Well, things are still looking better and better. I'm at the point where I'm starting to get deep muscle massage, which fucking H-U-R-T-S when being applied. However, when one stands from having that done to one's thigh, it is surprisingly relaxed and moveable. It's definitely helping me get back on my feet as it were.

I'm very happy with the exercises that I have been doing as part of physio, as there are some solid torso and arms only things I do to balance out the load.

Been doing 3x10Rx20lbs on the wobble board with bicep curls, overhead presses, and tricep extensions. Works the core and legs to keep stability, and the arms and torso to power the weight up. It's nowhere near my max, but it still gets a good sweat going. I then do 3x10x20lbs presses and pectoral flies on the weight bench. Going to go up to 25 lbs next week, feeling good on those.

My left leg (groin tear, weak leg) can now press 80 lbs reliably, but is NOT happy bending. My right leg can easily go over 140 lbs, but I'm keeping it at 80 lbs so it's even with the left. Do 3x10Rx80lbs per leg (solo) and then one set of both legs together at 160 lbs.

Hamstring curls are the weakest right now, I'm taking it carefully with those as the gracilis is a hamstring muscle, I'm doing 30 lbs per leg for two sets, then 40 lbs per leg for final set.

I still can't do plyometrics nor proper squats, but we're working on that now with quarter squats and wall squats with a big exercise ball to lean against so I do some core work too.

As to returning to P90X... I got 4 and a bit weeks into it, I was injured during my recovery week after a 1 week restart. I'm actively talking with my physio and kines specialists and they're saying that I could be back into it at half-effort by October 4 if all goes well, so I might change up the rotation and do the lesser impact P90X Lean routine first time around to build tolerance and lose flab, then pump out P90X standard for the second round.

As to current stats.... surprisingly, despite being on my ass for over a month now, I'm stable at 217 lbs average. I would have thought I'd have gathered a lot more flab, because I'm only doing a light workout for 2 hours a day vs the intense kind that P90X is. My arms are also noticeably bigger in the biceps, and feel more solid, like there is more mass there. I chalk up the weight management and lower flab gain due to eating properly. No bad snacks, and keeping up the 6 meals a day, smaller portions.

This, of course, means I need to go out and buy a set of 25 lbs dumbells <_< :D

Anyways, things are getting better day by day. I can actually walk with much less a limp now, and can put SOME weight on my leg.

Post-MRI....

And the tear is healed ^____________________^

I'm only halfway out of the woods though. Now comes the long, arduous climb back to 100% function, which I'm told is at least 2 more weeks, if not more.

Well, I just wanted to drop a quick line and let people know what was up. And so I have. I go sleep now. -_-zzz

Recovery progress

Well, long time, no post o_O

Things have been progressing well since my injury, which was determined as a 30% Grade 2 Groin Strain (meaning some muscle fibers tore, but only about 30% of the entire gracilis muscle). I've been attending physiotherapy three times a week, and I must say that with the physio, it is really helping speed up recovery. Even this past week, I've gone from barely able to stand to being able to walk up and down stairs, albeit VERY slowly and carefully.

Rob, my physiotherapist at the U of C, is awesome. Gave me a list of stretches and exercises, showed me how to isolate the gracilis out so I don't put undue strain on it while it recovers, and is all around awesome :)

As to P90X... that won't resume until at least mid-September, because I have to be 100% cleared and have had a physical before I can return, as per Rob's suggestion. As he also does the program, he suggested a shortened redo of phase 1, ie 2 weeks, then a recovery week and on to phase 2. Still, with all the rest, my body has normalized out and my weight is sitting steady at 212 lbs (down from a start weight of 219), and my hips have stabilized to 38 inches (down from 40.5). For only a month of the program (added to the work I was doing, which was pretty heavy duty), I think those are nice results.

Also, I reconnected with a friend of mine from High School, and she is a cross country runner. I'm hoping that, once I am back to health, I can start running with her so I have someone to keep me going and show me how to ramp up to distance running (I'm still aiming to run in the Mother's Day 10k)

On the hobby side, this unexpected downtime has allowed me to simply STEAMROLL through writing projects I had been putting off for a while. I reedited Silverlight (my sci-fi novel) and made some major improvements that I think will make it more marketable, I am deep into Dark War, my new webseries novel that I am making with a friend of mine, and I have begun work on my most ambitious fanfiction project ever (a throwback to my roots as I started my writing way back in the mid-90's with a fanfic about One Must Fall 2097). It's daunting because the source universe is loved by millions, and has to be treated with respect and proper diligence in research.

So, the word is: Mid-september. I have at least 2 more weeks, maybe 3, of physio and at least two more assessment appointments (range of motion, weight bearing ability, etc). Here's hoping!

Well shit :\

Well, I'm finally coherent enough to make a post. I had just finished my recovery week (well, mostly) and was at work yesterday, looking forward to the workout after working....

To make a long story short, I was hauling a compost bin onto the truck, one filled to the rim with wet coffee grounds (yay rainy days -_-) and I braced my core and legs to pull it off up the ramp. As I pulled, something which I did every day for the past 3 or so weeks, absolute fire ripped down through my groin and lower abdomen. So much so, that I was laid flat for about half a minute. Getting to my feet, my left leg, at the groin connector, couldn't take any weight.

