heaven & hell...

[Michael Ambrose]

Well, today I finally had proof that I am getting my act together in the strength game. I have been making some good gains, for me anyways, in strongman training and my gym lifts - steady progress all around. My introduction into strongman has forced me to SERIOUSLY look at and revamp my overall workouts. Which I have done for the powerlifting end of things. While my bench has not improved much I have been seeing steady increases in my squat and deadlift triples. I now alternate a squat week and a deadlift week. It is all I do for legs except for maybe a few light isolation exercises (strongman training day excluded). Two weeks ago I did 455# for a triple in deadlifts. I have never been able to do that before (my max dl in competition was a palty 545#) Today I was hoping for 475# for 3. I did it all right and it was EASY. I was floored. I jumped to 500# and pulled a triple with just a little work. I knew I had more in me but I was smart and said 'take the 50lb pr and run with it. So I did. A few sissy squats and legs were alomost done. Heaven.

Then came hell... I was doing bent leg calf raises, superset with seated ones on a machine that you sit in ith your back straight up, legs out and extend your toes. Well, on my last set, at max weight (I have used it many times before) I hear a load pop. I see my right calf jump outward and back. All follwed by my leg locking up. It is the oddest injury I have had yet. I can only thing I can compare it to is a charlie horse on ephedra, speed stack and a few gallons of caffine.

I have full range of motion still, just can not bear any real weight on it. I can walk SLOWLY. There is no bruising/bleeding, pain/trauma to any of the joints or ligaments. The only outward sign is that my calf is swollen BIG time. 4-8 weeks of rehab... :mad: I'm still goign to do what I can in the gym but I am ticked I have been on a roll unlike any I have had in years.

I'm already tired of the r.i.c.e. routine! :EP:

Thanks for puting up with my rantings!

[Mike Westerling]

You did really good on events this past weekend too. I don't know why you where doing isolated calf stuff after all that truck push and drag stuff we did though. Think maybe you where dehydrated a bit too? Don't worry the time will fly by and youll be back at it. I sent you a pm....
-Mike

[Michael Ambrose]

on the dehydration - I'm obsessive about drinking water. I do calf work as a matter of course on my leg day. I had no residual calf pain or soreness from last week, so I did my 'normal' 4/5 sets of work. There was no warning sign of any kind, my form was good, the weights were nothing unusual for me, just a "POP" Reminded me of when I used to get calf cramps as a teenager at night, sudden and horrendeous, but this is FAR worse and straightening my foot out did not help any :-)