Made use of my barbell today
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So cool! I envy you! I dont have a place to keep it/workout with barbell 
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Itās finally the time of year I get to work out on the porch but when itās in the garage I prop it up on the wall for storage.
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Must lose weight soon!!! I almost didnāt workout today cuz was really tired but I did it anyway!!! 
I have skipped legs once again 
Oh man, in another week from now itāll be time to fix my diet, still focused on just rebuilding the workout habit for now 
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Had my appt yesterday, 2 year surgical follow-up.
Imaging was/is clear. Fusion is great, nothing amiss structurally with the spine at the fusion or elsewhere. Discs, also fine.
Process of elimination, itās almost certainly a muscular issue, and one that was exacerbated by the neurological deficits from my spinal cord issue (entire left leg has weakness, and my left calf/ankle donāt work at all). Figure that lack of muscle activation in the leg gets taken on in the low back/hip, and poof. There you go.
So the fusion helped the deficits from getting worse, so it helped the issue in that way.
Looks like itās just something Iām gonna have to keep up on the preventative like I had been doing, and if it only flares up every 2 years like this time, Iāll take it.
Iām just in a weird spot mentally now. I spent 4 years wrestling with this not knowing what it was, convinced it was something bigger. Got my surgery. Thought it would fix it. Did and does help, but now having to accept this is just āitā going forward, which I have fought tooth and nail for half a dozen years.
Part of me wishes I hadnāt gotten the surgery, since this can still happen. The fusion messed with the nerves in my mid/lower abdomen so now it kinda bulges out (as in, before my upper body was like an upside-down triangle. Now, itās closer to a rectangle). Makes me look like I have love handles when I donāt.
Itās silly and itās a small superficial thing by comparison.
Iām trying to learn to just take the victories without having to search for something else to worry about.
Iām feeling better. I have some semblance of an answer to my problem. I am very confident I can get back to the gym next week, although this week I plan on getting in a few times to just do hip/back PT stuff to get back into the swing. Thatāll be my barometer for next week.
I can get back to doing what I want. I gotta just be good with that.
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Hey Tmac, try yoga and pilates for a few months. Focus on muscles and strength in flexibility and see if it helps? It really canāt be a bad thing to tighten up all the surrounding torso? 
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Thanks for the advice.
Yoga poses have been part of my stretching routine for 3-4 years, mostly hip and back stuff. However, I do plan on going to a yoga studio near me - I had one picked out etc and then this happened! lol go figure.
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Iām a novice, only been going for a few/couple of months, but I can say I never want to stop now. Itās taught me first hand how important this is for our future health. I wanna be a strong gal 
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For sure. Definitely in it for long-term health and mobility, especially given my issues. I find I go through it all too fast on my own, formal class helps me slow down and do it right.
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Alright guys, I think I might need a change from my beloved rev pyramids and a bit more organisation w my busy schedule to make gainz across the board, not just on the DLs lol, and come back from this injury saga w some confidence intactā¦ reasearching programs for non-novice lifters and really surprised on the volume of some of them say the nsuns wants 9sets each of two core lifts, including a 1RM (!Lol what?) plus ofc accessories. I would never make that. When I still had time I could do 12 heavy sets plus small stuff. On a leg day. Bit more on pulls but I canāt do those anyway rn.
Iām looking into 531, liking what I see, and wanted to ask @Zeekinout @Dan531 if youse got any spreadsheets for two core lifts per sesh? I know you guys do/did 531 but happy for any advice from anyone else ofc.
Much love. 
PS @Runningfree @Mischa84 I have sth like this and itās great: https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51l9cAdGqvS.jpg
@TMAC itās your journey and youāre on it. I never say this but you got this. Youāll figure it out.
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Itās funny reading this, because I was just about to post this morning about having to switch programs. I was following something similar to that one that I think I sent to you for roughly 9 weeks. And it was entirely too much volume. The workouts were taking me about an 1:30-1:45. And I actually felt like I was getting weaker. I took an entire week off, and last night went back to a traditional PPL workout and felt great during and after.
I canāt help with the 531 cause I never did it but keep us posted if you decide to change up. 
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Happy to read youāre feeling better! Iāve done PPL w reverse pyramids for a few years now. Always heavy and low reps, canāt do any other style, so I think 531 would suit me well.
1:45 is a long time to be pushing hard. I take that long on my longest days incl stretches and physio these days, tho time under load is less. Generally I gotta train shorter tho.
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I hear ya. This was 1:45 of training time and it was calling for 5-6 days a week with supersets and giant sets included. After about 5 weeks, I could feel my body starting to break down a little bit. Iām not a spring chicken anymore. 
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I have no idea what you guys talking about but I love to read it anyway xD
I think Iām getting more and more into weights so maybe some time from now I will be able to talk with you 
Stay strong!
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I know you like logging with paper but I paid for this app (it wasnāt much) and its fantastic 
You can do pretty much anything with this app 
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Very cool, thanks!
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Back in the gym this morning, but just physio and mobility exercises for core/hips/low back. Then I had time to burn so 15min treadmill walk on mild incline and additional stretching.
Felt good to be back in there but also felt strange going back. Iāve never experienced that feeling.
Back is fatigued after, so heat/ice to keep things settled. If today doesnāt cause any regression in my healing, Iāll be back Friday AM for the same routine.
Aiming to return to lifting Monday but not thinking aboit it til Sunday.
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Gotta keep studying. No telling where you can find a place like that
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Something to add: whole new respect for vegetarian/vegan lifters, runners, athletes.
Since early last week, Iāve pretty much removed meat from my diet. I already hadnāt been eating pork for years and beef was a few times a month. However, without fail, I was eating at least half a pound of meat per day - mostly chicken.
Just grew tired of what I eat, and the texture of chicken especially became unappealing.
It is HARD to get in my range of 170 - 220g protein a day. Forget even sniffing 200g. Additionally, at least 90g of it is from supplements - protein powder, bars. Rather get it from real food.
I am aware of the higher protein non-meat options, but none of them are even close to meat in terms of ratio of calories/volume to protein.
Like of course chia seeds are a great protein source when I eat 6 freakin ounces of them lol. I still eat all these alternatives though (chia, flax, lentils, quinoa, walnuts, eggs, fat free cottage cheese, plain fat free greek yogurt, etc) but Iām just scraping 150g protein each day WITH supplements.
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