Achieving Goals versus Recovering from Injury
I have set this ultimate fitness goal of mine at the middle of year 2014 which I was hoping I could achieve by almost the same time next year: To be strong enough to qualify and join a raw powerlifting competition (preferably on the Philippine National Games) next year, 2015 on the 52KG category.
I have set my action items to achieve this goal:
- Increase my weight from 113.5 lbs to 125 lbs with a rate of 2 lbs increase per month. I started on June this year and was aiming to have that weight by around October supposedly.
- And then I plan to maintain that weight until December which is pretty ideal considering it will be the holidays so there will be lots of eating.
- Then I plan to burn the fats slowly by January and hit my weight class again by June 2015 (I also need to be bikini ready by Summer you know!)
- I plan to try to eat as clean as possible by intaking more protein and fats into my diet (unfortunately having issues with being strict with this! I love carbs! Wah!)
- I am sticking to my Wendler 5/3/1 program to increase my numbers
- At the same time, I want to still be able to do CrossFit and my MetCons (Metabolic Conditioning) while achieving this goal though I am being ambitious to think that combining strength with endurance can definitely somehow jeopardize the strength part so this needs control.
So far, I have been doing good. My best sumo deadlift so far was 225 lbs at 117 lbs body weight. It was something you need to be able to lift to be part of the Prime in our Eclipse 24/7 Fitness Center. I told myself I have to be able to do this before my birthday which I did!
I have also hit 4 reps 150 lbs back squat and 3 reps 100 lbs bench press. My progress was amazing for me! It felt like I was unstoppable as if I could really get stronger and achieve my goals!
Unfortunately, the day after I did my 225lbs deadlift, the WOD at the box was deadlift as well. It was Monday morning and I did my max rep attempt that Sunday afternoon so there was not much recovery time. I told myself, "What the heck! That 225-lb was easy! It should not be much of a problem to me!"
So yeah, I still proceeded with the deadlift workout. Added to that, the form I am used to is different from the conventional deadlift form usually used in CrossFit boxes. My coaches warned me to go easy with the weights but guess what? I was stubborn! I thought I could handle it.
The WOD was at 5 sets of 5 reps deadlift. I thought I should at least hit 185 lbs since I was able to do 175 lbs easily a few months ago with this form. I WAS SO STUBBORN! I told myself I have a belt, it should be okay.
When I was finally on my 4th set 4 reps, then it happened: I heard the crack on my back and it felt like I was gonna faint. I can feel the air leaving me so it's like there was something blocking me. It was frustrating! I knew I did something wrong! I decided to skip the MetCon part because it had hurt that much!
I was ashamed to tell my coaches that I think I had hurt myself but I knew I needed their help. I felt like crying because I really could not move and I could not stand properly. But I am glad I did tell them about it because they were helpful with their suggestions on how to relieve the pain. They gave me cold compress and even helped me to stretch so the pain would lessen.
Unfortunately, I had really hurt myself and I knew I needed immediate medical attention. I was really scared then it was just so hard to move. I called in sick for work because of this. After sleeping for a few hours, my boyfriend accompanied me to an orthopedic and the doctor recommended for me to take some pain reliever and muscle relaxant.
That week, I was not able to WOD but I would stop by at our CrossFit box so I can do my stretching. My coach felt guilty for not stopping me but I knew it was really my fault. I did not listen to my body. But now, I have to bear the injury.
It was unknown whether it was just lumbar strain or I already have slipped disc since I am also getting that weird pain on my legs. The doctor does not even want me to get an MRI because it was expensive. Everyone's telling me to seek for a second opinion and I know of another doctor specializing in sports medicine but I have to go all the way to Ortigas to get a free consultation with him c/o our company's health care benefits.
I have been recommended to do Physical Therapy and I was allowed to do 3 sessions which I took in just one week. Thankfully, I was able to get them for free since it's part of my benefits. I actually felt better after the PT sessions and I went back to doing WODs the following week but I ensure to go easy on myself.
