The Return of the Sloth

[Sloth the Enduring]

I've been away from NF for about a year now but I'm back.

 

A review of the last year:

Last summer I was reasonably fit for an old man (45) and I got back into mountain bike racing.  I did well enough to finish almost exactly in the middle of the men's groups.  At one race I won a really nice frame (foundrycycles.com/bikes/broadaxe) in a raffle.

 

When I went back to school (I teach 6th grade science) I kept in shape with a basic push-pull-squat-hinge + conditioning workout with sandbags, kettlebells, and sledgehammers (www.shovelglove.com).  I worked out balls to the wall just about every morning.  The results were coming, but not fast considering how hard I was working, bodyfat barely budged, little muscle was put on, but my heart rate, blood pressure, and cholesterol all dropped significantly- the men in my family tend to turn 60 and die of a heart attack, so this is important to me.

 

In February my mom went into hospice and I went into a bare maintenance mode, both because my family needed my time and because I couldn't focus on it.  I kept up my daily PT, but my workout became 100 kettlebell swings and maybe some pressing a few times a week.  After my mom passed I kept this up because I had lost my drive.  By this time my body started to rebel against the old workload.  In particular, my fragile back started acting up again and I developed tendonitis in my forearm that would not go away.

 

Once summer finally came I built up the frame into the nicest bike I've ever owned and started focusing on mountain biking and doing The Simple and Sinister workout (basically kettlebells and get-ups) on the days I didn't ride.  I am considerably slower than I was last year and I'm not sure why.

 

This summer I finally started seeing a PT for my back.  She has me on a simple twice a week strengthening program - back extensions, leg press, ab work, and pull downs all done on Nautilis type machines plus daily stretching.  Two weeks ago I cut wood and moved brush, moved bricks through the woods, and moved a garage full of amplifiers - way more than I should have been doing - so last week my back locked up really badly, today it is still tight and weak, but pain-free.  

 

This week I was at a conference in Indianapolis and after being in airports all day or sitting in meetings all day the first thing I did was go for a run, 3 miles in ~ 28 minutes every day.  Not long, not fast, but without stopping.  On one of those runs I realized that I define myself as someone who's active and fit.  I mean I was running, I hate running, but I did it because I had to, I would have gone insane without a physical outlet.

 

My drive is still missing, but it's coming back.  I have four weeks of summer break left; my plan is to continue the PT and the mountain biking or kettlebells and to take a weekly recovery day.  I will finally do the weekly race series.  There are four races left that I can do and I plan to do them all, even if there is a real possibility that I finish in last place.

 

TL;DR old man with bad back does some mountain biking and kettlebells.

[Sloth the Enduring]

Here's how today went. I got up for a 7 am PT. The PT had to drop the weight a lot on the back machine and I still couldn't finish my reps, but he added weight to the other machines.

My plan was to spend about three hours riding after that, but my back was so tight that I decided that riding would be counter-productive and took a three hour nap instead.

I spent the rest of the day hanging out with the boy. But I did end up getting about three miles in on the box bike running errands.

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[Sloth the Enduring]

Today is my mom's birthday. I'm not exactly sad, but I'm distracted...

Last two or three days I've been feeling sick, without actually being sick, you know that beat up, fatigued, don't want to get out bed feeling. Weird.

Yesterday I didn't do much, my back was still too tight and I was too lethargic. I did run errands on the box bike, but the rear sidewall blew out. Luckily I was a few blocks from one of my favorite bike shops and the owner sold me a pair of $50 tires for $30 total. I rode about 5 miles total.

Today, My back is starting to loosen up. I did a bunch of mobility work and rode to a trail, did one lap, decided I better be done (sigh) and rode home, for a total of about 24 miles.

 

 

Here's an old pic. of our boxbike.

[Sloth the Enduring]

Yesterday I started feel normal again, but I was a big ol' crabby butt.  According to Mrs. Sloth, I get that way when I'm not riding enough.  So after watching the kids play at the playground all afternoon I saddled up and rode to the urban trail again.  I managed to ride about an hour before I started riding erratically - that's my signal that it's time to be done, if I don't listen, I start crashing into the trees.  I felt like I was starting to ride fast, but I got passed by a couple of guys like I was standing still.  A small woot: I rode all the way up the uphill rock garden for the first time, I've been trying for five years to do that.  I rode about 24 miles total, 8 of it off-road.

