Hyde’s Strength Odyssey

[Dustin07]

When I owned Back Mechanic by Dr. Stuart McGill, that was the gist for almost all back injuries that you aren’t going to get surgery for - and it was his professional estimation that a solid 90% of people who came to him for diagnosis were NOT good candidates for surgery. Odds are, you won’t get out of pain with a procedure, and you can certainly cause new issues and limitations, so it’s a last resort.

i know you and I have discussed this a few times over the years and I 100% agree

I'm glad it sounds like you're improving today even if slowly!

 

[SkRaw85]

Did not train this morning as planned.

So far today, my hips are still under me fairly normally. Last night the low level of pain remained since hips have moved into place, so sleep was rough in any possible position. BUT I haven’t taken any ibuprofen since yesterday morning and now after mobility, tissue work, icing & Cissus things do feel better than they have in days. Not good, but improving. I’m wondering if things have shifted back in place, which is why I’m experiencing more of that constant dull residual pain? Overall, that would still be moving in the right direction.

Cross your fingers



When I owned Back Mechanic by Dr. Stuart McGill, that was the gist for almost all back injuries that you aren’t going to get surgery for - and it was his professional estimation that a solid 90% of people who came to him for diagnosis were NOT good candidates for surgery. Odds are, you won’t get out of pain with a procedure, and you can certainly cause new issues and limitations, so it’s a last resort.

Furthermore, the spinal pathology MANY people exhibit who actually have no pain or reported injury ever can actually be atrocious - how your imaging looks does not inherently correlate to whether you must have pain, and decent looking imaging doesn’t mean you can’t experience very bad pain. Things heal, callus, etc. with time and bloodflow if they are given the chance and the work is done.



I added some SNS Cissus caps I still have at 4.8g daily (2x3 cap doses, a double daily dose) and that truly does seem to noticeably acutely improve things a while after dosing.

Shoutout to SkRaw for that juicy golden tidbit!

Glad you are finding some relief!
Sharp to dull was good in my case, although the dull may last a few weeks/months. I had a constant “awareness” of my sciatic nerve (numbing with certain movements that i learned to avoid) for about a month after the excruciating stinging/burning nerve pain subsided. I’ll take the dull all day versus the searing.
Like others have said, you know what to do
Cissus is a great one, i don’t take ibuprofen, 5-7 days of megadosing really smashes inflammation. I don’t use it daily, just when I’m beat up and use it as stated above.

 

[Hyde]

Glad you are finding some relief!
Sharp to dull was good in my case, although the dull may last a few weeks/months. I had a constant “awareness” of my sciatic nerve (numbing with certain movements that i learned to avoid) for about a month after the excruciating stinging/burning nerve pain subsided. I’ll take the dull all day versus the searing.
Like others have said, you know what to do
Cissus is a great one, i don’t take ibuprofen, 5-7 days of megadosing really smashes inflammation. I don’t use it daily, just when I’m beat up and use it as stated above.

Yeah I use Ibuprofen about twice a year, basically after a contest sometimes or if I suffer some acute inflaming injury. One dose of 800mg knocks things down a lot, can save 2 days of natural clearing time.

 

[akboom87]

Yeah I use Ibuprofen about twice a year, basically after a contest sometimes or if I suffer some acute inflaming injury. One dose of 800mg knocks things down a lot, can save 2 days of natural clearing time.

Probably nothing new and I don’t know if it would work for this type of injury? I have recently got a tens unit and I have been messing with that, it’s actually what solved my nerve issue I was having on my left shoulder neck region. Like 20 something bucks on Amazon

 

[Hyde]

Probably nothing new and I don’t know if it would work for this type of injury? I have recently got a tens unit and I have been messing with that, it’s actually what solved my nerve issue I was having on my left shoulder neck region. Like 20 something bucks on Amazon View attachment 242026

It could be useful to help loosen up stiff muscles a little, but I hate how a TENS unit feels twitching

Yesterday was first day with zero ibuprofen successfully. I had a fair amount of pain and lots of icing, but I was able to take my son to the park (with a bit of pain). Last night sleep was much better and pain didn’t really ruin it. This morning during my initial mobility/bracing work I noticed I can lay flat on the floor now without pain (previously the arch created by my upper back and glutes was painful unless I kept my knees up to flatten low back).

