ago (at 33), I was tumbling and during one pass I landed and twisted at the same time. I heard a LOUD snapping sound (you could hear it on the other side of the gym!) come from my right knee and, as I was falling to the ground, thought, "Well, that's the end of my gymnastics career."
I had torn the meniscus pretty badly. Eventually, I had surgery where they cut away the damaged part, removing about 25% of the cartilage, and then went into physical therapy.
Therapy did nothing for me. My knee was in pain, I had trouble walking, and my my VMO (the quad muscle on the inside, near your knee) just wasn't working. I spent 18 months getting PT, and I wasn't getting better.
I finally decided to do something that had terrified me, namely, get a prolotherapy treatment.
What scared me about prolo was, well, the big needles they stuck deep into your body to inject the ligaments with a mild irritant. It's freaky to watch.
But I was in pain and this seemed like it might help. After all, nothing else had, so, why not. Besides, a friend of mine was Tom Ravin, one of the best prolo guys in the country.
To make a long story VERY short, a week after my first prolo treatment, I was 90% better!
One more treatment got me to 99%.
I tell this story because, late at night last week I thought, "I wonder if prolo is good for spondylolisthesis?" And, in fact, many people say it is!
So, I called Tom and scheduled an appointment... with a bit of trepidation. This time, though, I wasn't scared about the pain. I knew that after the treatment I could pop a pain-killer and feel more-than fine. But prolo is not cheap and I've now spent a LOT of money on this injury.
I go to see Tom and after his examination he announces, "Your back is not the problem. If spondy was the issue, you would have been having back pain for years. LOTS of people have disc compression like yours without an issue. The REAL problem is that the ligaments that hold your femur to your pelvis are loose and everything else is tightening to try to compensate. I see this all the time and it's really responsive to treatment."
And so, with that contrary diagnosis, Tom stuck a big needle into my hip -- front, back, and side -- and injected the ligaments around my femur.
It felt like I'd been beaten up by a midget in a bar fight. But it also felt right on... every spot Tom hit, was EXACTLY where I'd been experiencing pain. I took that as good sign.
I'm going to get another treatment in 2 weeks... it'll take about 2 months for the effects to really show. So, that knocks me out of the indoor season, but should have me ready to roll for outdoor.
a) Cross your fingers
b) I'll keep you posted!
I had torn the meniscus pretty badly. Eventually, I had surgery where they cut away the damaged part, removing about 25% of the cartilage, and then went into physical therapy.
Therapy did nothing for me. My knee was in pain, I had trouble walking, and my my VMO (the quad muscle on the inside, near your knee) just wasn't working. I spent 18 months getting PT, and I wasn't getting better.
I finally decided to do something that had terrified me, namely, get a prolotherapy treatment.
What scared me about prolo was, well, the big needles they stuck deep into your body to inject the ligaments with a mild irritant. It's freaky to watch.
But I was in pain and this seemed like it might help. After all, nothing else had, so, why not. Besides, a friend of mine was Tom Ravin, one of the best prolo guys in the country.
To make a long story VERY short, a week after my first prolo treatment, I was 90% better!
One more treatment got me to 99%.
I tell this story because, late at night last week I thought, "I wonder if prolo is good for spondylolisthesis?" And, in fact, many people say it is!
So, I called Tom and scheduled an appointment... with a bit of trepidation. This time, though, I wasn't scared about the pain. I knew that after the treatment I could pop a pain-killer and feel more-than fine. But prolo is not cheap and I've now spent a LOT of money on this injury.
I go to see Tom and after his examination he announces, "Your back is not the problem. If spondy was the issue, you would have been having back pain for years. LOTS of people have disc compression like yours without an issue. The REAL problem is that the ligaments that hold your femur to your pelvis are loose and everything else is tightening to try to compensate. I see this all the time and it's really responsive to treatment."
And so, with that contrary diagnosis, Tom stuck a big needle into my hip -- front, back, and side -- and injected the ligaments around my femur.
It felt like I'd been beaten up by a midget in a bar fight. But it also felt right on... every spot Tom hit, was EXACTLY where I'd been experiencing pain. I took that as good sign.
I'm going to get another treatment in 2 weeks... it'll take about 2 months for the effects to really show. So, that knocks me out of the indoor season, but should have me ready to roll for outdoor.
a) Cross your fingers
b) I'll keep you posted!
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