Hamstring Pain

Over a month now, I have been dealing with a nagging hamstring. I cannot really classify it as "pain" but I have a very high pain threshold, in fact my family jokes about it. They call me "asbestos mouth", "asbestos hands" and various other things that indicate I feel no pain when others would cry out loud.


I even had natural childbirth because I was afraid of the epidural causing me to become paralyzed. I lived through it. But I only did it once! LOL!


So if you recall, I was told by a chiropractor (at a fit-expo) that I was way out of alignment. I happened to have a massage scheduled a couple days later and he said I had a muscle that was contracted and wouldn't release, it was tensed up and wouldn't let go.


After my massage on Monday I trained with Roy (hamstrings) and hit them hard as usual. My hamstrings were sore for a few days then I trained quads on Wednesday and hamstrings again on Thursday. Walking lunges were difficult, the hamstring was not where it should be.


This morning (Saturday) was quad day, and typically I would be still sore from Thursdays hamstrings. I didn't have a lot of time, I had to get in and out and back home within 1 1/2 hours, I had to get my son to the airport. 


I warmed up and noticed that my left hamstring did not feel more sore than the right, this was a really good sign!


I did my front squats, 4 sets at 135 pounds, 6 reps each set.


On to walking lunges. I was supposed to use a 75 pound bar, but there are two that can have weight added, they were being used and I couldn't wait. I grabbed the 70 pound fixed weight bar.


I was able to do my lunges and didn't feel pain! It was the first time in several weeks. It's funny how when you have an injury, it sort of consumes your life, and it becomes part of your life. You don't notice what it's like to be pain free until all of a sudden you are! It was amazing, my training all of a sudden took on a whole new feeling.


I wanted to stay, I wanted to do more, I felt so good, but I couldn't, I had to go. I did a few sets of kettlebell snatches to get in more posterior work and cardio. I will talk more about the wonder of kettlebells later. 


At home I made a shake and drank it on the way to the airport. Some shopping at the farmers market and laundry, typical Saturday chores (for people who work during the week) and then at noon decided to see how I could so with sprints and stairs, my preferred form of cardio. 


I jogged across the street and hit the stadium stairs, the first set felt fine then the second brought back the same feeling, like the muscle tightened up again and wouldn't let go. I ended up running several sets of stairs but decided to forgo the sprints, I didn't think it would help heal this any faster.


I have an apportionment scheduled on Tuesday with Dr. Joseph Leahy for A.R.T. (Active Release Technique), it will surely fix the issue, I do not have a torn muscle or ligament, the massage definitely helped, I just have a wayward muscle with a mind of it's own, its needs to learn who's boss.