So Wheres You Been?

An excellent question! It's been quite an interesting last few weeks, so let's start back then.

2 weeks ago was my last training session before heading to San Francisco for a conference. Upon my return, my wife and I were slated to compete in the Washington State USAPL Championships.

Well, when I landed in Seattle on Friday, I was supposed to take a shuttle to Olympia, WA to meet my wife at the hotel. She was going to compete in the AM, and I was slated to compete on Sunday. Unfortunately, within an hour of getting of the plane, my right leg swelled up to the point of being immobile. We decided it was not a good idea for me to compete, and my wife gave up her spot at the meet to come home and help me out.

I tweeted about my symptoms, and almost immediately received messages from my parents as well as some other good friends (including Bob Wanamaker, who has been an invaluable friend and resource for strength training) expressing concern that I may have a blood clot. I had just assumed it was from walking around all week. After my parents made my wife promise to take me to the doctor, we went in. After hearing my symptoms (and seeing the doctor's eyes widen more and more as I listed them), they sent me immediately to get a venous ultrasound. After a couple of hours they found no clots, offering explanations varying from having had a clot that resolved itself to compartment syndrome to just me being a wuss from walking around so much the previous week. I'll take being a wuss no problem here.

I kept an eye on it all week and the symptoms are now happily all gone. Since we missed last week's meet, we wanted to get one in before USAPL Raw Nationals in August. We managed to find an AAU meet in Las Vegas of all places, in 3 weeks, and made travel plans today (as well as reservations to Craftsteak, ooooh yes.)

With 3 weeks till the meet and only 2 real weeks to train, and coming off this weird injury, I naturally decided today would be a great day to deadlift! And so deadlift I did:

A1. Mobility

Leg Swings

Squat Pulls

Glute-Ham Bridges

B1. Deadlift

5 x 135#

4 x 225#

2 x 275#

1 x 315#

1 x 365#

1 x 385#

Felt pretty good for such a long layoff.

C1. SSB Squat Box Squats

3 x 8 x 225#

D1. One-Armed Rows

4 x 6 x 90#

I had planned on doing some one-armed OH pressing here, but I was pretty spent and decided not to push it. I did some hip and shoulder prehab and called it quits.

Here's to hoping I stay healthy for this meet in 3 weeks. Although if I'm not, we're going to Vegas anyways. :)