I have had next to zero pain today, even with no icing or ibuprofen. I still have a lot of tightness still in my right low back/psoas/glute (the side the facet joints popped towards) and have to compensate more with extra knee travel vs bending stiff-legged, but this is really big progress.

I just drove to get sushi with NO PAIN in the car, just a teeny bit walking through the parking lot. Celebratory meal:

Down to 245.4 this morning. Been intermittent fasting daily, only eating 2-3 meals in a 6-9 hour window. Hard to justify eating much when you aren’t training, it’s inconvenient, and you have fat to lose lol.

Test & Mast got up to 200/200 last week. Hoping for 240/200 this week (pinning 40 test daily, to gyno tolerance).

 

[Dustin07]

F'in A that's my kinda meal right there. thats how I want to die.

 

[SkRaw85]

No pain gains! Awesome news brother. Am I misreading, 40mg daily would be 280 no?

 

[MrKleen73]

It could be useful to help loosen up stiff muscles a little, but I hate how a TENS unit feels twitching

Yesterday was first day with zero ibuprofen successfully. I had a fair amount of pain and lots of icing, but I was able to take my son to the park (with a bit of pain). Last night sleep was much better and pain didn’t really ruin it. This morning during my initial mobility/bracing work I noticed I can lay flat on the floor now without pain (previously the arch created by my upper back and glutes was painful unless I kept my knees up to flatten low back).

I have had next to zero pain today, even with no icing or ibuprofen. I still have a lot of tightness still in my right low back/psoas/glute (the side the facet joints popped towards) and have to compensate more with extra knee travel vs bending stiff-legged, but this is really big progress.

I just drove to get sushi with NO PAIN in the car, just a teeny bit walking through the parking lot. Celebratory meal:

View attachment 242041

Down to 245.4 this morning. Been intermittent fasting daily, only eating 2-3 meals in a 6-9 hour window. Hard to justify eating much when you aren’t training, it’s inconvenient, and you have fat to lose lol.

Test & Mast got up to 200/200 last week. Hoping for 240/200 this week (pinning 40 test daily, to gyno tolerance).

OMG! I want that plate of sushi! About how much did all of that cost, what a beautiful plate of food!

Sounds like both of us are still fighting the lower back monster, I had that can't move or do anything experience about a month back, missed a few days work behind it and have been doing my best to keep training since I have the competition coming up. If he puts the show off until December I will likely ask him about really giving the lower back some healing time and only doing things like extensions, leg curls, adductor / abductor machines for maybe a month to see if we can't get this thing to heal with some legit rest. However if we do the August show, I just need to do as much as I can get away with and still recover enough to train the next time and hope I don't exacerbate the injury in the process.

 

[Hyde]

No pain gains! Awesome news brother. Am I misreading, 40mg daily would be 280 no?

Your math is good! It’s just that I only pinned test 5 days last week, to estrogen tolerance. I get any hint at the chest, I don’t push it if not adding an AI, so I had to skip 2 days to keep the titty peace.

My hope this week is to get to 6 days of 40, since mast levels will still be building up so tolerance is still climbing.

OMG! I want that plate of sushi! About how much did all of that cost, what a beautiful plate of food!

Sounds like both of us are still fighting the lower back monster, I had that can't move or do anything experience about a month back, missed a few days work behind it and have been doing my best to keep training since I have the competition coming up. If he puts the show off until December I will likely ask him about really giving the lower back some healing time and only doing things like extensions, leg curls, adductor / abductor machines for maybe a month to see if we can't get this thing to heal with some legit rest. However if we do the August show, I just need to do as much as I can get away with and still recover enough to train the next time and hope I don't exacerbate the injury in the process.

