Thanks to physical therapy, the upper left leg injury is feeling better. Way better than it was before. I think I should still go back to light lower body lifting for a while longer just so I can make the physical therapist happy. I’m gonna go to physical therapy for about a month ’cause they want to strengthen a few things on my lower body. They’re noticing that my hips and glutes are pretty weak and that’s what they gotta strengthen.

I agree that my hips and glutes (or what they call the butt/ass) are pretty weak and I gotta strengthen those pretty badly. The P.T. gave me exercises and stretches for me to do at home everyday and I have been doing them everyday at home.

At the gym on leg day, I’ve also gotten back into doing the hip abductor machine which targets the hips & glutes. I’ve also gotten back into the glute ham raise and also started doing barbell hip thrusts again. I really gotta strengthen my glutes ’cause it would also help with my barbell squats and deadlifts. If you want to have bigger numbers in squats and deadlifts having strong hips and glutes would really help.

So I think I gotta do some lighter deadlifting for a little while, just light and high reps. I’ll get back into big deadlifting and squatting real soon.

I think I’m gonna get back into doing yoga classes too ’cause they recommended that I should get back into yoga. This Spring/Summer I’ll probably get back into yoga full time again ’cause I really need flexibility pretty badly. I’m not that flexible but working on it. I still do yoga stretches at home on my own.

I’m trying to get back into full-time powerlifting training. I’m doing heavy benching again, though ’cause I’m free of injuries in upper body.

Physical therapy is good. If you feel that your body is beat up or if you’re injured in some muscles anywhere, a physical therapist is recommended going to. They are way better than surgery anyway.

Anyhow, you all are probably wondering my thoughts on all this Corona Virus craze going on and I’ll have a blog post on that soon. Stay tuned.

Kev

So some people are trying to understand the sport of powerlifting and there’s gonna be plenty of people will be misinformed about the “sport” for sure. Yes, powerlifting looks very dangerous and “scary” but like the title of the topic says, it’s actually the safest sport there is. It really is. I know how some of your friends and family would get scared of your heavy lifting all the time but many don’t understand that “heavy lifting” is the name of the game in “powerlifting”. I mean, they don’t call it “powerlifting” for no reason.

All that heavy lifting they do seems scary and dangerous but once you actually get into it, you would realize that it’s actually very safe and very easy. It can be safe and easy as long you know what you’re doing, lifting in good form and good technique. “Powerlifting” can only be dangerous if you’re getting injured frequently and lifting in terrible technique all the time. It can also be dangerous if you’re always maxing out without spotters. Be responsible in powerlifting and it can be very safe and very easy.

When I first got into powerlifting, I’ll admit that I was a bit scared and nervous first but once you do your first powerlifting meet, you’ll immediately realize how easy and safe it is. At a powerlifting meet, if you fail a lift and get in trouble… not too worry ’cause you’ll be surrounded by spotters anyway for each lift. The people at the meets will you make you feel safe competing. That’s their job.

During your training sessions during the off-seasons, it can be very safe training by yourself as long as you’re lifting weights that you can do and lifting in good form. You don’t need to go for 1 rep maxes each time you hit the gym and I made that mistake when I first started out in powerlifting.

During your strength training sessions, squatting by youreslf can be safe as long as you’re in a power/squat rack and the gym that I go to does have one. You don’t really need a spotter for deadlift at gyms ’cause it’s easy to get out of a failed deadlift by yourself. When you’re benching, it’s okay to bench by yourself as long as you don’t go to failure… when you go for a 1 rep max test on bench and not sure that’s when you need a spotter on bench. I mostly bench by myself at the gym but I do get spotters whenever I think I’m in absolute need of one.

People wanna criticize powerlifting all the time but I think the sport is amazing and so inspiring. I discovered powerlifting a few years ago ’cause I’ve got friends that are powerlifters and they were the ones who got me into it, really. Even though I’ve gotten into powerlifting, I still didn’t give up the bodybuilding either ’cause I do both. I want to get both strong and muscular so I got to continue to do bodybuilding training too. I love doing both.

Powerlifting is also a blast. I find it so much fun showing a live audience of what you can do and it’s such a blast watching and cheering on the other lifters too. It’s a blast watching all these people lifting the big weights. I’m not at the big weights yet but I do want to get there someday and don’t want to get too ahead of myself. That’s the key in powerlifting is patience. If you someday want to bench, deadlift and squat 500 lbs. or over, gotta be patient and be consistent. Powerlifting is very addicting ’cause it’s incredible seeing yourself getting stronger and stronger, it’s a great feeling. I can see why powerlifting has become such a popular sport right now. Powerlifting is getting huge and exploding. I’m surprised there isn’t live powerlifting on cable TV yet but there will be someday… for now you can stream live national powerlifting competitions online.

Powerlifting can be for anyone. Doesn’t matter the age. If you want to get into powerlifting, then do it. I suggest you all to try to it if you lift in the gym on a regular basis. Trying out your first powerlifting meet may sound scary and may get you nervous at first but you’ll find it a piece of cake.

I want to do another powerlifting meet this year. There is gonna be one at Albany Strength this month but I won’t be able to do it since I’m just getting over a minor leg injury and just getting back into full time training, I won’t have enough time to prep for it. I will do another powerlifting meet sometime this Summer for sure, though. I love doing them.

Kev

So my minor upper left leg injury seems to be gone. I don’t seem to be feeling it anymore so I’m good enough to get back into lower body lifting. However; though, I’m not really a big fan of this P.T. I’ve been going to. It seems like he’s trying to get me to stop the powerlifting which I will never do. It wasn’t the powerlifting that caused it. I blame it on the leg press… not sure how… maybe I went a little too heavy on it, maybe bad form, etc. Probably bad form ’cause bad form usually causes people to get injured in the gym most of the time. I’m back to using the leg press in the gym but being more careful and going slightly lighter.

My PT thinks it’s the imbalancing of my legs is what’s causing the injury and big lifts is what’s causing it but I disagree. It is just a strain and I think that’s all it was. Just a “strain”. Well it’s gone now. Now the P.T. notices that my hips and glutes are a little weak and that’s one thing I agree with him on actually. So I’m gonna continue to go to P.T. for a little while to do exercises and stretches to strengthen the hips and glutes. My hips and glutes are pretty weak and already, I’m googling exercises to try and help strengthen those too. I’ve started getting back into glute ham raises at the gym and should I get back to the barbell hip thrust too? Thinking about it.

I really need to strengthen my glutes and hips ’cause honestly, that would really help with my deadlifting and barbell squats.

I will never give up powerlifting, though. It’s just a minor injury that wasn’t to be taken seriously and already, people are making a big deal about it. Trying to talk me out of powerlifting training which I will never do.

As long as I’m not feeling it anymore, I should be alright to get right back into my strength training. I’ve already had this week. I stop the powerlifting and heavy lifting on my own terms, not everyone else’s. Whatever it takes for them to keep me going to appointments so they can make more money, I guess… but I’ll continue to go to PT for a little while longer.

I got to work on my flexibility too ’cause I’m not that flexible. I’m thinking of going back to Yoga classes this Spring/Summer and I probably will.

I love powerlifting training. That I’ll never give up no matter what anyone says. I’m gonna keep doing my thing.

Kev