Five hours later, after being poked and prodded and xray'd at the hospital, I have a partial tear in my muscle that attaches from the groin area of the pelvis to the thigh area of the leg. Not being an anatomy major, I have no clue about the name of the muscle. I just know that I have to ice it pretty much constantly, and it hurts like a bleeding motherfucker.

So, I'm off workouts (and work) until August 25,2010. Hooray me :\ And even then, I have to check with the doctor (awesomely funny guy, so not much of a hassle :D) to make sure I'm cleared to resume working out.

I know that many that said I wouldn't/couldn't make it will jump on this news like sharks on a pool of chum, but frankly, let them. I don't give two shits about what they think, or about the posts and misinformation they will undoubtedly try to spread about this. I know who I'm doing this whole thing for, and it's not for them, so let them think what they will. Once I'm 100% cleared to resume working out, I will.

I'm just thankful the muscle tore, but didn't seperate. Seperation = surgery = end of workouts for months. With a tear, I should be back on my feet in a week, and back working out, if all goes well, within a couple of weeks. Fingers crossed.

And now to go get blasted on Percocet again, as my groin muscles are telling me in no uncertain terms: ow. fuck. ow. ow. fuck. ow.

Where did he go?!?

Well, I got a job is where I went.

First thing's first: I AM STILL ON THE PROGRAM.

I haven't quit, and I have had some people whine a bit because I couldn't be on the internet 12 hours a day anymore so they just assumed that I had dropped out of P90X and let's just say that a couple pages of a thread on a forum are dedicated to people erroneously posting defaming and wrong things about me.

Ah well, it's the internet (shrug). Haters gonna hate.

Anyways, to progress: I've lost 8 lbs total average, and I am already down to a size 38 waist (I started at size 40 waist). At this rate, I should be size 36 in August or September. I am lifting my heavier weights with more reps, so I definitely feel that muscle growing.

I also work a heavy labor job (recycling company, hauling around bins weighing between 30-300 lbs (depending on if empty, full of specific types of material, etc) as well as starch bags full of plastic, paper, etc, as well as picking up compost bins we provide to companies) that has me burning some serious calories during the day. I have kept my diet steady, carbs and protein in the morning, protein at lunch, recovery stuff at dinner, etc. I'm pretty much running a caloric deficit which I think has helped with the flab loss.

Sooooo yeah, don't expect daily updates for the moment. I'm getting home totally wiped and then doing a hard hour to hour and half of exercise before I shower and eat :P So if I don't get around to blogging that often, well, hey, dems da breaks. Live with it ;)

Day 3: Arms and shoulders, confidence and assertiveness.

Wow... while not the world's hardest workout overall (but CERTAINLY not easy), arms and shoulders works said body parts to pain and suffering and growth o_O I found the static arm curls to be particularly vicious doing the last few reps. Although I will state that I think the hardest exercise of the bunch is the seated shoulder fly's, not so much when your back is straight, but when you lean forward and do the fly, oh dear GOD do those burn. I was shaking after that specific exercise.

I did do the bonus round, and all I have to say about those three exercises is: OW.

Ab ripper X was kinda half assed today, only went till I got the shaking burn, not till failure as I did on Monday. I wanted to get the workout, but also my abs were still hellaciously sore from Monday, so I took it easy on them. You do ab ripper 3 times a week, so one half-ass day shouldn't cause TOO much damage to the overall results.

On another front, a lot of people have been asking why I do a video and a blog everyday.... to be honest, it's the other half of my transformation. I was a shy, reclusive, not very confident person. Now that I'm forcing myself to video, write, and expose all my failings/successes to the unknown masses, it's helping build confidence in myself and breaking down the shyness barrier ever so slightly each day. It doesn't work to blast the body into shape without also reforming the mind to accompany it.

It's part of a 6 month transformation, and I'm hoping that I'm as assertive, confident and uninhibited in December as I was in 2002, when I was still fit.

That's all for now, here's the post workout vid!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sbHN3T1QcE

Day 2: Plyometrics X and the doubters grow....

Well, Plyo X is actually a really doable workout, and my god do you get a good sweat on. The reality of plyo, to me, is all in the head. I KNOW I'm on course for a good result and I know that I ain't quitting. So I just clench my teeth, get those last two leapfrog laterals, rock hops, knee jumps, whatever out, give a little scream of pain, recover (by mopping up the sweat puddle so I don't slip while Tony explains the next move) and then get right back into it.

Something I don't understand, though, is despite all this determination, sweat, and even a near puke so far (day 1's queasyness after ab ripper), people are still going "lawl you aren't really working out hard." Well, uh, yeah, I am. Sure, I'm not going max revs yet, but I'm going 85%-90% as suggested on all the forums with all the P90X threads I've read. "Ease into it the first week by going near max, then the rest, go all out"

So, my statement to those detractors, is simply: go somewhere else, troll.

If there is a legitimate concern, then I will listen. But from now on, anyone that blatantly trolls? Ignored.

Anyways, looking forward to using the chinup station tomorrow. Glue has dried and the test hang (my dad on one arm, me on the other, and it barely flexed) has my confidence in the build. Ready to rock! RAH! \m/ >_< \m