Squatter's Journal-The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

[LtL]

Jim every time I see a picture of your house, it looks incredible!

[J_Byrd]

putting the final touches on this weeks training, should have an email tonight or in the morning!

[Hunterace]

Lookin good Super Jim!!!

[ravimolasaria]

Originally Posted by Squatter

Looking good super Jim ... But I think the shirt is a size bigger for you ...

[Squatter]

Originally Posted by LtL

Jim every time I see a picture of your house, it looks incredible!

Thanks Al! It's actually a smaller house, but it was one that fit our budget and allowed us to live. It sucks to be house poor. I would say it is an average type of house. It was built by an electrician who upgraded everything. The master has a big walk in closet with a Jacuzzi Jet Tub. All mechanical things like the furnace were upgraded when the house was built. The original owner even had a high tech Delta Wrap put around the concrete foundation which prevents any leakage into the basement. As you see in the pic, the upstairs kitchen area is open to below where our family room is with the home theatre. The JimGym is located beneath where I am standing.

I also have a new triple garage in the back yard that now houses my Beloved Mustang.

Originally Posted by J_Byrd

putting the final touches on this weeks training, should have an email tonight or in the morning!

Thanks so much JB! I am so excited to get going this weekend, and to be able to keep going for a long time.

Your awesome in every sense of the word my friend.

Originally Posted by Hunterace

Lookin good Super Jim!!!

Originally Posted by ravimolasaria

Looking good super Jim ... But I think the shirt is a size bigger for you ...

Thanks Ravi!! Haha - the Jersey's are supposed to be big! I have to make ssure tho I don't get scrawny on my cut or it definitely will be too big.

[BigJosh]

Awesome present good sir! And happy birthday!

[BendtheBar]

I have a nice black Blackhawks jersey.

[CLEEPER]

Happy birthday jim.

[Squatter]

Originally Posted by BigJosh

Awesome present good sir! And happy birthday!

Thanks Big J!! It was a good one!

Originally Posted by BendtheBar

I have a nice black Blackhawks jersey.

Nice! Now we have to get together sometime!

Originally Posted by CLEEPER

Happy birthday jim.

Thanks Chad!

[Squatter]

***UPDATE***

I had my appointment with the Doc at Alberta Back & Neck Rehab this morning. This is the place where they have a spinal decompression machine. After a long consultation, It was the opinion of the Doc that I take a lower back strength test. The test is done on a high tech device that isolates the lower back in order to test it's strength. It's called a Med-X. Once strapped into it, it calibrates your upper and lower limits of back motion. After it is all calibrated and set up by the Doc, it then lowers my upper body so that my chest is almost right up against my quads. Then, I have to push against the backpad with all my might. After a few seconds, it gets a reading. Then, it is raised back a bit, then I have to push again, and it gets another reading. It takes about 6 readings at varying range of motions up until I am fully hyperextended.

Well, I ended up scoring very poorly on the test - way below the average dude walking on the street who has never evn lifted before. All my other muscles like glutes, quads, upper back, etc scored very well above average.

The Doc is saying that the main culprit behind me "crapping out" (Yes, his words lol) on squats above 405 is precisely my very weak lower back, which is giving out long before my other muscles and thus causing the lean coming out of the hole.

Very interesting. He said a healthy back is a strong back. (Yes-Off Road - your wisdom was backed up by this doc) This same device used to test my strength is also the same device used to strengthen it. It precisely isolates the lower back. No other muscles can be used to assist.

I have 8 workouts on the device scheduled now over the next month. After the last session, they will retest. He pretty much guaranteed me my squatting and deadlifting will take off and said there is no reason why I cannot squat 450+ and pull 500, especially considering how strong the rest of my body is, and despite having the other issues in my lower back.

After the strengthening treatments, they will then start decompression sessions. I will go thru 20 of them.

All of this is going to cost me about $4000.00.

But you know what - I don't care. The ability to pull and squat again and reach my goals is worth it.

So, whaddaya all think about this? Does it make sense that poor lower back strength, especially in relation to really strong everything else, is the cause of me crapping out everytime I work my way up to a 410 and up squat?