1. Power Cleans off the floor
2. Heavy Rack Shrugs
3. Heavy Lat Pulldown Isometric
4. Rowing Machine Sprints
5. Recumbent Bike
6. Stretches

I’m gunna do it one day a week

After 8 years of gradually worsening lower back pain I was 100% convinced I needed surgery.

I was sure I needed my lipomas cut out from above my hip. At times the pain has been excruciating. The lumps are right there where the pain is. What else could it possibly be?

I saw doctors, physios, chiropractors – no solution.

I tried all kinds of exercises, stretches and treatments – no solution.

Finally a couple of weeks back purely by chance I started doing some stomach vacuums just messing around.

My back pain immediately decreased dramatically. Now I do it frequently during the day – my back pain is greatly reduced.

How can this be?

Well its related to having a pot gut. Walking around all day with a bloated full stomach. Having a bit too much belly fat.

This in turn weakens the core, abdominal & lower back muscles. One of which is the Transverse Abdominus. This is like your natural corset all around your waist. Its the weakening of this muscle that causes the back pain.

The lower back muscle & fascia can rupture and result in lipomas.

So stomach vacuums seem to be the best exercise for this problem. They are not the only one – there are many exercises such as planks or the ab wheel. The pullover exercise for rib cage expansion also hits this muscle.

In yoga this exercise is called Uddiyana Bandha. A more advanced stage is called Nauli Kriya.

Here is how to do Uddiyana Bandha:

Exhale completely. Notice that you do this pressing in with both your chest and abdomen. You can pretend to be blowing up a balloon as much as possible with one breath.

The best time for practice is early in the morning, with empty stomach and bowels. The contraindications for uddiyana bandha are high blood pressure, hiatal hernia, ulcers, pregnancy, and menstruation.

You may not think these are good instructions as you are not able to do a vacuum by relaxing. Initially you have to tense & actively suck the abs in using force. Really you must contract the transverse abdominal to suck in the gut. Also you dont want to do a valsalva. You can keep breathing while holding the contraction

Despite this I recall as a kid I could suck in my gut more in the way they describe. Using a vacuum rather than a muscular contraction. This is a finer part of the exercise after the initial contraction. Lets not over analyze. Maybe after doing it via contraction you can lose some fat and gain more nerve control then explore the yogic methods. Certainly to begin with its unlikely you will be capable of Nauli Kriya.

Dont be afraid to strengthen & thicken the Transverse Abdominal using contraction.

By the way I can do 1000 consecutive stomach crunches quite easily – this is a different muscle so just having strong abs or spinal erectors is not enough.

Just read an article about a village in India where they all train to be bouncers. Really its a city of 50000 but anyway they are also plant based eaters.

They workout with weights & do yoga for 2-3 hours daily.

The diet:

“My suggestion is they drink at least three to four liters of milk a day,” said Vijay. “A dozen bananas and around half a kilo of fruit. During lunch, they also consume 1.5 to 2 kilograms of yogurt with three to four pieces of flatbread. In the evening, they should have two pieces of flatbread and one to 1.5 kilograms of almond-infused milk.”

The great Gama reportedly consumed 15 liters of milk, three kilograms of butter, mutton, nine kilograms of almonds and three baskets of fruits daily. That’s highly unlikely of course. I think 3-4 liters is doable but two max is enough surely.

Many small blood vessels line the inside of your nose. Their job is to help warm and moisten the air you breathe. These blood vessels can break and bleed.

How to take care of yourself at home

Rest quietly for the next few hours.
Do not sniff for 12 hours after your nosebleed.
Do not blow your nose for at least 12 hours after your nosebleed.
Do not put anything else inside your nose for at least 12 hours.
Do not lift heavy objects or strain for 12 hours after your nosebleed.

To stop a nosebleed
Get some tissues or a damp cloth.
Sit down.
Tilt your head forward so the blood drains out your nose and not down your throat.
Breathe through your mouth.
Using your thumb and index finger, firmly squeeze the soft part of your nose just below the bony part to put pressure on the middle part of your nose (called the septum). This is usually where the bleeding is coming from.
Use the tissues or cloth to catch the blood.
Keep squeezing for 10 minutes before checking to see if the bleeding has stopped.
If it is still bleeding, hold your nose again for another 10 minutes.
Placing a cold cloth or ice pack across your nose can sometimes help to slow the bleeding.

Many nosebleeds stop after 10 to 20 minutes of squeezing the soft part of the nose.

