Jared Blitzstein

My doctor called today, he’s pretty confident I have a pulled muscle somewhere in my upper back or neck area. So with that revelation, his prescription was to “suck it up” until it heals in 3 - 6 weeks (I’m on week 2). I’m still a little weary (and in pain), but wanted to lift a little heavier than the standard 5/3/1 deload, especially since I don’t follow the 5/3/1 deadlift anyway. I did the following with success:

Deadlift

1. 135 x 5
2. 185 x 5
3. 225 x 5
4. 255 x 1
5. 300 x 1 (straps)
6. 185 x 5

Hanging Leg Raises 

1. 10 x
2. 10 x
3. 10 x

I usually do 5 sets of “good mornings”, but in the interest of still taking it easy, I didn’t.

It all felt pretty good, except for my last set of leg raises. My form suffered a little and I could feel my neck tense as I lifted my legs towards the end. My PR for DL is still 315 and I pulled 300 today with ease, but I didn’t want to push it. Hopefully I’ll be 100% soon because you don’t join the 1000lb club by deloading. 

Another deload day thanks to my neck injury. Today I’m doing 5/3/1 OHP with a 1RM calculation of 140lbs, which breaks down below. I’m also doing seated instead of standing as an added precaution until my doctor can figure out the core issue. I can work through the pain, but I just need to make sure I’m not making it worse first. 

Prescribed

OHP:

1. 5 × 55 [5] 
2. 5 × 65 [10] 
3. 5 × 80 [10,5,2.5] 
4. 10 × 65 [10] 
5. 10 × 65 [10] 
6. 10 × 65 [10] 
7. 10 × 65 [10] 
8. 10 × 65 [10]

Chin-ups:

1. 10 ×  
2. 10 ×  
3. 10 ×  
4. 10 ×  
5. 10 ×

Actual

OHP:

1. 5 × 55 [5] 
2. 5 × 65 [10] 
3. 5 × 80 [10,5,2.5] 
4. 10 × 65 [10] 
5. 10 × 65 [10] 
6. 10 × 65 [10] 
7. 10 × 65 [10] 
8. 10 × 65 [10]

Pull-ups:

1. 10 ×  
2. 10 ×  
3. 10 ×  
4. 10 ×  
5. 10 ×  

I had to call it quits early on the pull ups, caused more pain than I was comfortable with right now. I’m a little surprised as the pain was more in my upper back than my neck. This injury is still quite a mystery