Day 33 Review - is it working?
Day 33
I'm in a bad way today.
Whatever I did to my neck got worse overnight... didn't really sleep as every movement, including deep breathing was super painful.
This morning I couldn't move my neck at all and even glancing down or over to my many monitors made me grunt in a very manly way.
I've heatpacked and hot bathed and jacuzzi'd the absolute bageezes out of it, and it's definitely loosened up and isn't painful at all... now there's only a couple of weird angles that cause me to pause and really consider if I truly need to look over there.
On top of that the tendonitis in my triceps and forearms in both arms has flared up like crazy... it's been nuts all day, which is really unusual. It's been great the last month and before that would only hurt after doing something, and then calm down with rest. It hasn't been this bad for over a year.
Which begs the question...
Is my training working?
- In November, my goal was to get back to consistent training that I had lost after the move and the onset of winter.
- In December, my goal was to get on top of my tendonitis issues, which I did but became worried I wasn't getting strong enough or developing technique.
- In January, so far I've concentrated on skills development and strength.
The problem is, I think, that I swung the pendulum too far, and my body still needs to be looked after. Jerk.
I have 4 weeks until my first comp... 5 weeks until my first real big exciting comp.
My body falling apart today is good... it's reminded me that I need to balance tendonitis conditioning with strength building and skills development and capacity and endurance. I know that's a lot of 'and''s but it's a complex sport.
It's fallen apart early enough for me to adjust and do something about it.
I realise now it was actually very likely me neck would have seized up during or after the comp in 4 weeks... totally stuffing me up for the comp in 5 weeks and our hiking trip to the Grand Canyon.
Last week I tackled obstacles on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday..... it's probably been 5 months since I went that hard... over-enthusiasm has always been my biggest downfall.
So... I'm adjusting my training week thusly:
| Monday | Endurance and hill sprints |
|---|---|
| Tuesday | Tendonitis conditioning |
| Wednesday | Obstacles and skills development |
| Thursday | Tendonitis conditioning |
| Friday | HIIT |
| Saturday | Tendonitis conditioning with weight vest |
| Sunday | Grip strength and forearm exercises |
This will be my base. Over the next two months I'll do a weekly recap to see how the body is coping. If I'm struggling I decrease the load, and if I'm breezing I'll add small amounts here and there.
My mistakes this week were going too hard on Thursday after a mega session on Wednesday... trying to do big moves when I was tired on Friday and not doing the proper conditioning and warming up. I felt completely fine going into Sunday night... but I hadn't done the proper conditioning in lead up and so my body has crumbled.
The mini comp on Wednesday taught me that I'm nowhere near being fit enough, and so while Tendonitis Conditioning is my highest priority, Endurance is definitely a close second. Monday, Wednesday and Friday will be all about increasing the tank. The mini comp on Wednesday was probably only a quarter of what I can expect in 4 weeks.
I'd rather be spending more time on skills development... but at this point I'll have to trust that if I'm conditioned enough and fit enough, I'll be fine. If I fall because I just don't know how to tackle something, then I'll work on that in the second half of Feb.
Normally I'd consider tapering down for a comp (taking it easy the whole week before) but I'm not going to worry about that this time... all 3 events coming up are really just gauges for me. The serious comps will be later in the year.
My neck requires some work on my scapula mobility.. which is a problem rock climbers have. To work on this I need to hang from a bar... and pull my body up an inch only using my shoulders... and then do the same from a tricep dip bar. I used to do these as a warmup... and totally forgot about them when I moved. So, clearly relying on visual cues isn't the way to go, so I've whipped up a schedule. It's full on, but I'll see how I go.
I've added some P90X3 stuff in there too... which I haven't done for a while, so I'll hit that only when I'm feeling rad.
Anyway, thanks for reading all these words.
I have a bad neck from a car accident 2 years ago! So I sympathise. Take it steady. I am sure you know much better than I do about how to stretch etc, but I find crossing my arms over my chest and turning my neck to look over my shoulder helps to really stretch out those tight muscles :D Good luck for your next comp!
It's so weird how it absolutely affects everything!
Even a deep breath is really painful at the moment... so I'm sad that you've still got a bad neck 2 years later... that's upsetting. I'm finding it's really, really bad first thing in the morning and then loosens up during the day. My mobility is fine, it just really hurts at certain angles/positions. That stretch you gave me is dynamite! So good!
Yea, It's one my physio gave me, it works wonders in the morning :)
It's working wonders for me right now!
Within two days I've gone from barely able to move to being able to do pull ups. The body is a crazy weird thing.
