Optimass

[Optimass]

Injury report:

trained chest - was a volume train. Sadly it appears my forearms are fully blown. They haven't felt right since I pilot my shirt a week ago. Noticed a real nervy pain after the 220 rolled back having not found touch.

Over the weekend I had experienced some discofort but nothing like tonight.

Chest:

d/b flat bench 5 sets and got 8 out @ 45kg no worries

Incline 4 sets and again got 10 reps out @ 45kg no worries.

But basically had to call it there - my arms from just above my elbows to my fingers pretty much blown out. was struggling to hold my gym bag on the walk to the car. Pain is like someone has hit both funny bones real hard - but its constant - and took an hour to calm down to a dull pain.

ice and heat - going to have a hot bath as soon as this post is down.

Will have to pull back on the training for atleast 6 days - Have an appointment for DT massage on Friday - getting full upper and lower body done - so will get focus done on arms. Will look at how I feel on Monday as to if I can train or not - if its still there I'll rest out till the 28th and just see what happens on the day

At this stage I'll be lifting RAW - I dont feel comfortable lifting equipt with this injury as its going to be hard for me to read where the new shirt wants to go and I dont think its fair to take the risk on the spotters.

Will update as we go - tomorrow will be focusing on stretch warm stretch ice to see where that goes - cardio needs to be maintained and can stil squat.

Injuries frustrate the hell out of me - stink man ... :x

[Old Bull]

Hey Opti sorry to hear about the injury, hopefully it will come right, training had been going pretty well too, been following the log, was looking froward to seeing what you did at the CBC comp.

Probably a good call on the shirt, if you have not dialled it in properly, they do have a tendency to dump forward or backwards if the line is not right.

Screw driver might be a bit too hardcore for this one, ice and stretching should show signs of improvement quiet quickly.

[Android]

Agree with Old Bull tragic for the CBC comp but hopefully not permanent just some rest and you'll b fine.

BBing way safer tho ay :wink: cardio bike for Opti now 110kg stage weight here u come!

[Danomyte]

Strong lifting Opti. Looking forward to seeing a massive total on the day!

I know Wookies not a PL but are Colm and Danny? For HW's their bench seems pretty low bro?????

Opti will be awesome to watch at K-OS. Definitely a massive future in PL for you Opti. You were awesome at the CBC last year (no homo).

Yeah man, no excuses here, my bench is down right weak :oops: 180+ Raw is minimum for a HW I reckon - something I'm trying to get to :pray:

Man, I don't bench enough to get my numbers up - but bench is my favourite lift of them all - has been since I started training as a youngster :nod:

Didn't realise TT was referring to you bro, wasn't having a go was just interested in the reasoning behind your Bench Numbers versus your other epic lifts!

You could probably overhead more than you bench right!

All good iron brother - no offence taken. I'm the most hardest on my bench than anyone - I've lost a few comps due to my bench being sucky GRRRR!!!

Sick of being a one trick pony - but will take time to up the bench.

Kudos to you iron brother!

[Big john]

I'm the most hardest on my bench than anyone - I've lost a few comps due to my bench being sucky GRRRR!!!

Sick of being a one trick pony - but will take time to up the bench.

Same as you bro..ive got the benchorama blues :doh: !! having to work like a madman to get it up to a respectible lvl worthy of SHW status!

looking forward to catching up with the iron brothers from around aucks

[Big john]

btw...new title.

?????????

[Optimass]

Probably a good call on the shirt, if you have not dialled it in properly, they do have a tendency to dump forward or backwards if the line is not right.

Screw driver might be a bit too hardcore for this one, ice and stretching should show signs of improvement quiet quickly.

yeah -will save it - was talking to barbella about a loose set to train in after your earlier post. I trust the guys spotting completely but IMO if you arnt confident accidents can happen and I dont want to injure anyone else.

Agree with Old Bull tragic for the CBC comp but hopefully not permanent just some rest and you'll b fine.

BBing way safer tho ay :wink: cardio bike for Opti now 110kg stage weight here u come!

Forearms a bit better now - still feel tight. Do as OB does :nod: ... 110kg sounds painful too > ... we shall see - lots of work to do between now and then mate.

Sick of being a one trick pony - but will take time to up the bench.

Kudos to you iron brother!

170kg is still a hot bench in my book - I think the Squat and DL are the real tests ... bench seems to be attainable a lot easier. So much more technique in a squat and DL is a complete body rep - everything must fire at the same time.