I was supposed to go back to do PT doctor after my PT sessions but his schedule changed so I wasn't able to see it. I told to myself, okay fine, I'll try to stick to self-recovery since I know about the stretching exercises the therapists taught me.
Unfortunately, as of this moment I am writing this blog, it has been a month since my injury. Just this previous week, I skipped WODs again because the back pain was still there. I actually started to feel depressed already because not only was I able to WOD without feeling pain, but I am also no longer able to do the things I need to do to achieve my powerlifting goals! I am actually losing my healthy eating habits now and I think I am attacking this depression with food!
It also did not help that there is an upcoming CrossFit Manila Throwdown this September. I have been positive to think that maybe, I'd be able to recover by then to join but considering that it has been a month and the pain is still there, then I am now very reluctant. So I am still 50/50 with joining the competition though I really want to. I actually told my boyfriend whom I would be teammates with if I join that I will not be able to give my best performance if I join because I still will not be able push myself in the training. But I really want to join!
I actually talked to my coaches again about this and she told me it should be normal to feel the pain after a month because it might take 3 to 4 months to be fully healed from my injury. Also, that I should not feel pressured to join the competition. If you think about it, even professional competitors skip competitions to recover from injury. Even Olympians are willing to skip that Olympic competition and wait for another 4 more years to compete again!
It is truly helpful to talk to my CrossFit coaches about recovery and even to my CrossFit box-mates because they were able to give me insights on how to handle this injury and how to recover from it. We have all been there so we really hold on to each other and help each other not only to get stronger but also on how to recover from our aches and injuries!
For now, I know to myself I need to be smart about this situation. I would have to finally go for that second opinion from a doctor (though it might not be with the Sports Medicine specialist at Ortigas!) and probably ask for PT sessions again. I still must not push myself in WODs and continue to scale down every workout I do (oh the horror! I can't practice my gymnastics kip let alone my butterfly pull-ups so I am sticking to strict pull ups... Can't load that much on bars and go for PRs... Can't do kettlebell swings!)
I have to take baby steps. I must prioritize on my recovery first before achieving my goals. I can't go on limping to this race! I have to remind myself that this is not a sprint, but a marathon! I must go for the actions with long term effects!
Well, if you think about it, I do not need to put my goals on hold. For example, they suggested me to go light on bars but go for higher reps. And the belt will suddenly be needed most of them time to avoid putting that much strain on my back. But there's a way with this. I am very hopeful. I will keep asking help from people and will keep reading and researching cause I know I am not alone. A'l athletes are prone to injury so it's a matter of learning from it and getting stronger again.
I have also hit 4 reps 150 lbs back squat and 3 reps 100 lbs bench press. My progress was amazing for me! It felt like I was unstoppable as if I could really get stronger and achieve my goals!
Unfortunately, the day after I did my 225lbs deadlift, the WOD at the box was deadlift as well. It was Monday morning and I did my max rep attempt that Sunday afternoon so there was not much recovery time. I told myself, "What the heck! That 225-lb was easy! It should not be much of a problem to me!"
So yeah, I still proceeded with the deadlift workout. Added to that, the form I am used to is different from the conventional deadlift form usually used in CrossFit boxes. My coaches warned me to go easy with the weights but guess what? I was stubborn! I thought I could handle it.
The WOD was at 5 sets of 5 reps deadlift. I thought I should at least hit 185 lbs since I was able to do 175 lbs easily a few months ago with this form. I WAS SO STUBBORN! I told myself I have a belt, it should be okay.
When I was finally on my 4th set 4 reps, then it happened: I heard the crack on my back and it felt like I was gonna faint. I can feel the air leaving me so it's like there was something blocking me. It was frustrating! I knew I did something wrong! I decided to skip the MetCon part because it had hurt that much!
I was ashamed to tell my coaches that I think I had hurt myself but I knew I needed their help. I felt like crying because I really could not move and I could not stand properly. But I am glad I did tell them about it because they were helpful with their suggestions on how to relieve the pain. They gave me cold compress and even helped me to stretch so the pain would lessen.