Always spit out any blood that gets in your mouth and throat. Swallowed blood can upset your stomach and cause you to throw up. When you throw up, your nose can bleed more or start bleeding again.

Ways to prevent nosebleeds
To keep the inside of your nose from drying out:

Lightly coat the inside of your nose with a lubricant such as petroleum jelly (such as Vaseline). Place a small amount on a cotton swab and gently rub the cotton tip inside each nostril.
Use saltwater (saline) nose drops or sprays directed by your doctor.
Use a humidifier at night in your bedroom.
Try not to take antihistamine medicines or use decongestant nasal sprays.
Open your mouth when you sneeze.
Do not blow your nose for three days after your nosebleed. When you blow your nose, always blow gently.
Do not pick your nose.
Do not smoke or expose yourself to smoky environments. Smoke irritates and dries out the inside of your nose.

When to get help
Go to the nearest Emergency Department if:

Your nosebleed does not stop after 20 minutes.
You get a nosebleed after an injury to your head.
You think your nose is broken after an injury to your face or nose.
Call your family doctor if:

You have four or more nosebleeds in one week.
You have nosebleeds regularly.
You seem to bleed more from a nosebleed than you have in the past.

I have full strength back on the weights and lost no body weight.

Cardio however I am easing back into very carefully as COVID can damage your heart.

I did my first run since I got sick today – a very easy one. Will do another 2 runs this week & next week will try & push it back to pre COVID fitness if I can.

Its now nearly 3 weeks later. I have been negative for several days now. I was still weak as a kitten after the other symptoms had gone.
A walk down the street would wipe me out. I edged back into the gym on 4 days doing light cardio & a few calisthenics & stretching.

Yesterday I did a light weights workout & felt fine. I got cold watching TV however & this triggered the cough to come back. It had been gone 3 days. Now I’m keeping super warm & the cough has vanished.

I will do a heavier weight session tomorrow & may suss out a dry sauna to cook the remaining virus out of my system for a couple of weeks. I have also read that HBOT is a great therapy post COVID but the nearest one is miles away so may save that for when I leave Nelson.

It started on last Friday night 25th March. I had a bit of a sore throat all night. Four of my flatmates were already positive so I had been RAT testing for days always negative.

Seen as my throat was sore I decided on the Saturday morning to swab my tonsils – Positive. That Saturday it progressively got worse. At first I thought it was gunna be largely asymptomatic like a mild cold.

I ended up spending most of the Saturday & all of the Sunday in a nasty fever with my tonsils stabbing with pain. The main thing with COVID fever is it totally drains you of all energy. I was a big blob of jelly in bed with stabbing tonsil pain.

I was pretty delirious but managed to get together all the medicine I needed. Anti-histamines, paracetamol & throat spray.

Also plenty of supplements.

I boosted my Vitamin D for weeks anticipating this & still got sick as a dog.

The fever broke in my sleep Sunday night. I awoke Monday with very damp pillows & sheets but no longer in fever & with a much clearer mind.

What remained was a terrible paralyzing cough which would have me bent over coughing until I almost passed out several times.

This violent coughing in turn led to me coughing up quite bloody phlegm for 3 days. Prior to this it was a purely dry cough.

Today I am much better but still positive. I awoke at 6am feeling great. My toes & fingers were tingling with circulation again. My spark is still missing though & I soon felt like I was stuck with a nasty cold again. Went back to sleep & awoke at 1:30pm.

Maybe tomorrow or the next day I will be out & about.

Worst thing about my Omicron COVID?

48 hours delirious & weak in fever.

Son of a bitch after all this time I finally caught COVID. I am triple vaccinated & its probably Omicron B strain.

This is the 3rd day & I just had 48 hours of delirium & weakness plus tonsillitis. Fortunately my fever broke last night & today is a little better.

The main thing with COVID is it zapps every speck of energy out of you during the fever stage. I have been consuming water constantly so have not experienced headaches or joint pain.

Hopefully better in a few days

Former competitive powerlifter, strength exhibitionist, and coach Bud Jeffries passed away on Friday, Jan. 21, 2022 at the age of 48. His sudden death occurred while he was training. Jeffries’ wife, Heather, posted the news on Jeffries’ Instagram page on Jan. 22, 2022, revealing that she had tried to resuscitate him herself before medical help arrived onto the scene.

Bud had the COVID a few weeks back & was hospitalized for a few days.

COVID IS NOT THE FLU.

Rest in peace Big Buddy.