 

Today I had my PT blah, blah, blah; I'm getting kind of tired of it.  Afterwards I drove to a different trail, my legs felt sore and tired, way more than they should for the few miles I've been putting in, so I rode at an easy pace and worked on my handling, mostly trying to corner quicker.  I did about 10 miles; I was hoping for 20.  Tomorrow is going to be a recovery day.

 

After I get off the computer I'm going to wrench all the bikes: new tires on a couple, adjust the brakes on a couple, clean and lube them all.

 

Be the Change

I have two trails that I drive to regularly.  At one people are friendly and say hi and make some trivial small talk with you, at the other people tend to be cliquish and no one talks to you unless they know you.  Now socializing isn't my skill, in fact I think it costs me mana to do it, but I've decided to be the change and start talking to strangers at the trailhead.  I've come up with a three step process:

 

Step 1: Greetings and Salutations, "Hey, how's it going?"

 

Step 2: Pointless, positive comment, "The trails dried out nicely after the rain, they're really fast today."

 

Step 3: Question about their gear, "Is that an SXR fork?  I used to have one, it was smooth as butter.  How do you like it?"

 

Instant conversation.  So far I'm 4 for 4 using this system.  One day I may even level up and be able to talk to people about something besides bikes.  

[Elastigirl]

Glad to see you back! Sorry about your mom. Congrats on the bike ride uphill to the rock garden. Do you think the KB swing had anything to do with hurting your back in the first place? Just asking because people always say if you do it wrong you'll break yourself

[Sloth the Enduring]

Thanks Elasti-Girl.  I'm glad to be back.

 

I would ascribe my bad back to stupidity and an out of balance body, but I was using a kettlebell when it first went out.  In retrospect, it was only a matter of time before something hurt it.

 

After years of bike racing as my sole physical out let my body was out of balance: strong quads/weak hams, strong lower back/weaker upper back and very weak pushing muscles, no core strength (at 8-9% bf I had a big belly because my abs didn't hold everything in), very tight hips (I could barely touch past my knees).  When I started doing shovelglove and kettlebells everything got stronger, a big part of that was because I was finely learning to use my core, but I never did a warm-up or any post work stretching.

 

I hurt my back after reading "10,000 Swings to Fat Loss."  It seemed like a sensible plan at the time... I quickly ramped up from 100 or so two handed swings a day to 500 one handed swings, undoubtably with poor form.  Near the end of a workout, after a couple of weeks of this, I felt the proverbial rubber band snap in my back and I spent the next couple of days curled up on the floor needing my wife to dress me.

 

So, yes, kettlebells can break you, but you seem much more sensible and balanced than me.

 

Now, after two years of working the mobility and focusing on strengthening it (mostly with a KB), my back is stronger than it ever was - as long as I don't act macho and put it out.

[Sloth the Enduring]

My father-in-law died yesterday. He was a good guy and one of the last of the real men.

We went up north right away and I didn't pack any fitness gear, or even shoes for the kids, so I doubt I'll be doing much fitness wise. I hiked a couple of miles with the kids both to get them out of everyone's hair and to give us a physical outlet. I'll probably keep doing that and also my mobility and PT work.

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[Sloth the Enduring]

Holy fuck. I just fell down the stairs. After two weeks of low activity and a week of spending a big chunk of time just sitting or driving back and forth, my back is tight like a harp's string.

I had to crab walk down the stairs and tripped and tumbled down almost from the top.

I have got to get this fixed.

Btw I'm okay, it's just a flesh wound.

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[The Most Loathed]

Whoa! First, I hope you feel as good as can be expected tomorrow, no late signs of soft tissue injures or anything. Second, what's up with your back? Is it something that needs a professionals attention or do you just need to move more? 

[Sloth the Enduring]

Thanks, I don't feel too bad, my arm is stiff, but that's about it.

I hurt my back a couple of years ago and have seen chiropractors and am currently seeing a PT.

Normally getting enough movement to keep it happy is easy, but with everything that's been going on I've been stuck in cars and on couches talking talking to relatives. I need to be better about prioritizing fitness.

Signing off to stretch and roll.

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[Sloth the Enduring]

My father-in-laws funeral was yesterday; hopefully life will get back to normal for us now.

A week ago I saw the first glimmer of speed on the mountain bike which meant I was 2 or 3 weeks out from doing well, but then I didn't ride for a week. This season is officially a bust. I'm going to ride for fun and not worry about getting race fit any more this year.

I'm also going to start the Simple & Sinister block now. Right now, as soon as I hit the send key.

[Sloth the Enduring]

I've got a challenge going, so I'm not sure what to post here...

