Training Too Hard, Stress, Pain In The Knee
“Stress is not a state of mind... it’s measurable and dangerous, and humans can’t seem to find their off-switch.”
I’ve been churning out content on my Instagram page and through my weekly newsletter. If you aren’t following along, what are you waiting for? You should totally do that (just click here for Instagram and here for the newsletter).
Regardless, if you only check the site and don’t keep up with me on other mediums, I don’t want you to miss out on all the fun. So, here is a conglomeration of the fitness facts, tips, and stories I’ve shared this past week. Enjoy.
Q: “I am a 66 year old diabetic and I am finding that the squats recommended by my trainer are causing pain in my knee....Will seated leg lifts work the same muscles w/o the knee strain ? If not, what other exercise would you suggest? Thank you.
Signed - ‘Pain in the knee’ ”
A: Follow these 3 steps.
To answer your specific questions:
Seated leg lift is a fine exercise but not nearly as effective as a squat. Leg lifts will primarily work your hip flexors, while squats will train your hip flexors along with your quads, hamstrings, and glutes.
To train a similar pattern while you fix the root cause, I’d recommend wall sits, squatting to a higher surface, or arm assisted reverse lunges.
To address the more general concept of knee pain with squats:
The knee joint is especially susceptible to injury because it’s a stable joint in between two joints that are supposed to be mobile - the hip and the ankle. If your hip or ankle are out of whack (i.e. tight), your knee will pay for it.
The knee is a hinge joint (basically like a door). It’s meant to flex and extend in one plane, not go side to side.
Picture a sliding glass door that is slightly off its track - sure, you’ll be able to open and close it a few times without trouble, but over weeks and months of dysfunction the door is bound to break.
If you add load to dysfunctional movement, i.e throw your body weight or 300 lbs on that sliding door, the breakdown will only come faster.
Knee pain is one of the most common musculoskeletal complaints, especially among lifters. To figure out the cause of your dysfunction and stay out of pain, you need to follow these three steps:
Figure out the root cause
-Assess squat form (1)
-Assess ankle and hip mobility (2, 3)
Improve mobility, increase stability, and fix imbalances (4)
Find pain-free exercises to keep getting stronger while rehabbing the injury
If you are suffering from knee pain I can work with you to assess the problem and come up with a treatment plan.
Just message me (or send me an email at solokasfocus@gmail.com) and I’ll be happy to help!
Uncontrolled stress is horrible for your health.
Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, and Jack The Ripper get all of the attention, but there’s an even more prolific serial killer that you haven’t heard of: Stress
In the short term, stress is harmless and even beneficial. Occasionally, stress can save your life (like when fighting off a hoard of wild ducks, or any similar situation).
But when elevated over the long term, stress is your worst nightmare.
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Chronic stress has been linked to increased risk of:
•Mental health disorders
•Cardiovascular disease, including high blood pressure, heart attack, and stroke
•Insomnia and other sleep disorders
•Colds and the flu
•Autoimmune disease
•Other unfun conditions
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Let’s have a heart to heart.
The effect of chronic stress on the cardiovascular system (i.e., your heart and everything it does) is a perfect example of how it can manifest in serious health concerns:
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1️⃣Chronic stress results in a constant stream of the a class of hormones called cholamines, including epinephrine (adrenaline)
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2️⃣These hormones increase blood pressure and heart rate
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3️⃣Over time, chronically elevated heart rate and BP puts more strain on the heart, increasing risk of cardiovascular disease and death.
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Life’s too short to be stressed out all the time. If you don’t address your chronic stress, it will be even shorter.
Don’t stress. I’m not going to leave you down the creek without a paddle.
In the next point, I’ll share the easiest and most effective ways to manage stress (spoiler alert - many are habits you’ve heard me discuss before) 😉
Try these 5 ways to stop stressing out.
Heart racing, stomach flipping and turning, sweating in places you didn’t even know you could sweat - it may not feel like it, but stress is a good thing.
I’m serious!