$24 with tax & 20% tip at lunch time; they make it all fresh to order, all you can eat. You can order 10 times that - if you can eat it! But they reserve the right to bill you if you can’t finish.

I have never NOT finished lol. It’s my favorite restaurant here.

Sounds like you need to come up here and work with my ART guy & let me buy you some sushi!

 

[Hyde]

ART guy determined that I strained my dorsal sacral ligament last Friday with the Beltsquat to box. The muscles must not have been ready from the facet joint re-injury, so the ligaments took the load.

Which made things feel worse over the weekend, then the light Sunday evening session got everything agitated from the internal pressurization, and with no significant bloodflow in hours following as I went to sleep, that’s what caused the spasms when I finally got up Monday.

Anyway, when I showed him how I realized I couldn’t do a single leg RDL on my right leg he figured it out in 2 minutes. Loosened that up and I could move normally again

I picked his brain a ton and have a training plan for the next week that should be safe. He wants me walking, doing toes-up glute bridges and icing daily for now.

 

[SkRaw85]

ART guy determined that I strained my dorsal sacral ligament last Friday with the Beltsquat to box. The muscles must not have been ready from the facet joint re-injury, so the ligaments took the load.

Which made things feel worse over the weekend, then the light Sunday evening session got everything agitated from the internal pressurization, and with no significant bloodflow in hours following as I went to sleep, that’s what caused the spasms when I finally got up Monday.

Anyway, when I showed him how I realized I couldn’t do a single leg RDL on my right leg he figured it out in 2 minutes. Loosened that up and I could move normally again

I picked his brain a ton and have a training plan for the next week that should be safe. He wants me walking, doing toes-up glute bridges and icing daily for now.

That’s crazy we both reinjured on beltsquat. Ya live ya learn I suppose. At least you are making headway in diagnosis and treatment.

 

[Hyde]

That’s crazy we both reinjured on beltsquat. Ya live ya learn I suppose. At least you are making headway in diagnosis and treatment.

Too much too soon!

 

[gphagan1]

ART guy determined that I strained my dorsal sacral ligament last Friday with the Beltsquat to box. The muscles must not have been ready from the facet joint re-injury, so the ligaments took the load.

Which made things feel worse over the weekend, then the light Sunday evening session got everything agitated from the internal pressurization, and with no significant bloodflow in hours following as I went to sleep, that’s what caused the spasms when I finally got up Monday.

Anyway, when I showed him how I realized I couldn’t do a single leg RDL on my right leg he figured it out in 2 minutes. Loosened that up and I could move normally again

I picked his brain a ton and have a training plan for the next week that should be safe. He wants me walking, doing toes-up glute bridges and icing daily for now.

Man that dude knows his stuff. That’s great he figured out what it is and what caused it that quick. His knowledge and skills are extremely valuable for any lifter, but especially a powerlifter.

 

[Dustin07]

$24 with tax & 20% tip at lunch time; they make it all fresh to order, all you can eat. You can order 10 times that - if you can eat it! But they reserve the right to bill you if you can’t finish.

such bullshit
you don't even live near salt water, I'm right here on it and that's $100 in sushi in my region lol

unless you catch an all you can eat happy hour... but even though are running 50% to double that price.

 

[Hyde]

Man that dude knows his stuff. That’s great he figured out what it is and what caused it that quick. His knowledge and skills are extremely valuable for any lifter, but especially a powerlifter.

He even was showing me in his anatomy books, this is what it is, how it runs, here on the chart you can see this will fire first, then this, then that, and so on. But if this, then that, these are the three ligaments it could be based on symptoms, but based on how you told me you were moving when you injured it and what you just responded to manipulation-wise it means it has to be this one.

Lol he really is a wizard.

such bullshit
you don't even live near salt water, I'm right here on it and that's $100 in sushi in my region lol

unless you catch an all you can eat happy hour... but even though are running 50% to double that price.

