A Cathe chronological rotation and reflecting on the past

[ChelePA]

Hard Strikes with weighted gloves seated. Skipped the Conditioning Drills chapter. Added on bonus bag upper body tabatas, bicep challenge and core without planks.

Continued wishes for good health to all.

[bee]

Linda, I really should foam roll more often. I only think to do it when I'm feeling sore, but it should probably be a regular practice! I'll go do some after this.

This morning I had another "new" (to me) Cathe to try: X25. I took a page from your book and just picked the first premix. It was Cardio Blast + HiLo. Boy she just kept that pace at a high level the whole time. I had to do some marching in place sometimes to catch my breath. I did some extra stretching afterward which always feels good.

Have a nice day!

[kittybug]

Originally Posted by bee

Hi All!

I wanted to ask you all..... at the beginning of 2019 I was trying to recover from some sort of hamstring/sciatica, something or other problem. I went to physical therapy for 12 weeks, and he just uncovering things. After that it took a while to build back up to regular workouts. So, I feel like I spent a lot of last year not doing all that much. Well, now my legs still feel so weak. My butt gets really sore if I work my legs hard -- so sore that I can't really sit down or stand up without feeling pain. So I backed way off and I do a lot of lower body work either unweighted or with really light weights. Static lunges are really hard for me -- I don't know if it's tight hip flexors or just being weak. Any thoughts on what might be going on or what I should do? Probably not -- I've probably not done a good job describing, but if anyone has any thoughts I'd appreciate it.

Oh, Bee, I feel you! I had something similar to what you described, some weird injury that happened some weird way about five years ago. I was never sure if it was my piriformis, SI joint, back, hamstring...it affected that entire area on one side with horrible sciatic pain and felt very unstable. And I couldn't do anything, not impact activity, not heavier weights, without having to lie flat for hours afterwards in terrible pain. Even yoga and Essentrics type stuff would aggravate it.

I'm not sure if the cycling class I ended up taking a couple times a week for over a year is what healed it, but that's when things drastically improved for me. Cycling was the only thing that didn't aggravate it and ironically the thing that helped, so I can't help but wonder if it strengthened something I wasn't able to strengthen any other way? Regardless, that is what led me to being able to strength train again, do impact stuff again, etc. Or maybe it was just time that helped, I really don't know.

Bottom line, I'm sorry you're experiencing that. I know how miserable it is! Hugs to you!

[Taiga]

Originally Posted by bee

Hi All!

.... I wanted to ask you all..... at the beginning of 2019 I was trying to recover from some sort of hamstring/sciatica, something or other problem. I went to physical therapy for 12 weeks, and he just uncovering things. After that it took a while to build back up to regular workouts. So, I feel like I spent a lot of last year not doing all that much. Well, now my legs still feel so weak. My butt gets really sore if I work my legs hard -- so sore that I can't really sit down or stand up without feeling pain. So I backed way off and I do a lot of lower body work either unweighted or with really light weights. Static lunges are really hard for me -- I don't know if it's tight hip flexors or just being weak. Any thoughts on what might be going on or what I should do? Probably not -- I've probably not done a good job describing, but if anyone has any thoughts I'd appreciate it.....

I'm concerned that you can't be more specific about your original diagnosis. Did you see an orthopedist or sports med doc? Were your symptoms bilateral or limited to one leg? Did you have an MRI of your low back as part of your evaluation? Sciatica type symptoms can come from impingement by muscles in the butt/hip (piriformis etc) but also from spine/disc issues. Numbness and tingling or weakness in the legs (not just pain) can be signs of compression in the spine.

If you feel comfortable that your doc/PT fully diagnosed and resolved the original issue, then it seems reasonable that inactivity or even the nerve impingement itself could have resulted in some muscle atrophy and loss of flexibility. If that is the case, I would add a daily mobility session (and foam rolling as mentioned earlier). I would also reduce standing leg work and focus more on glute work and flexibility (esp in anterior chain/hip flexors). If you are doing a lot of lunges/squats without proper glute activation, this can worsen the problem. You will not get proper lengthening in the hip flexors if the glutes are weak and vice versa. Floor work (bridges esp) and stretching/mobility work can be very helpful in regaining glute strength.