On Sunday I noticed my tire had mosquito larvae in it, so I flipped it 25 times (it's a baby, 163#) to clear them out. This morning my traps were wicked sore. I cheat and use too much arms.

The last couple of days my kids have been extra clingy, so I did my mobility with them crawling all over me. Yoga is pretty physical with 40 wiggly pounds on your back. I also used them for goblin squats and halos.

Today before I went mountain biking I spent some time practicing going up and over rock piles. I should make that a habit.

[cn3wton]

Hey man I see a lot of stuff about exercise, its good your keeping that up, but what's your diet like? I know you said something about being frustrated about not losing weight in your first post. 

 

Mountain biking sounds awesome. I am sure there are places around me to do it, but my bike (I don't even know if it would work for mountain biking) always seems to have a flat. 

[Sloth the Enduring]

Right now my weight is hovering around 169#.  That's a good weight for me.  Light enough to ride well, big enough for some strength and I fit clothes well (32" waist and size L shirts).  I would like to bring my body fat down some more; right now its probably 18.5% (scale says 17.5).  BTW it peaked at 30% 3.3 years ago at 200 pounds.

 

My diet?  I've always been in the just work it off camp.  If you train hard enough and long enough and are young enough to have lots of testosterone for recovery and are underemployed so you can sleep enough, you really can out train your fork.  So that approach hasn't worked in decades for me.

 

I eat a cleaner version of a typical American diet, although I'm not paleo; I need carbs to fuel my riding and training.  I never eat fried starches (too easy to get excess calories and too much salt), I rarely eat sweets (I'll two or three weeks without and then have a doughnut every day for a week, usually after I've been in an unintentional deficit) and I only drink soda pop if I've ridden two hours or more (I say because I need to reload my glycogen, but really because delicious at that point.  I get fast food once or twice a month - I usually get two cheeseburgers, a crappy salad and an ice tea.  Chipotle isn't fast food is it, I eat that at least weekly in the summer, usually after a good ride.

 

A typical day:

Breakfast - Greek Yogurt, granola, banana, maybe a protein bar or boiled eggs, 14 oz coffee with 2 oz whole milk.

Lunch - sandwich (whole wheat, thick meat, cheese, lettuce, mayo or avacado), big bowl of veggies, small bowl of cottage cheese or two eggs, random fruit, unsweetened ice tea.

Snack - handful or two of mixed nuts and/or protein bar.  I don't particularly like protein bars, but they're so easy.  I don't otherwise snack.

Yeah, I eat the same thing just about every day up to this point.

Dinner - usually veggies, salad, a meat and a big starch (think spaghetti with big meatballs), I skip dessert.

I unintentionally eat in a 12 hour window and usually train fasted.  I eat more on the weekends, but it is often additional carbs (ex. yogurt, granola, fruit + pancakes at breakfast).  I've eaten like this for 3 years or so, less consistently in the beginning.

 

I did MFP a couple of years ago and discovered I was eating ~3300 calories on a typical day (maintenance) and ~4000 calories when I am eating off the chain.  I also was getting ~100 grams of protein, I tried to turn that up, but I didn't feel like that was sustainable without eating at a surplus.

 

Last year I was unintentionally bulking and put on about 10#, but my bf% stayed at 20%, so I didn't sweat it too much.  This past year I've been unintentionally cutting and I've lost that 10#, my lean mass has stayed near 140# (with fluctuations) dropping my bf%, so I'm okay with that too.  Numbers may off, I doubt the accuracy of my scale, but I didn't need a bigger belt when I put on weight and my belt loosened as I lost it.  I weigh and chart daily, if I ever would have a big dip or rise I'd know I had to make changes again.

 

Thanks for asking.  I've been on auto-pilot for a couple of years and haven't thought about my diet in a while.  So what would you suggest for a recomp at 168#?

 

Are you in upstate NY, I only went on one ride there and it was gorgeous.  There are supposed to be epic trails out that way.

[cn3wton]

Yes I am in upstate new york.

 

I have never been in your shoes as far as trying to stay at the same weight while losing body fat. I think some options are strength training and upping protein intake. More muscle means more calorie burning during the day. So that's my only thought. If I figure something out once I reach my goal weight I will let you know.

 

I think it's far more impressive to be able to maintain weight like you have (on auto pilot). 

 

I was a member of the just work it off camp for awhile. But then I started eating better and now my favorite foods make me sick. But there is nothing wrong with eating what you want. I have a friend who eats/drinks whatever and hes pretty low BF. 

