22 Dec Brian Carroll | Progress and always learning

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I’ve a few bumps in the road as explained here: training update. They have been ever present, unfortunately. But, nothing is linear and it’s certainly not perfect.

In my last training update, I posted about how I tweaked my pec. Tweak, strain, tear (same shit) – if it’s not a tendon rupture, in many cases (not Zane’s, he tore his Pec Major in half) it will just be a little time away.

The odd thing is it’s near the sternum, while in the past, this has not been where I’ve hurt it. It’s usually been right in the ‘heart’ of the muscle belly, where the muscle is the thickest. Think of lifting your arm and ‘grabbing the meat of the pec.’

The bottom line:
I have simply taken on too much since before Thanksgiving. I still think I recover as a teenager, not a 36yr old man with a lifting age of 50. This was a reality check for me.

As I said, aside rehab (‘BBC 101’ protocol, which is magical, BTW) rest, ice, heat and light blood flow stimulation (I didn’t rehab for a week, only RICE) via DB presses (high volume, low intensity), push-ups + band flye’s etc, I’m taking another week or 2 off from all training, before I start lower body again.

I simply got very greedy. I deserve to be sick and slightly beat up right now, and I own it. I just finished antibiotics for my second cold, and then last weekend, I got a bug bite that was swollen and hot on my arm which didn’t look right, so I wanted to be smart about that.. So I am running a more aggressive antibiotic now, to ensure avoiding an infection. LOL

But, I got a shit-load of things accomplished this last month/month and a half and would have only treated my training differently, not the punch-list that I got knocked out (that I’ve put off forever), which was:

-Wisdom teeth pulled (this is a much bigger deal for those out of their teens-20’s)
-Minor surgery removing cyst (genetic)
-Dermatologist screening/stuff (TMI)
-Sleep study/new CPAP (haven’t had a study in 11 years)
-Completely reworked/touched up my whole upper body half sleeves and back piece (about 16hrs)
-Restructured the entire PRS website (still ongoing)
Concerning training:
-Used offseason to experiment with SDP and how to wear it (big one I’ve neglected)
-Attacked weak points on squat/bench/dead
Unfortunately, the latter two training goals lead to me being under-recovered and sick for most of the last month, which likely set me up for tweaking my pec. This is all culmulative stress, inside and outside the gym.

Now that I have a lot off my plate (that I left there), once recovered, my plan is to get back to training early Jan.

I’m heading on a much-needed vacation for a week in the mountains and will post about my plan going forward for next year and how I plan to manage my life a little bit better.

I’m looking forward to getting back to training with big plans of all sorts in 2018. Stay tuned!

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Brian Carroll

Brian is a world-class powerlifter with over two decades of elite and pro-level powerlifting under his belt. Coming back from a devastating back injury in 2012 that broke multiple bones and that most experts said he would never recover from, he has returned to the pinnacle of world-class lifting (while 100% pain and symptom-free) and is now dedicated to helping others avoid the same mistakes that he made in the past through private and group coaching in Jacksonville, FL. Brian’s impressive recovery has given him the opportunity to teach and deliver talks to physical therapists, chiropractors, medical doctors, professional strength & conditioning coaches and experts from all facets of sport, on how to avoid injury, while building anti-fragile strength and resilience in athletes.

Latest posts by Brian Carroll (see all)

• Why the McGill Method MUST be Different than traditional physical therapy - May 11, 2023
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• Training the CORE for Strength Athletes by Dr. McGill Part 3 - May 1, 2023