Solutions Without Information
Have you been offered a solution without that person knowing anything about you?
A proposed solution without information is not a solution. It’s a guess.
This story comes from a Facebook group of a very popular CrossFit programming company.
Someone posted that they had developed tendinitis in their elbows during the 13-week strict pulling cycle that they had just completed (as per the group programming). They were looking for advice.
The first comment is from a coach and gym owner.
“Smash scapula with lacrosse ball leaning on the wall, don’t do any movements that are more than a 5/10 for pain. Don’t take anti-inflammatories. Don’t ice. Do get a voodoo band and then message me when you get it”.
So far the only information from the person experiencing pain is that they just did 13 weeks of strict pulling. They say they have tendinitis. We do not know if that is a diagnosis from a professional or a self-diagnosis.
There is very little information.
So I ask this coach why he chose the scapula. I thought it was a more professional question than my alternative of “why are providing solutions without knowing what the problem is”.
The answer: “Anatomically I can’t tell you. I just know that where this is pain it’s often upstream or downstream causing it.
So what is NOT downstream from the elbow? The scapula.
But he’s going to send me some magical video of how to “fix” elbow tendonitis. I’m really looking forward to it.
To offer advice you need information.
Without information, anything is a guess. Guesses have a low likelihood of success. It’s ok to not know.
Information that would be beneficial:
What was their training volume like before the 13-week cycle? Especially with pulling movements.
Is the pain isolated at the elbow? Anything in the shoulder or wrist? Does it get better or worse with activity?
Do they have the mobility to get into the positions they need for the movements they want to do? Especially in the shoulder and wrist.
Any previous injury history?
What is their recovery like? How much do they sleep? What is their stress like?
These are only a few questions. There are plenty of others that could come up with a potential client.
Listen first. Get the information.
You Don’t Need To Spend Hours In The Gym
How much time should you spend in the gym?
Unless you are a competitive athlete you do not need to spend hours in the gym multiple days a week to see results.
These are the physical activity guidelines from the World Health Organization for adults age 18-64:
1: should do at least 150–300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity;
2: Or at least 75–150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity; or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity activity throughout the week.
3: should also do muscle-strengthening activities at moderate or greater intensity that involve all major muscle groups on 2 or more days a week, as these provide additional health benefits.
That's a minimum of 2.5 hours and a maximum of 5 hours of moderate intensity activity. A lot less as your intensity increases. They say you can increase those activity levels for additional benefits, but that isn’t elaborated on.
You can hit the minimums with 30 minutes of activity, for 5 days. Or by going to the gym for 2-3 days at an hour each session.
If you want to dedicate more time to the gym, that's great. But eventually there will be diminishing returns.
Maybe the additional time you spend in the gym could be spent on your recovery. Take a nap :)
Maybe the additional time you spend in the gym could be spent engaging in other enjoyable social activities that contribute to your mental health.
Maybe the additional time you spend in the gym could be spent preparing a nice meal. @hellofreshca sponsor me.
Just because you see someone else spending 2-3 hours a day in the gym, doesn’t mean you need to. Maybe they need to based on their goals. Or maybe they need another hobby.
Low Back Sore After You Deadlift?
Are deadlifts the problem?
Does deadlifting leave you with low back soreness the next day?
Deadlifts get a bad reputation for low back pain and soreness.
I often hear things like “I deadlifted yesterday and now my low back is sore, I must have done something wrong with my technique”.
Sure it’s possible that your technique could have been improved, maybe recruiting other areas of your body to assist you. Maybe leading to less soreness.
But soreness also doesn’t need to be bad. We don’t always want to be sore, but soreness is a normal response to training, including with deadlifts. I have yet to hear “My biceps are sore from pullups yesterday, I must have done something wrong with my technique”.
Deadlifts are a posterior chain exercise (back half of your body). Your low back is included in that. While we want your glutes and hamstrings driving the majority of the activity, your low back is absolutely involved.
