[DEVILsSON]

For a while i did incline bench exclusively with pretty good gains...there was a period of readaptation to the flat bench when I went back...

yea i wanted to work out for a while but was forced to take over a week off due to the ongoing cold/flu...what better way to defeat a flu than to beat the shit out of it with bw deadlift challenge...

ice packs+tiger balm+massager.....will see how back feels tomorrow....i really wanted to run tomorrow...will suck if back starts spasming..

[Newt]

Originally Posted by DEVILsSON

-back was spasming so bad I had to drive back twisted and bent to one side then the other in traffic with gym bag under my lower back....should have stayed in the gym longer and just laid on the floor for a while...stiff back better than spasming back ....sigh

Do you bridge at all, especially at the end of your workouts? I have found that bridging, ice packs, a TENS unit, and my osteopath and chiropractor greatly help me avoid and/or treat spasms. I've been paralyzed on the floor in tears several times and know it is not fun - the first one was down right scary - thought I was going to have to call an ambulance. If it doesn't get better soon, try going to a doc-in-the-box and asking for a shot of kenalog, a corticosteroid that can reduce inflammation and last about three months.

[DEVILsSON]

Newt I appreciate all of the suggestions. I will try stretching and doing bridging. I bolted out of the gym yesterday because I was there for almost 3 hours but then regretted sitting in traffic as worst of it hit me....I put cold compresses when I got home then took a hot shower....then used my mini massager pillow to massage through the muscles....today I'll maybe try some more warm compresses and perhaps foam roller...

This was different from when I messed up my back 3 years prior in this very gym.(I quit the membership and rejoined this year with a great deal).....that particular time I decided to go for 1rm....but my mind was up my ass so I jerked the bar off the ground instead of smoothly pushing legs through the floor to break the weight...ended up in excruciating pain for almost 2 days....couldnt sit, stand, or lay down without pain....literally took like a 5 min procedure to crawl in and out of bed....thankfully it improved to really bad soreness after day 2...

my back is really sore today but thankfully not spasming ....still dont think i can run today...i feel super stiff.

Looked up TENS unit...never heard of it before....seems like a cool device. Newt any recommendations on a particular unit? They seem to vary quite a bit in price range...

Got a call from my BI monday he left a msg with 'call back about something "kinda" important'.....there was something almost playful about how he said it...so I called him first thing Tue....all steps in application for SFPD passed. He said I have a small chance of getting in the academy either monday or if not I would have to wait til April. In any case I am thrilled....big load of my chest...whole process took about 9 months....now i gotta avoid traffic tix and assaulting curl monkeys....

[erco]

Grats duders! You'll be the strongest guy on the force.

Officer Devil Jr. or Sergeant Borat...not sure which is better.


I'm in the same lower back boat as you.

[fennway4414]

Originally Posted by DEVILsSON

Got a call from my BI monday he left a msg with 'call back about something "kinda" important'.....there was something almost playful about how he said it...so I called him first thing Tue....all steps in application for SFPD passed. He said I have a small chance of getting in the academy either monday or if not I would have to wait til April. In any case I am thrilled....big load of my chest...whole process took about 9 months....now i gotta avoid traffic tix and assaulting curl monkeys....

Nice Devil! I just bombed the Suffolk County PD test and they're one of the highest paid forces in the country. Looks like either NYPD or FDNY for me as well. I'm not looking forward to the academy much though, I'm not going to lie.

[Newt]

Originally Posted by DEVILsSON

Newt I appreciate all of the suggestions. I will try stretching and doing bridging. I bolted out of the gym yesterday because I was there for almost 3 hours but then regretted sitting in traffic as worst of it hit me....I put cold compresses when I got home then took a hot shower....then used my mini massager pillow to massage through the muscles....today I'll maybe try some more warm compresses and perhaps foam roller...

This was different from when I messed up my back 3 years prior in this very gym.(I quit the membership and rejoined this year with a great deal).....that particular time I decided to go for 1rm....but my mind was up my ass so I jerked the bar off the ground instead of smoothly pushing legs through the floor to break the weight...ended up in excruciating pain for almost 2 days....couldnt sit, stand, or lay down without pain....literally took like a 5 min procedure to crawl in and out of bed....thankfully it improved to really bad soreness after day 2...

my back is really sore today but thankfully not spasming ....still dont think i can run today...i feel super stiff.

Looked up TENS unit...never heard of it before....seems like a cool device. Newt any recommendations on a particular unit? They seem to vary quite a bit in price range...

Got a call from my BI monday he left a msg with 'call back about something "kinda" important'.....there was something almost playful about how he said it...so I called him first thing Tue....all steps in application for SFPD passed. He said I have a small chance of getting in the academy either monday or if not I would have to wait til April. In any case I am thrilled....big load of my chest...whole process took about 9 months....now i gotta avoid traffic tix and assaulting curl monkeys....

I'll look up my brand of TENS unit when I get home. If you have good insurance, you can probably get a prescription for one from your doc and have it paid for. They use them extensively in physical therapy and they can really help calm spasms and promote healing.

Congrats on your progress with SFPD and welcome to the brotherhood! I would really back off or completely cut out your heavy lifting until you get through the Academy - if you get injured before/during the Academy, they could decide not to accept you and/or kick you out. Plus, you'll be doing lots of physical activity in the Academy and you don't want to be susceptible to injury from your work in the gym, or vice versa.

[DEVILsSON]

Thanks guys. Yea I am done with heavy lifting for a while. I am definitely going to tone down my lifting to say the least. I have also shifted my focus more into conditioning now. The academy will have a lot of running with gear and bw exercises. I believe they use a paramilitary approach to training. An ex-coworker of mine went through it about a year ago and is now about to be done with FTOs. I definitely dont want to have any injuries while in academy, fto, or probation period for a year. So yes I want to be very careful.

Newt I believe I saw you mention that you work as a federal LEO....I was wondering where at? What kind of training did you underdo in the academy?

[Merrill]

I don't know if it makes a difference or not, but in the state of Alabama the benefits and pay are higher for State Troopers than City Police. It seems like the retirement benefits are better at the state level as well. When the Gov announced that they would be hiring 100 new State Troopers a lot of the local Police tried out for the academy. Most of them failed because they had gotten to fat and out of shape. LOL

[enright3060]

Congratulations – Devil

Awesome news

[takeahnase]

Congratulations.