[Optimass]

btw...new title.

... I wish bro ... we shall see - CBC game day vibe makes a big difference.

[Optimass]

interweb is helpful ... http://www.sportsmedicineclinicdelhi.com/forearm.htm ... appears I have adhesions ... so we are on the right track.

[steak]

Bugger! :evil:

I had the same thing in my right calf from heavy squatting in flat soled shoes when I started lifting. Was pretty painful to walk on/limped round but oddly enough I could still squat to some degree.

How I fixed and now never get it again:

The muscles in your forearm are, for lack of a better word. "joined together" and you probably have pain along the back of your hand, forearms and tingling in finger tips etc. We need to separate the tissue apart with a heavy duty release technique.

Take 2 hard softballs...we have them at CBC and even the lacrosse ball for an even more hardcore release :twisted: and place one on the bottom of your forearm where it hurts and one on top where it hurts. For the calf muscles this was best achieved on the floor with a single ball but forearms are different so 2 balls is better and maybe place the arm on a bench top of box to get good pressure/angles/comfort of use etc.

Apply downward pressure with the top ball while the bottom ball finds a "gristly or knotty area and move your wrist through all ranges of motion. You should find better mobility after a few goes and actually feel the tissue release...works a treat and is cheaper than your massage although your only going there for the happy ending

here's a vid to save me prattling on....

To prevent it coming back after you get rid of it use the foam roller (or violater is even better slipped over a bar) to roll the forearms and every now and then when you feel it tighten up go back to the ball.

Some of this may also help especially the broomstick technique we use. It has a nasty way of getting into the tissue..

Stretches and broom stick from 3:10

Might be some help to ya mate. :wink:

[Panzer]

btw...new title.

... I wish bro ... we shall see - CBC game day vibe makes a big difference.

I see what you did there.....

[steak]

btw...new title.

... I wish bro ... we shall see - CBC game day vibe makes a big difference.

I see what you did there.....

Possibly no male equipped lifters at the CBC...and a shiney trophy goes begging. I might have to do a token squat, a token bench in my super kat of 65kgs and pulls a token dead to win!

[eatliftrest]

Steak, thats a great vid mate. Thanks for posting

[Optimass]

Steak, thats a great vid mate. Thanks for posting

agree ^^ = thanks for posting steak ... less masterbation more manipulation ... homework! :nod:

funny because I have been stretching and applying pressure in stictively all day. I have a few ideas on how I can get it done quickly.

Plan was to deep tissue any way - fascia tissue manipulated will help all muscle recover and prep for the event. Will be in contact over the weekend to see where Im at and how it is going to come together.

Still fucken painfull - ibuprofen and panadol to the maxx ...

[Phedder]

Sorry to hear Opti. Hopefully you can get it sorted before comp day, there's enough knowledge in yourself and surrounding you to give you the best possible chance :nod:

Would be great to see you 1-up Big John again, very very sneaky

[Optimass]

Sorry to hear Opti. Hopefully you can get it sorted before comp day, there's enough knowledge in yourself and surrounding you to give you the best possible chance :nod:

Would be great to see you 1-up Big John again, very very sneaky

Thanks Phedd - I think Big John is becoming wise to my smoke and mirrors lol.

Update:

Had rested up until yesterdays 2 hour deep tissue marrathon. My usual massage therapist has moved on so one of the other ladys stepped in.

Was probably the most intense session I have had - (at one loint she was up on the bed kneeling on my calfs and lower back)

Chest was very pain full to do - my left delt was blown after but is feeling great this morning.

My arms are 90% better - no pain in delts and tricep - forearms are still tense - she was amazed at how tight they were. They have relaxed quite a bit but I can still feel them ready to bind up so today and tomorrow will be cardio days - (may get up to gym tomorrow though for some mob/stretch on legs.

I had no knots in my back for the first time ever - and she said my ROM in shoulders was about the best you could get. (encouraging).

The potential switch to RAW lift on the day has meant I have hit the calories a bit harder than normal - now comfortably sitting at 122kg and looking very full - arms are now vascular as.

Will update monday - but based on the improvement I should be lifting 90% on the day which is better than where I was 5 days ago.

[Android]

Good stuff mate that painful massage sounds worth it.

Much rather see u lifting, will push everyone's effort up on the day.