[Sloth the Enduring]

Flexing Friday selfie. Lots of room for growth ~13 1/4".

[The Most Loathed]

[Sloth the Enduring]

Hah. That cracked me up. Maybe not now, but check back in June.

[Sloth the Enduring]

Everything is heavy and hard. I guess this week is a deload. I don't think I've been training that hard; too much stress at work? I'll start hitting it hard next week with my new program.

[Sloth the Enduring]

Whoa, that picture is giant on the computer.  I'm glad I am taking some easy days, I woke up in a great mood and kept it all day except for a few minutes when I had to impose order on another teacher's class.  Today and yesterday I didn't do any real training, I just messed around on the TRX thingie and hung out on the pull up bar, that will probably be the plan all week.  

 

Oh, I've also been doing short Yoga videos this week, except not today.  Today I shuttled my kids around and then went to a parent meeting at school.  I could do some now I suppose, but meh.

 

Mystery woot.  My belly has been sitting at around 36" for about a year, over the course of the last challenge it dropped to 35 1/8" +- 1/8".  Weight has been about the same though.  The only thing I can figure is starting to hit the core hard has tightened everything up.

[Sloth the Enduring]

Glad I took some down days. Right now I feel like I did a proper taper and am ready to crush everything. I'm going stick to the plan and wait 'till Monday to hit it hard.

Edit: my coworkers asked if I was off my meds today; this extra energy is being channeled into exuberance. It's kind of weird to be perky at work.

[Sloth the Enduring]

I love this time of day, the world is quiet and I have the house to myself. It's most odd, not too long ago if I was up at six on a Saturday it meant I forgot to go to bed.

Since hanging in retraction and using the strap trainer my shoulders feel healthier than they have in 25 years, I'm anxious to see if that translated to a stronger press. Also, it's weird being able to feel my lats. Also also, I'm back up to 3 reps of chins after being stuck at one forever.

[Sloth the Enduring]

So this morning the younglings are sleeping in and LadySloth and I were staring at our screens and she asks me, "How do you keep doing it (working out) when everything hurts so bad?"  My answer, "I dunno, what else would I do?"  After more thinking, that's really what it boils down to, what else would I do?  I just wish I could train as hard as I want to.  

 

Time to sign off and hit the core.

[Sloth the Enduring]

Edit:  This needs some editing.  I'm parking it here so that I have a place to go to remind myself when I forget to do the right things and hurt my back again.  If it helps you, awesome.

 

Training with an Old Man Back

 

If you have old man back, or any other back ailment, quit listening to some dumb ass on the internets, go see a physical therapist.  Some are good, some aren't, go see another if you feel iffy about the first one.

 

My current thoughts - these are based on my experiences training, talking with my doctors and PTs, and reading.  Standard disclaimer, I'm a dumb ass, not a medical professional, don't listen to me:

 

Mobility:

This is the most important thing, do it first and do it everyday.  But Sloth, won't stretching make me weaker?  Yeah, maybe, if you're working on a 900 pound squat, if you're an average Joe, you won't notice it.  If you do it's the Nocebo effect.  Now go stretch something.

 

• Stretch all the things, go back and stretch the hips even more.  Your hips have tightened up in order to protect your back, that's a good short term solution, but it's hurting you long term, go stretch the hips even more again.  I'm still a novice stretcher, I'm not going to give any advice on how to do this.  I described my routine to the first good PT I worked with and he said "Oh, like the PeeWee football routine.  That's a good start."  I haven't advanced much since then.

 

• Roll stuff, especially your hips and legs.  I've got a pain ball - it's hard and knobby, about the size of a cantaloup - I use it only on my hip flexors.  Good Lord, does it hurt, but it makes me loose enough to move freely and that's the goal.

 

• Yoga - there's lots of science showing Yoga makes bad backs happy.  Do it.  Here's my current Level 1 Yoga Video.  I can't figure out how to embed that, see Dumb Ass.

 

Core

This is the next most important thing, do it next.

 

• Deadbugs - My back finally started to improve after I read this article and started doing them.  There are lots of varieties, pick one and do them.

 

• Planks - you know what these are, do them too.

 

• Stuart McGill's Big Three - Curl Up (a crunch held for time, not reps.), side planks and bird dogs.  When you're doing Bird Dogs, or any other move, make sure you keep a flat neutral spine.  If your belly starts sagging, shut it down, you're done, hit it hard again tomorrow. 