Dude it’s insane, and it’s very good quality. But the market simply won’t bear true market prices in a college town in central IL, so they sell at what they can how they can. Dinnertime is maybe $8-10 more tops.

When COVID had all the dine-in closed, I was looking at their menu online to see what it would cost me having to pay the ala carte prices for what I get: it was over $120 before tax

 

[Hyde]

5/10/24
BW 245.0 yesterday

Psoas/hip stretch
Curl ups
Bird Dogs
Glute bridges

Band Pullaparts, Flyes, Presses
Serratus Activations

Floorpress, power bar
45x10
135,185,225x5
255x2
275x1
295 4x2, 1x3
220 2x12

JM Press, SSB
105,115,125,135x12

Laying DB Tri Extensions
10x50

Haven’t been eating much so I’ve been leaning out, but only one meal yesterday (1lb of 93/7 made into a couple huge double cheeseburgers and a bit of watermelon & pretzels) meant I was weak as hell today. I am due for a deload/wave-back on bench anyway, so no worries.

As training & food intake pick back up, things will get stronger again!

 

[Segansational]

OK, so to me it sounds like we all need to arrange a road trip to @Hyde's place, we all get in a lifting session together, have his ART guy do some work on all of us, then pound some all you can eat sushi. Who's with me?

 

[gphagan1]

OK, so to me it sounds like we all need to arrange a road trip to @Hyde's place, we all get in a lifting session together, have his ART guy do some work on all of us, then pound some all you can eat sushi. Who's with me?

Sounds like a plan.

 

[SkRaw85]

OK, so to me it sounds like we all need to arrange a road trip to @Hyde's place, we all get in a lifting session together, have his ART guy do some work on all of us, then pound some all you can eat sushi. Who's with me?

In!

 

[MrKleen73]

OK, so to me it sounds like we all need to arrange a road trip to @Hyde's place, we all get in a lifting session together, have his ART guy do some work on all of us, then pound some all you can eat sushi. Who's with me?

Nice! Can you imagine the look on their faces when several of us meaty fuggers walk in for the all you can eat! I can see the fear now...

 

[akboom87]

OK, so to me it sounds like we all need to arrange a road trip to @Hyde's place, we all get in a lifting session together, have his ART guy do some work on all of us, then pound some all you can eat sushi. Who's with me?

Now that’s a plan!!

 

[Hyde]

Nice! Can you imagine the look on their faces when several of us meaty fuggers walk in for the all you can eat! I can see the fear now...

“We gonna need more fish!”

 

[sammpedd88]

 

[Hyde]

This was great!

 

[Hyde]

5/11/24
BW 244.0

I weighed myself around 1pm yesterday after having 3/4 gallon of fluid, electrolytes, shakes & such since I had trained in the morning - I was only 243.0 mid day! No wonder performance was down so far; I had dropped a lot more weight a lot faster than I realized or expected not keeping my food up. Can’t drop 3-4lbs in a week and expect to maintain full output.

Successfully got in 280 test this week, along with my 200 mast. I can tell I am getting drier from rising mast levels, so if I need more estrogen this week I’ll add some DHEA/Preg as needed.

Last 4 weeks:
180 test
200 test / 100 mast
200 test / 200 mast
280 test / 200 mast

16 weeks out

 

[Resolve10]

Still running the clear capsules?

 

[Hyde]

Still running the clear capsules?

Yes! Day 44 of the clear capsules. I always take 2, but usually 3 doses per day. I always take them fasted or between meals and NEVER any heartburn or issues. I don’t really get the burps generally now is the weird part.

My wife has also been taking 2 per day the last couple weeks. She’s in the same boat as me - taking some anabolics, keeping the food under control, down another couple lbs very recently. She is 4 weeks out from USS Nationals today, so her goals are to recomp as well - she was 155.8 last 2 mornings and needs to weigh 148 at the weighin.