Not sure I'm qualified enough to make suggestions on your training routine. And whether you should tone the tempo down a little or no. But it's great to read how you understand your body so well. It is like the body is talking to you.. so am pretty sure you'll take the right decision.. all the best champ.
Thanks dude! Sorry I haven't been around to your page lately... but it's all been in order to help us all out more in the future (if you find my latest blog).
Yeah, this is why I struggle with the medical profession and physios so much. I know they know a trillion times more about biology than I do.. but I always feel like I know my body so well... and I often have to wonder with a physio, how much healing is in their advice, and how much would the body heal itself over that same time period.
This injury has made for a frustrating couple of days... but I'm going to try some light stuff out today and see how I go. The rest of my body is keen to get moving.
Thanks!!
Dude, that sounds so painful. Hope you recover soon. Awesome post by the way!
Thanks man!
Yeah, it's been 3 days and it's still super painful... sleeping has been not fun.
Stupid injuries like this, where I didn't even fall or anything really do make you appreciate all the months I've had uninjured. It's a good lesson though, gotta keep up with all the conditioning!
Tough break dude, take it steady! Ninja training really does twist and turn the body more than anything I can think of, I find whenever I do a comp I'm super stiff the next day! Like you said, at least you've kind of realised it now rather than in 4 weeks time!
Yeah, not only the twists and turns, but the weird impacts as well... if you think about it, all other sports have particular movements that you can train at... but with Ninja training, literally nothing is staple.
Little worried to go from a big comp to Grand Canyon hiking in a few weeks... but, hey, it's all about the story...
Yeah, it's just so unpredictable, and lots more strains than even something like parkour! Haha absolutely dude, image the tales you'll have to tell when you're old and grey!
Just relax. All the best for competition. keep sharing
Thanks @kamchore! No time to relax, there's a whole world to conquer!
That should be the spirit, @aussieninja but you should take care of yourself. have a nice time and best of luck for the competition
Thats some real serious training, I hope the adjustments help with your neck so you can get back on schedule
Thanks Jay... the neck is feeling better, but only slightly... and I'm not sure if I should be worried or not. I'm going to start to get back into it today, but concentrate mainly on my endurance and movements that don't cause any pain.
Hoping that’s the thing your neck needs and it settles down and improves
I totally agree with @polebird! You need to let things rest and/or get it checked out if the problem persists! Yikes, I'm sorry this is happening to you!
If you are still good for Phoenix I was talking to my husband about us coming out and watching the competition. Is that like, allowed? I just thought, geez you're going to be like just a few minutes away, how crazy would it be to meet this person I talk to all the time?!?
Anyway, I hope you start to heal up and feel better! You are making amazing progress, so don't be too hard on yourself!
Thanks Beth. My farm/no car situation makes getting things checked out a little trickier, so I might need to wait for the weekend... by which time I'm hoping it's healed enough to be ignored. It's been 3 days without much improvement though, which is concerning.
I should still be good for Phoenix, I hope so.
Ah... so yes, you can totally come and watch BUT they're treating it like a festival and you'll need a spectator ticket to get in... which are $30 each. I'm not sure why they're being so crazy about that, most other comps let anyone wander around and only people competing pay entry. It's pretty frustrating. I think they're just trying to get money for the parents that have to accompany their children on the kids course.
Details are here at American Ninja Warrior Experience Phoenix if you want to have a look.
Thank you! It really is hard when you're looking forward so hard, to appreciate any progress you do make. I've got to stop concentrating on the things I can't do yet.
Intense training schedule you got there, wow. Lifting weights is one thing but this is a whole another level of training and strength.
Hope the injury doesn't worsen. You got this! Goodluck!
Thanks Reez! The neck hasn't worsened at all... it's definitely better than it was... but it's still taking way longer to heal than I would have thought. Not sure what that means, but I really want to get into something today... all this downtime is driving the rest of my body a bit crazy.
Thanks for coming across to say hello, I really love having fitness friends on this platform!
Oh nooooo! Take it easy for a bit!! You have to give it a little time to let it heal , I totally put myself out for a couple weeks by ignore a little injury!!
Nooooooooooooooooooooooooo..... I don't want to......
But I know exactly what you're saying. This neck thing I actually caused a couple of months ago, and I took it easy and it would niggle every now and then but generally be fine. This weird injury on Sunday though kind of came out of the blue... I did the obstacle fine, I didn't crash or anything but it's definitely dislodged something. Weirdo neck.
@aussieninja Should I start making my poster soon ? lol I I love p90x...
Hi Nora!
Ahhhhhh.... uh oh. I know you're referring to something we've talked about already... but I don't actually know what you mean... what poster? Whatever it is, I'm definitely excited... who doesn't love posters?