Originally Posted by
Kaben
Thanks so much for taking the time to reply to this. I can relate to a lot of what you have said and it is really heartening to hear you are back to the sport( and heavy lifting) after 2 such injuries. Perhaps i'm just being impatient but at the moment i feel so bloody useless at day to day activities that getting back to sport seems like a lifetime away.
Im actually on holiday for the next week so i will try and get as much swimming in as i can and then try to get back to lifting light when i am home to try and get the movements back. Starting Strength has been my bible ( after discovering it in the 2014 weight training thread actually) for my training and that progression has been easy to follow and the warmups are built in. Do you do much more warmup than the prescribed empty bar sets and the progressively higher weighted sets before your main lifts or do you find that is enough?
Here's my last workout to show you the warmup (which I do on a squat rack in my basement- this could drive people at a commercial gym insane as they wait for their turn):
-25lb Goblet squats*10 reps (hold at the bottom of the last one for a full minute to get a good stretch).
-Empty bar*10. Sometimes 2 sets.
-95*10, 135*5, no belt.
-185*5, 225*5, 245*5, 265*2, with belt, thinking about strict technique. That last one with 2 reps "tells the back" you're getting heavy now.
-285*5. The actual full effort. Tighten that belt a bit more. If your form comes apart on any rep, that's your last rep - don't take chances. I also invested in squat shoes - worth it. Work on shoulder flexibility, which is bad for cyclists, so that doesn't cause you to curve the back or have bar too high on the back (I adopted Ben Pollack's so-called "talon" grip to keep the bar back where it needs to be). I don't do 3-by-5 because at my age, recovery time is too long.
A few other thoughts if they help:
-Once you're back riding hard and lifting big weights and looking back to normal, your friends will invariably ask you to help them move that sleeper sofa up two flights of narrow stairs. Don't do it! Anything that takes you out of a straight, neutral spine, and especially activities that involve twisting or weighting to one side, is your danger zone. My second injury was a result of agreeing to such nonsense, and 15 year later I'm still kicking myself - because I should have known better.
-You'll make adjustments on the bike as well. Standing starts are especially so. Keep the back neutral by looking at a spot 20 feet uptrack, rather than lifting the head in a way that hyperextends the spine. In bunch races, learn to look behind you without rotating your lower back. "Cheek on the shoulder," as they say.
-And, finally, something that may cause some disagreement from others. I would not be going to a chiropractor while your disk is still healing. Stick with a physical therapist until everything stabilizes. Once you're there, a chiropractor can really help keep the back in good shape. But not yet, IMHO.
Good luck!