Here are some things you could look at that could influence that soreness:
Recovery: How has your sleep and nutrition been? Are you adequately fueling your body? Were you giving yourself adequate rest between sets?
Training loads: Did you increase your training loads to volumes that your body has not experienced yet?
Movement quality: Was your movement quality better at different weights or reps?
Areas of strength: Is your low back simply not as strong as other areas of your body? Maybe it just needs time to catch up.
Soreness is normal and ok. It doesn’t need to stop us from progressing.
Cost-Effective Movements
Are you getting the most bang for your buck in your training?
What movements in the gym give you the most bang for your buck?
What movement in the gym requires a lot of time and effort with minimal reward?
I want cost effective movements.
There is very little that is free.
Your training likely costs you time, money and energy.
I want to squeeze as much out of that as possible.
With that investment you deserve to be rewarded.
Maybe you only have so much time for your training.
Is it cost effective for you to spend 20 minutes of your training session learning the Snatch and Overhead Squat? Or would it be more time effective to work on the squat and press in that same time period. Two movements that you are comfortable enough with to effectively challenge yourself with.
The time, money, and energy you put into training should be cost effective.
This isn’t to say it should be cheap.
This is about returned value.
Any movement could be functional. But sometimes the investment into a movement may not give you the return you are looking for.
A good coach will assess you, learn about your goals and find the most cost effective program with movements that provide you the most benefit.
Soreness ≠ Progress
Do you need to be sore to progress?
Do you need to be sore to make progress?
Short answer: No
Can soreness be a part of your training process while you make progress? Absolutely.
But you don’t need to be sore after every workout.
Soreness does not need to represent how hard you worked in the gym.
In training I want the results to speak for themselves.
I recently had a client mention that they were concerned that they weren’t working hard enough because they weren’t waking up as sore as they usually do.
But in two months they were able to double the number of pushups they can do, which is one of their goals. All while not being as sore.
That’s progress. And working hard.
This can be a challenging mindset to change. Society can often preach the “No pain no gain” mindset. That if you aren’t rolling on the ground afterwards, you didn’t work hard enough.
But why put yourself through pain if it’s not necessary. You can achieve results without pain.
I like to train smart. Training to improve your life and your health is a lifelong process. Let’s make that process as enjoyable as possible.
Could you be sore after a workout? Absolutely! That’s a normal outcome of the training and recovery process.
Do you need to be sore after every training session? No. If you are, this could be an indication of a recovery and training process that could be improved.
This is not to say don't work hard. Just work smart.
Should I Exercise More?
Do you really need to exercise more?
So this is one of those “it depends” questions.
So let’s narrow it down and be a bit more specific.
Let’s assume exercise is already a part of your routine. It’s an important part of your day but you are not sure if what you are doing is enough. You see other people in the gym working out for hours and hours. You wonder if that should be you. But you also know that you have other responsibilities. Maybe you have a busy job. Maybe you are a student. Maybe you have kids.
So should you exercise more?
Probably not. Like I really doubt it.
Are you making progress? Are you seeing results?
If you answered yes then keep doing what you are doing! It’s working!
Now let’s say your answer is no.
Maybe something needs to be optimized. Maybe your sleep could be improved. Maybe the way you fuel your body could be improved. Maybe your stress could be managed more optimally. Maybe your training needs to be more specific to the results you are looking for. Maybe the results you are looking for will come if you continue the course.
Note that all of those possibilities do not require you to exercise more.
I believe that we live in a world where it is so easy to be influenced by others.
You see the gym member who trains 2-3 hours a day. But do you know why?
Are they trying to compete in a sport?
Is training their social time?
Is training their job?
You follow someone on social media who posts workout videos all the time.
Were the videos prerecorded?
Do they use workout videos to gain followers?
Do they use workout videos for personal accountability?
Another question you can ask when comparing your exercise volume to someone else's: Is that person like me?
In the world we live in it can be easy to want to do more because of the influence of others. But maybe the people we are comparing ourselves to are on a completely different path than the one we are on.
Any questions coming up from this? Ask away!