The stress response is a powerful, life saving mechanism - in the right amount. With stress, the dose really does make the poison.
When left unchecked, chronic stress can manifest in a wide array of health problems including:
High blood pressure
Cardiovascular disease including heart problems and stroke
High blood sugar levels and diabetes
Mental health disorders
Ulcers
Acne
Headaches
Digestive issues
Weight gain
Weight loss
Chronic stress worsens nearly every ailment. The better you can manage it, the healthier you’ll be.
The top 5 ways to REDUCE STRESS include:
1. Exercise - duh!
Exercise is a powerful outlet for stress. Plus, both aerobic and resistance training will release feel-good endorphins that improve mood. A double whammy for stress reduction.
2. Eat well
Eat good, feel good. You can’t go wrong with minimally processed foods, plenty of fruits and vegetables, and a nice amount of healthy fats. Keeping blood sugar in check will prevent mood swings and support steady energy. Plus, keeping caffeine and alcohol in moderation will help to combat excess stress.
3. Get plenty of high quality Z’s
I don’t need to tell you that life is a grind when you’re not sleeping well. Poor sleep directly increases cortisol, the “stress hormone.” It’s no coincidence that you feel cranky after a poor night’s sleep. To keep stress at bay, hit the hay.
4. Practice mindfulness
Meditation helps you quiet the steady stream of worries and planning. Taking a few minutes every day just to observe the unhinged biological ramblings of your mind will do wonders for your wellbeing.
5. Breathe
Breathing is the most direct tool we have to change our nervous system. Fast, shallow breaths = high stress, freak out. Slow, deep breaths = relaxation. If you find yourself feeling stressed, take 5 deep breaths with long (5-10 sec) exhales to bring yourself back down.
It’s no exaggeration that chronic stress has the power to kill you.
Moments, days, and even weeks of high stress are nothing to worry about. If you’re sounding your body’s red-alert system 24/7 for months and years at a time, you will run into trouble.
Integrate these tips into your life to feel better, reduce disease, and get more out of life.
You might be training too hard.
If you’re too sore to move right now, this PSA is for you.
Most of you don’t train hard. That said, there’s a select few of you that need to hear this message. If you’re constantly sore, always trying to push harder, and require every ounce of will power in you to take a rest day, listen up.
Training too hard is just as harmful as not training hard enough. Taking two steps forward and one step back is better than standing still, but it’s not optimal.
There’s a better way.
I can relate. The past 2 weeks I’ve had to skip my squat day because my legs were still insanely sore from deadlifts 4 days prior.
It’s a problem.
Sure, it’s fun to crush yourself and have leg-quivering validation that you gave 100%. If that effort redners you incapable of working out the same muscle during your next planned sesion, you're working against yourself.
Here’s why.
Let’s say you train legs 2x/week. On both deadlift and squat day you perform 15 sets of legs (between quads/hamstrings/glutes/calves).
If an extra 10-20lbs or a few more reps on deadlift creates soreness that prevents you from doing your second leg day of the week, the juice is not worth the squeeze. It might feel so right, but it’s certainly wrong.
If you make this trade off often, you’ll be sacrificing ~50% of your total volume for the week. Over the course of a year, that’s a LOT of missed opportunity.
Or, a fantastic opportunity to develop chicken legs.
Often with intensity, less is more. If leaving a few more reps in the tank allows you to do more effective volume throughout the week, month, and year, you’ll gain more muscle and strength over time.
Remember - stimulate, not annihilate.
You want the right amount to signal a muscle building adaptation and no more. It’s a delicate dance. It’s almost always better to be conservative and live to lift another day.
If you think you're working so hard that you’re going backwards, feel free to send me your current routine for personalized feedback! I’m here to help :)
Wrap Up
Thanks for stopping by. If you enjoy my weekly updates, I’d love for you to share the website with your friends and family.
As always, please give me feedback. What do you want more of? Any other suggestions? (Really, let me know - I love it!) Just let me know at solokasfocus@gmail.com.
Have a terrific week,
John