ETA: Glutes are supposed to be the main drivers in static lunges. If they are not activating properly, it can put more demand on leg muscles. This is not good for you hip or knee joints and can give you the sense that your legs feel weak when in fact they are just being asked to do more now. You may want to assess glute activation on each side separately. Get into bridge position and extend 1 leg up in the air while lifting. How does the right compare to the left? How does hip flexor stretching compare on each side?


How to balance your glutes

How hip flexors affect glute activation

Sample of some glute activation exercises



You might also be interested in articles/clips on "gluteal amnesia" aka dead butt syndrome.

FYI--Bands can be very helpful in using floor work to rehab and restore balance in butt/hips.

[bee]

Originally Posted by Taiga

I'm concerned that you can't be more specific about your original diagnosis. Did you see an orthopedist or sports med doc? Were your symptoms bilateral or limited to one leg? Did you have an MRI of your low back as part of your evaluation? Sciatica type symptoms can come from impingement by muscles in the butt/hip (piriformis etc) but also from spine/disc issues. Numbness and tingling or weakness in the legs (not just pain) can be signs of compression in the spine.

If you feel comfortable that your doc/PT fully diagnosed and resolved the original issue, then it seems reasonable that inactivity or even the nerve impingement itself could have resulted in some muscle atrophy and loss of flexibility. If that is the case, I would add a daily mobility session (and foam rolling as mentioned earlier). I would also reduce standing leg work and focus more on glute work and flexibility (esp in anterior chain/hip flexors). If you are doing a lot of lunges/squats without proper glute activation, this can worsen the problem. You will not get proper lengthening in the hip flexors if the glutes are weak and vice versa. Floor work (bridges esp) and stretching/mobility work can be very helpful in regaining glute strength.

ETA: Glutes are supposed to be the main drivers in static lunges. If they are not activating properly, it can put more demand on leg muscles. This is not good for you hip or knee joints and can give you the sense that your legs feel weak when in fact they are just being asked to do more now. You may want to assess glute activation on each side separately. Get into bridge position and extend 1 leg up in the air while lifting. How does the right compare to the left? How does hip flexor stretching compare on each side?


How to balance your glutes

How hip flexors affect glute activation

Sample of some glute activation exercises

Thanks, kittybug! And Taiga, thanks for all of this. I think it was originally a piriformis problem -- but I definitely had some numbness/cold sensation on one side. As the PT worked with me, we figured out I also had a very weak core that maybe had contributed, so we worked on that, too. I never had any more of a medical diagnosis and never an MRI, but I do feel like my issue was resolved. And these days it doesn't bother me, but I'm aware of the problem and know how to do things so it won't aggravate it. That said, I think you are on to something with the glute weakness, and guessing I should be doing more floor work as you suggest. I haven't watched your videos yet, but definitely will and I really appreciate the time you spend replying on this!! Thank you!

[cataddict]

Today I did the freebie Cathe Live at noon---Love Me Some Kickboxing, I think it was called. It was tough and a real sweatfest! At least it was for me. It's hot outside today and noon is not in my workout sweet spot, time-wise (that would be from 3pm-7pm normally), so I'm not positive if it was really as hard as I thought it was. It was also longer than many of the Lives, clocking in at 57 minutes. Good stuff!

bee, don't have any advice to share, but sending positive vibes your way.

kittybug, I like your rotation! I enjoy Michele's workouts too. I find the Cardio and Weights ones move too fast in the weight sections for me to match Michele's weight. I have to take care of my temperamental shoulders and don't want to be flailing around too much. Did you get the email she sent out about doing a mini Peak 10 rotation on her private channel? It's $99 and I'm not positive if I could get a good enough internet signal to do the rotation, so I'll have to pass.

ChelePA, good for you at devising creative modifications as you recover!

Kim, Manley, FOLV, KateTT, enjoy what's left of the weekend!

[manleym]

Hi All! I hope you are all having a good day!

