Day 15 - Going Strong And Taking It Easy

Last night, my youngest sister called to tell me she tore her meniscus during a run in Golden Gate Park. She said she had been feeling her knee for a few weeks, but didn't think it was a big deal so she kept going. A few days later, bruising began to form around her knee. She checked out a doctor and was shocked to see the damaged she caused.

Our body lets us know when it needs rest; she felt the slight pain as a warning sign that something was not right. Most of us panic when the "check engine" light goes off in our car, but will play through a twinging shoulder or run with a swollen knee.

The reason her knee hurts when she runs is because she is not moving efficiently. As a student, her body is used to sitting all day, therefore the muscles that would normally assist in running are weak. Muscles that would normally only assist in the movement jump in to compensate, which leads to injury. Strength training the weakened muscles and stretching the tighter ones in addition to functional exercises would help her run without pain. Instead of taking her car to the mechanic (ahem, me), she ignores her check engine light and runs to try and stay in shape. I should go visit her.

In case you didn't know, the pain is usually a result of inflammation and will eventually go away with 20 minutes of ice and a couple days of rest. To keep scar and fascia tissue from forming knots around the joint, it is good to move it around, but not aggravate it. For example; if your shoulder hurts, stretch it out without straining it (ask a professional if you do not know the difference); or if your ankle or knees hurt, point and flex your toes or leg to keep the range of motion normal and the blood flowing. Unfortunatly, Once the discomfort is gone, the root cause of the pain will still be there and the injury will return in time.

For everyone who is confused about what I do for a living, I am a personal trainer but I specialize in corrective movement. People who want to diminish pain, regain motion in their shoulders, or simply workout with proper form come to see me. I love what I do and I have helped many people. What I am doing now is learning to change my body composition from the inside out by eating clean and working out hard. I need help with that, therefore I have coaches.

Today, Larissa and I worked on chest, back, biceps and triceps. People at the gym were laughing at us, probably because we would complain about how hard the exercise was and then, in an attempt to stay positive, say, "I love this exercise, it feels good. It hurts so good." We skipped sprints since we did our interval training yesterday. 

Today's Upper Body Workout:

Decline Leg Raises

(3 sets of 10 -12 reps. Heavy weights) 

• Circuit 1:
• Cable chest flys
• Swiss ball dumbbell pess
• Mountain climbers (30 reps)
• Circuit 2:
• Wide grip lat pull down
• Close grip, reverse grip pull dows
• Decline raises (15 reps)
• Circuit 3:
• Cable triceps pull down
• Cable bicep curl
• Rotating back extension

Afterward, I enjoyed my usually yam and chicken with 1 tbsp chocolate almond butter. I attempted to make protein bars out of my brown rice cereal, almond butter, cocoa powder and egg whites. It was a disaster so I am not even going to bother trying that one again. There are a ton of protein bar recipes,  however I can't eat most of the ingredients in them right now. I am even reconsidering my use of Xylitol.

My Carrie Bradshaw Moment ( I might keep going with this): Really listen to your body. It is ok to push the limits, how else would we grow, but pay attention to warning signs. Pain in the muscles (the bigger region of your limbs) is all good within reason, however pain in your joints (the small areas at the start and end of your limbs, which function like a door hinge) is never good. For the fastest recovery: eat a balanced meal containing clean protein and carbs within 20 minutes of your workout, drink plenty of fluids, and rest your body parts for a minimum of 48 hours between workouts.