Unfortunately, I had really hurt myself and I knew I needed immediate medical attention. I was really scared then it was just so hard to move. I called in sick for work because of this. After sleeping for a few hours, my boyfriend accompanied me to an orthopedic and the doctor recommended for me to take some pain reliever and muscle relaxant.
That week, I was not able to WOD but I would stop by at our CrossFit box so I can do my stretching. My coach felt guilty for not stopping me but I knew it was really my fault. I did not listen to my body. But now, I have to bear the injury.
It was unknown whether it was just lumbar strain or I already have slipped disc since I am also getting that weird pain on my legs. The doctor does not even want me to get an MRI because it was expensive. Everyone's telling me to seek for a second opinion and I know of another doctor specializing in sports medicine but I have to go all the way to Ortigas to get a free consultation with him c/o our company's health care benefits.
I have been recommended to do Physical Therapy and I was allowed to do 3 sessions which I took in just one week. Thankfully, I was able to get them for free since it's part of my benefits. I actually felt better after the PT sessions and I went back to doing WODs the following week but I ensure to go easy on myself.
I was supposed to go back to do PT doctor after my PT sessions but his schedule changed so I wasn't able to see it. I told to myself, okay fine, I'll try to stick to self-recovery since I know about the stretching exercises the therapists taught me.
Unfortunately, as of this moment I am writing this blog, it has been a month since my injury. Just this previous week, I skipped WODs again because the back pain was still there. I actually started to feel depressed already because not only was I able to WOD without feeling pain, but I am also no longer able to do the things I need to do to achieve my powerlifting goals! I am actually losing my healthy eating habits now and I think I am attacking this depression with food!
It also did not help that there is an upcoming CrossFit Manila Throwdown this September. I have been positive to think that maybe, I'd be able to recover by then to join but considering that it has been a month and the pain is still there, then I am now very reluctant. So I am still 50/50 with joining the competition though I really want to. I actually told my boyfriend whom I would be teammates with if I join that I will not be able to give my best performance if I join because I still will not be able push myself in the training. But I really want to join!
I actually talked to my coaches again about this and she told me it should be normal to feel the pain after a month because it might take 3 to 4 months to be fully healed from my injury. Also, that I should not feel pressured to join the competition. If you think about it, even professional competitors skip competitions to recover from injury. Even Olympians are willing to skip that Olympic competition and wait for another 4 more years to compete again!
It is truly helpful to talk to my CrossFit coaches about recovery and even to my CrossFit box-mates because they were able to give me insights on how to handle this injury and how to recover from it. We have all been there so we really hold on to each other and help each other not only to get stronger but also on how to recover from our aches and injuries!
For now, I know to myself I need to be smart about this situation. I would have to finally go for that second opinion from a doctor (though it might not be with the Sports Medicine specialist at Ortigas!) and probably ask for PT sessions again. I still must not push myself in WODs and continue to scale down every workout I do (oh the horror! I can't practice my gymnastics kip let alone my butterfly pull-ups so I am sticking to strict pull ups... Can't load that much on bars and go for PRs... Can't do kettlebell swings!)
I have to take baby steps. I must prioritize on my recovery first before achieving my goals. I can't go on limping to this race! I have to remind myself that this is not a sprint, but a marathon! I must go for the actions with long term effects!
Well, if you think about it, I do not need to put my goals on hold. For example, they suggested me to go light on bars but go for higher reps. And the belt will suddenly be needed most of them time to avoid putting that much strain on my back. But there's a way with this. I am very hopeful. I will keep asking help from people and will keep reading and researching cause I know I am not alone. A'l athletes are prone to injury so it's a matter of learning from it and getting stronger again.
So yeah, this post is very spontaneous and I did not even bother proofreading it! LOLz! I did not mean to rant but I just want to let it all out! How hard it is to swallow your pride when it's really your pride that had put you in this sticky situation in the first place! But I know I will get through with it! :)
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