Shredheads

Dear Shredheads - 30 Day Shred Plank Twists Hurt

Whenever I do [plank twists, the last ab workout of Level 2] it feels like I am crunching bones in my pelvis or something. It feels yucky not like a burn. Thoughts as to what I am doing wrong? - Lindsay

Well I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who has had problems with those!  I'd never thought to describe it that way, but yeah, that description fits.

As I worked my way through Level 2, and my muscles got stronger, this got a little better.  But what made a bigger difference was my playing around with various angles and body positions through the twisting motion to find what worked for me.  What helps me is to raise my palms up off the ground while I'm twisting through (so my fingers are flat against the ground, but my palms are off), and to slightly bend the arm that's on the same side as the leg that's moving.  So if you're pulling your right leg over to the left, try bending your right arm very slightly.

Something else you might want to try is doing the plank on a raised surface (like the edge of a bed, couch, or table).  The incline will make the move a little easier, but will allow you to actually focus on the muscles you're working rather than a grindy pelvis.

Another ab move I have the same problem with is the straight-legged raises, where you're holding the dumbells up like you're doing a chest press.  This one makes my hips/pelvis/something make a loud popping noise too.  To prevent that, I no longer use the dumbells, and I put my hands down kind of under my butt.  This changes the angle and things feel MUCH better.

The important thing to remember is that you can play around a little with your form to find what works for your body.

- Bill

What do you think...do you have a hard time with these?  What do you do?

Treating Your Injuries

Note: my ramblings should not be taken in place of advice from a real doctor.  If you are injured, please consult with a physician.

At some point, pretty much everyone who exercises is going to get some kind of injury.  Earlier this month I messed up my knee.  Yes, less than two months away from the Tiarathon, and my knee decides not to cooperate.  So what did I do?

I ran on it one more time.  In the snow.

You know what?  It turns out that running on a hurt leg isn't really a doctor-approved method of treatment.  And of course later in the day, my knee was really hurting.  So I decided to do what I should have done the day before.  The classic RICE treatment.  If you get any kind of minor strain, sprain, or pulled muscle, you should do this immediately.  (Of course, if it's really bad you should also see a doctor right away.)

What is RICE, you may ask?

R - Rest
This is the no-brainer part of the RICE treatment.  Stop using it so it can begin healing.  What I should have done as soon as it started hurting.

I - Ice
Ice will help keep swelling down, and will also help with any pain.  You may have seen how I iced my knee in a very manly way.  You can also use regular ice packs, frozen vegetables, wet paper towels that you put in baggies in the freezer...whatever you can get to wrap around the injury.  Just don't put the ice on bare skin, and only ice for around 15 minutes at a time.

C - Compression
I have to admit, for this particular injury I didn't have swelling so I didn't use compression.  But had it swollen AT ALL, I'd have put one of my knee braces on it.  You can also use an ACE bandage.  Swelling inhibits the healing process, so you want to prevent it as much as possible.

E - Elevate
I'm not sure if elevating my knee had a big effect, or if just helped remind me to rest it, but it definitely felt good to get it raised up.  If you have any swelling, raising it above your heart will help reduce it.

After a couple of days of treatment, your injury may begin healing.  Mine didn't feel better so I made an appointment with the doctor for later in the week.  Even though my knee felt better by the time I got in, I still went.  The doctor recommended some extra stretching and light massaging of the injured parts.

And fortunately, he told me I could keep running on it as long as it kept feeling better.  So I'm still Tiarathon-bound!  Even a couple of days late, RICE to the rescue!

- Bill