ChelePA, I'm glad to read you are finding some premixes you can do sitting down. I hope your foot is healing and yay for you for keeping on.

Fanolfladyvols, sorry you won't be joining us for the next round of Cathe. Keep touching base and letting us know what and how you are doing. We love having you on here and miss you when you don't post.

Cataddict and Bee how nice to have access to fresh eggs! I'm sure it's like everything else - fresh ALWAYS tastes better, no matter what it is. We have 2 neighbors that have chickens. They're on the other end of the street, but I may need to make friends with them.

I like your idea Cataddict of trying Cathe Lives to see if there are any I would like to buy. I've been checking her schedule and so far have only been able to do 1 of them. I'm hoping to add more in this week.

Kittybug, I'm liking your rotation for next week! I will probably try to add some Lives in there somewhere. If not then I'll add KCM, Michelle, or Tracie.

Friday was Cathe's 4DS Kickboxing. I did the kickboxing twice, no weights. Used weighted gloves for the punches. Yesterday was KCM Body Shop (combined workouts) and Eoin Finn's Shoulder High. He cracks me up.

Stay fierce and strong my friends! And please take very good care of yourselves! Please keep us updated on how things are with and around you. I've been praying for health and safety for all of you.

HUGE virtual hug!!!

[Taiga]

Originally Posted by bee

Thanks, kittybug! And Taiga, thanks for all of this. I think it was originally a piriformis problem -- but I definitely had some numbness/cold sensation on one side. As the PT worked with me, we figured out I also had a very weak core that maybe had contributed, so we worked on that, too. I never had any more of a medical diagnosis and never an MRI, but I do feel like my issue was resolved. And these days it doesn't bother me, but I'm aware of the problem and know how to do things so it won't aggravate it. That said, I think you are on to something with the glute weakness, and guessing I should be doing more floor work as you suggest. I haven't watched your videos yet, but definitely will and I really appreciate the time you spend replying on this!! Thank you!

You're welcome! I really hope it helps! It's such a bummer dealing with impediments to the exercise we all love. Maybe the current climate will allow us to do more self care at least. Best wishes

[kittybug]

Taiga, thank you for all of that information, it's really helpful! I suspect that was partly my issue as well, though it's largely resolved now.

Cataddict, shoot, I'm not subscribed to Michelle's stuff but I probably should be. I too have issues with streaming, so it probably wouldn't be an option for me. Interesting that I've never had issues with Leah's streaming but she puts things into short chunks rather than full-length vids, and that might be why.

Fanofladyvols, you inspired me today...I didn't do foam rolling but I did use a tennis ball on a chronically tender area of one of my hamstrings (I sit on the ball and roll it on the spot) because I'd forgotten about doing that and it's super helpful! And the original pyramids are SO awesome! Pyramid Upper is still my gold standard for Cathe upper body split workouts. Enjoy and report in!

Kim and everyone doing the much older workouts, I love hearing about them!!

ChelePA, are you in a full cast or an air boot or...? Just curious...

Manleym, I was also thinking about you and KateTT and Fanofladyvols during my workout today because I think you all would love it as much as I did! I did STS Total Body and am now so ashamed that it's sat on my shelf unused for so long! I think I was intimidated (?) by the math talk, you know, 65% of one rep blah blah blah whatever it is. I've been working out with Cathe long enough now to have a better idea of what weights I'm capable of using, so I just lifted as heavy as I figured I could and got a fantastic workout! It was even metabolic for me because she moves, moves, moves. My heart rate stayed pretty elevated the whole time. I LOVE this workout! It's definitely on my list of total body faves of hers now! And it is a nice contrast to the more endurance-oriented stuff I'll do the rest of the week.

Please stay healthy (and fierce!) everyone (and I apologize if I forgot anyone)! Sending good vibes to you all!

[ChelePA]

You ladies are so wonderful responding to each person individually. I’m failing in this area. I love reading everyone’s updates.

For those who asked, I’m in a boot. I have to stay off my foot as much as possible so the bone doesn’t displace. I mainly use crutches to get around. Hoping as time progresses l, I can put more weight on my foot to walk.