She has felt same as me - zero sides or “feel” from this product, however we take it. Nothing bad to say, and my bloodwork was all in range on it (actually everything had improved, to be truthful), so probably something that will be useable safely for very long periods in all kinds of stacks.

And we both take a dose before bed and zero sleep disturbance or stimulation from it.

 

[Hyde]

5/12/24

Psoas/hip stretch
Bird Dogs

Kneeling Band CG Pulldowns
Heavy 2x12

KB Suitcase Carries
53x2 trips/side

Swissbar Chin-ups
NG x2,2,6,10
V-grip x12,14,8

GHR
BW 2x12

Hip Thrusters on Swissbar
BW 2x20
vs Monstermini 2x20

BW Squats

RFE Split Squats
3x12

First garage session of the season; felt good to have the spring breeze & sunshine rolling in while my son played with some tunes cranking. Legs felt weak, and I am out of shape. Whatever happens at the meet in 4 months, I will remember when some unloaded split squats felt challenging!

Saw a cool vid from EliteFTS talking about using a Swiss/American bar low in a rack with a pad on it as a hip thruster machine - this was gold, especially with the band, for a glute pump.

 

[Dustin07]

OK, so to me it sounds like we all need to arrange a road trip to @Hyde's place, we all get in a lifting session together, have his ART guy do some work on all of us, then pound some all you can eat sushi. Who's with me?

So this is how the huge winter Florida softball series started.... A bunch of dudes in the nasty northern states decided to get together to play somewhere sunny and it exploded. I'd be so down for this. AM annual bro sesh

 

[Hyde]

5/14/24

Modified Couch & Pigeon stretches
Hamstring stretch
Band Pullaparts, Flyes, Presses

Feet up Bench
45,45,95,135x8
185,225x5
245,255,265,275x6

DB Rolling Tri Ext
30,40,50,50x12

Band Pullaparts
Monstermini x35,20,20,20,20

Lying DB External Rotators

Felt a lot stronger today than Floorpress last Friday, and I feel like things are moving in the right direction overall. Trying to stay conservative and focusing on what I believe I can progress. Chin-ups and some lower body stuff tomorrow night.

 

[Hyde]

Also, my abs and lats were sore as can be from those chin-ups on Mother’s Day. Woof!

 

[slimsaw00]

We’ve got a Chinese buffet reasonably close to our house and it’s one of my wife’s favorite spots. I married up!

 

[Hyde]

We’ve got a Chinese buffet reasonably close to our house and it’s one of my wife’s favorite spots. I married up!

Dude, my wife is picky and hates Asian food - I have to go to the Chinese buffet and sushi places alone. But, that’s never stopped me yet

 

[Anabolic66]

The very good Chinese buffets that I knew around here stopped during RONA and never started that service back up.
Sucks..

 

[SkRaw85]

5/12/24

Psoas/hip stretch
Bird Dogs

Kneeling Band CG Pulldowns
Heavy 2x12

KB Suitcase Carries
53x2 trips/side

Swissbar Chin-ups
NG x2,2,6,10
V-grip x12,14,8

GHR
BW 2x12

Hip Thrusters on Swissbar
BW 2x20
vs Monstermini 2x20

BW Squats

RFE Split Squats
3x12

First garage session of the season; felt good to have the spring breeze & sunshine rolling in while my son played with some tunes cranking. Legs felt weak, and I am out of shape. Whatever happens at the meet in 4 months, I will remember when some unloaded split squats felt challenging!

Saw a cool vid from EliteFTS talking about using a Swiss/American bar low in a rack with a pad on it as a hip thruster machine - this was gold, especially with the band, for a glute pump.

View attachment 242133

Slick setup!

 

[Hyde]

Slick setup!

Simple yet effective

 

[Segansational]

Dude, my wife is picky and hates Asian food - I have to go to the Chinese buffet and sushi places alone. But, that’s never stopped me yet

Same in my household when it comes to sushi. But thankfully my daughter LOVES sushi. She can eat 2 rolls by herself at only 7! So that's our go to whenever we get daddy-daughter days.