[startinfromscratch]

looks like your sorted, but thought id share a site ive found good valur regarding triggerpoints etc

http://saveyourself.ca/articles/perfect-spots/spot-04-scalenes.php

[Optimass]

looks like your sorted, but thought id share a site ive found good valur regarding triggerpoints etc

http://saveyourself.ca/articles/perfect-spots/spot-04-scalenes.php

Great link bro - thanks for posting. interesting read.

[Optimass]

Lite chest session today with some leg mobility and stretching thrown in. Violator had a good workout on the quads and hammys.

Just warmed up incline d/b really lite - then moved on to some bench work - focus was on monitoring the impact on my forearms and working up to 140kg technique sets.

3 sets 5 reps @ 70kg - 3 seconds down - touch pause - press

3 sets 5 reps @ 100kg - 3 seconds down - touch pause - press

3 sets 3 reps @ 140kg - 3 seconds down - touch pause - press

Did some grip reps with a clamp in between and stretch forearms. Felt good - left rotator a bit tender but warmed up through to the last 3 sets ok. Also rolled out my forearms on a wooden broomstick set across the bars in one of the racks - work really well.

Did some leg raises to finished.

Finished with a walk around the neighberhood for 1 hour at a moderate pace.

---

Has been a few hours now - still getting some nerve pain across top of forearms from time to time but they havent bunched up again like they did last week. Still feel a bit nervous though.

----

Plan this week is to bench again - need to bridge up 140 - 160/170ish ... will be interesting to see. Squating tomorrow providing I get out of work early enough. Deads on Tuesday.

Will be doing all 3 lifts to 85% on Monday next week - then flex/mob for rest of week.

Not sure how this is going to end up but hopefully I come out of the day with a respectable total.

:?

[Optimass]

lite chest / legs with some shoulders tonight -

elbows 90% on forearms - bicep settled into last few sets of bench.

Left knee still tight but more mobile than 2 days ago.

Will walk out tomorrow - possibly deadlifts in the evening.

Will get some heavier training in over Fri - Sun.

not far to go now.

[Optimass]

Final week preparations.

Injury update:

Forearms 90% - still getting residual pain but flex and ROM has improved significantly. Strength has suffered with the down time though so will be interesting to see how it pans out - is affecting bench.

Pain in biceps nearly completely gone - not feeling anything when I DL at the moment.

Left knee still tight - have been doing a lot more mobility work - can feel it improving but will need to wrap tight on the day to make it over 220kg+ without inccuring any issues.

....

Talking to Steak last night - still no equip heavy weights in the line up - so we are going to take a punt and revisit the shirt tomorrow night. Will be good for spectators and sponsors to see some heavy equiped action so worth a try. May need the old Katana though if I cant hit a touch - last time failed at 220kg to bring it in.

weigh in tonight was 121kg - I'm normally 1-2kg lighter in the morning but will go back to a carb fast in the mornings this week. And will even out on Thursday and Friday based on where the scale has me. Cutting it fine on the weight grading but I should have a respectable total either way given the issues I'm having.

Next Saturday it all happens ....

[HarryB]

Good to see you're healing up big man! Get that shirt happening, I want to see a 220 bench!!

[Optimass]

Good to see you're healing up big man! Get that shirt happening, I want to see a 220 bench!!

Got touch tonight bro @ 200kg after dropping back from 220kg and wetting the seems - we are green to go

I was pretty gassed after the 220kg - arms were pretty close to blown. So Steak dropped us back to 200kg and wet the seems of the shirt - touch pretty much perfect on my last attempt.

Not a bad effort given I trained bench last night as well - tonight was a gamble based on that - now comes down to how quickly I can recover but pretty confident we will see 220kg+ on the day.

Arms arms a lot better than they have been post workout - some nice grooves on my arms but no blood this time which is a bonus.

...

Thanks to the support crew tonight especially Traps who interupted his deload to fit me into the shirt ... we were both sweating at the end of the first attempt lol - gym was on fire with activity.

Nights like tonight you really appreciate the intensity being shared on the floor - its rare to have so much energy feeding off the surounding members - pretty awesome!

[Phedder]

Nights like tonight you really appreciate the intensity being shared on the floor - its rare to have so much energy feeding off the surounding members - pretty awesome!

Definitely something I miss. Hard to go from a powerlifting 'club' to a commercial gym, doesn't even come close.

Good to hear the shirt work went well and the crowd will get a taste of something extraordinary