 

Five movements a day might be too much right now.  I do three a day, two days on and one day off.  Figure out a way to get all of these in.

 

Strength Training

Keep tight, brace your core, slow down your reps, use perfect form, as soon as you lose form shut it down, you're done.  Seriously.  People with young, supple backs can get away with fast, sloppy reps, you can't.  Listen to your body, if your back doesn't like something, don't do it.  If you haven't stretched, rolled and worked your core, don't strength train, it's not nearly as important.

 

• Supermans - Everyone starts with these, but a lot of physios think they're terrible.  If you do them, and I don't anymore, listen to your body and do them as static holds for time, just once.

 

• Roman Chair Back Extensions - This is my take home exercise plan from my PT, I am supposed to do them twice a week, one set of 20-30, when I can do 30, I'm to slow down the reps.  These makes my back feel better, like way better.  It may make your back feel way worse, talk to a professional first.  I go down until my back starts to feel tight and back up to a neutral position.  Most images/videos you see show people going up and down way too far.  The picture below is about as far into extension as I go with these.  Also, brace and keep everything tight.

 

 

• Kettlebell Swings - these may be the savior for your back or they may cripple you.  If you don't know which camp you're in, don't do them.  If you do them brace and keep everything tight.

 

• Shovelglove - A different variety that I haven't tried.  Shovelglove makes my back happy.  It's seems like the right amount of spine flexing and twisting to keep everything lubricated without straining things and the right amount of tension to strengthen without breaking things down.  If you do these, start light and for short periods and for the love of all that's holy, brace your core and keep everything tight.

 

 

• Squats - do these too, probably.  A good starting place is body weight squats with your hands above your head.  Goblet squats with a kettlebell or bear hug squats with a sandbag are great, hold at the bottom to loosen your hips.  Brace your core and keep everything tight.

 

• Deadlifts - my last PT just about had a conniption when I asked her about these.  But what does she know, she didn't know who Stuart McGill was or what bird dogs, stir the pots and deadbugs were, so I didn't trust her.  I don't know enough to make a judgement on these, even for myself, so why the Hell are you listening to me, talk to your own PT.

 

• Chin Up or Pull Ups - if you can't do one, do some sort of progression.  These work the postural muscles and help keep you straight.  My back is happier if I do them with my hips flexed so my thighs are at 90 deg. to my trunk because I can brace and keep tight better.  If you have old man back, you may have old man shoulders too - chin ups are healthier for them then pull ups, neutral grip chin ups are healthiest of all.

 

• Anything else you do is gravy.  My PTs had me working on Nautilus type machines.  I believe that was because they are easy and repeatable.  I sincerely believe that free weights, sandbags, kettlebells and body weight variations will show quicker and longer progress because they work all those very important stabilizer muscles.  The routine they had me on was back extensions,nautilus ab twists (don't do these, do side planks), nautilus ab curls (do curl ups for time), hack squats and lat pull downs.  Also, you should curl more, big biceps will make you proud and you'll stand up and walk straighter which will prevent your back from being an asshole.  Seriously.

 

Cardio

• Walk, walk, walk.  Everyday.  Walking makes everything better.  Even on those days when I felt like I needed a walker, walking made it better.  If you have time for two things stretch and walk.  Here's a tip I got from Pavel, walk with your hips (or belly) leading.  Most Americans walk with their shoulders leading and it's kind of like you're falling forward.  This keeps my back happy, maybe because it makes it easier to maintain decent posture.

 

Other Tips

• I'll add to this later.

 

I wanted to consolidate my thinking and get it in one place.  Instead of just sticking it in my training log, I thought I'd post it just in case it was useful for anyone else. But seriously I'm a dumb ass, if I wasn't I wouldn't have hurt my back.  Talk to your own professional before you use any of the things that have helped me.

[Sloth the Enduring]

I slowly came to a realization over the last few days.  Fitnesswise, I've been living in the past.  It's awesome that I used to be able to be competitive over a 100 mile road race or a 24 hour mountain bike race.  Likewise, it's great that I could pop off sets of 8 chin ups just a year and a half ago.  But it doesn't matter, that person doesn't exist any more.  I can't let who I was dictate how I think about myself.  I have to stop comparing myself to him.  It just isn't helping who I am now become who I can be.

 

It's time to focus on who I am now.  Focus on what I can do to make myself the best Sloth I can be.  

 

I think it's time for an assessment of where I am and where I can realistically be by next year without past me was getting in the way of the possibilities.