The morning of April 28th I was very excited and optimistic about the future – it had been years since my life had been so conducive to getting back in shape:
- GYM SITUATION: Since moving to NH 3 years ago, I had tried to use a local gym consistently. It just was not working out for me. The gym was a 30 minute round trip drive and with my work and home situation, the only time I could workout was usually right before work. In this scenario, I would often find myself skipping key parts of my workout because I spent more time waiting for the lifting platform (there is only one) or power rack (attached to the only lifting platform) or being late for work.
For a few months, I had been keeping an eye on Facebook and Craigslist, looking for what I needed to put together a home gym. I purchased a couple hundred pounds of used free weights and a used set of Powerblok dumbbells and decided to purchase a trap hex bar and adjustable bench new from Amazon. For many of the used benches I was finding used, I was unable to find a maximum weight rating. -
WORK/LIFE BALANCE: earlier in the year, I started a new job, which allowed me to work from home several days per week. In the past, when I had been my most successful, I was able to work out around noon and eat my first meal of the day afterwards. For the first time in 3 years, I would be able to do this again.
- COMMITMENT TO FITNESS: For the month prior, I had consistently used my home gym, 3 to 4 days per week. I was steadily making progress, but needed more equipment to perform the rest of the lifts I wanted to do … this is where a “commitment device” and Fringe Sports came into the picture.
On April 26th I received a Deluxe Power Cage, Farmer’s Walk Handles and an EX Fat Curl bar from Fringe Sport. A couple weeks prior, I contacted them and explained my experience with HikingGeek.com as a gear reviewer and told them about my new project (HikerStrong.com). After exchanging a few emails, I purchased the gear at a discounted rate. I did pay for the gear, but also felt that I owed Fringe Sports an in-depth review. At time this type of commitment device is exactly what I need to stay motivated … whether its “I really don’t want to hike today, but need to get some time with this gear on the trail for my review” or “I really want to stay in bed, but ‘John’ is expecting me at the gym.” In addition to this “commitment device” I was very excited to add the Fringe Sports’ gear to the mix after spending hours researching home gym equipment.
My optimism quickly disappeared around 2 p.m. That afternoon, there were three things I hoped to accomplish: move some logs in our backyard, get in a quick workout and figure out how I was going to document the assembly of the power cage.
Since moving logs was what I wanted to do the least, I decided I should start with it. Using a peavey, I moved the first four foot section of tree without much effort. Moving onto the second section, I realized I would need to spin the log 90 degrees in order to get sufficient purchase with the peavey. Squatting down, lifting one end of the log off the ground (without much effort), I heard and felt two large pops, followed by a burning sensation. I got dizzy immediately, feeling as though I would pass out , vomit or pass out and wake to find myself covered with vomit.
I did not pass out or vomit, but was afraid to take off my sweatshirt to look at my arm. I thought for sure that I had torn my bicep at the shoulder end, since I was already seeing a physical therapist for a torn labrum. I played dumb, hoping/pretending that the injury wasn’t as bad as I knew it was. I even assembled the power cage post-injury, but after a couple of doctor appointments and an MRI, my distal biceps tendon rupture repaired less than a week later.
Although I was in some serious pain when the rupture happened as well as in the days after the surgery, the easy part was over. I knew that the next 16 weeks would be very frustrating. I also have some big questions about how/why this happened. I have some ideas regarding this, which I have posted about.
I continue to pray that I’ll still have the same level of commitment and motivation to this project once I am able to lift again.
