Appreciate the nice step by step progression/regression to addressing pain/injury instead of the very typical "STOP TRAINING" protocol by many doctors.
I hurt my knee last November. There was no indication that anything was wrong until I warmed up the next day. I finish 10 reps with the bar, then 95 lbs, everything is fine till I load 135 and then all hell broke loose. I stopped squatting for a week, then met with the athletic trainer who prescribed some weird step-up variation. No luck whatsoever. I just had to resort to box squats for 5 whole months before I could squat again. Over time I reduced the height of the box till I was box squatting touch and go below parallel. Right now with some decent neoprene knee sleeves, I am back at it. Probably lost a couple of months in this whole process but hey, I don't have to box squat anymore. The doctor's recommendation was interesting - "I don't see anything wrong in the x-ray, but why squat?" lol. P.S. - He is a good doctor and I trust his judgment in most cases. Probably he wasn't exposed to weight training.
A great book will tell you something you already know, but have not been able to put into words. This presentation is absolute gold. The perfect balance between not being a idiot, i.e listening to your pain and not ignoring it, and not feeling sorry for yourself to the point of hindering your recovery.
You missed including the part when somebody from the audience asked if the current model to understanding pain is finally sufficient to fully explain pain and Austin smashing the whiteboard in rage
My biggest failure in weightlifting was failing to do mobility exercises. I did some stretching, but nowhere near what I should be doing! Personal trainer took me to the side and started to poke my back and check my shoulders. He said I am very tense and asked how much do I stretch, or do mobility exercises? I looked at him and said little to non. He knows I have been lifting for years. My shoulder started to act up last week and was freaking out a bit. Pain dose not hit me all day long, just when I am doing some workouts like bench-press. I tried the bar alone and no pain and this is before someone sent me this video. When I tried 135 pounds I could do 10 reps slowly, but had to stop. This video is very insightful and I will use it to help me.
Thank you BBM for putting out this amazing information for everyone to watch for free. I've heard about your model for injury management several times before but it's nice to see it gathered all in one video. I hope a lot of people see this. I'm not even injured (jinx) but feel like I'm not even afraid of it anymore because I know how to handle it if it ever happens.
That's awesome content. Could we get some webinar in the future for those outside the US. A few weeks ago I was talking something related to this with a client. Really. Awesome content Alan & BBM
These strategies have helped me be able to get back under the bar. I continue to make progress and think about pain in a different way than I used to. Saving up to attend a seminar. Thanks!
This made me feel a lot better. I hit 405 on squat for the first time and felt invincible that whole week. Then in the beginning of the following week while warming up on deadlifts I heard a quick pop pop pop in my lower back to left almost closer to the hip bone. The first day I couldn’t get out of a chair but two days later I could squat and deadlift 135 for sets of 10 low rpe with no pain. I feel as though I could increase weight but I’m a little concerned at what those popping sounds were and still feel twinges/pulling near the spot of the popping with certain body shifts like side to side or front to back.
While I can appreciate the lecture for what it is I also am interested in handling pain that isn’t exercise based, for instance chronic pain caused by genetic or hormonal factors that one cannot help. Really engaging video :)
6 months ago, I just started lifting. I am 48. I had an acute injury. Posterior tibial tendon to be precise. I got engaged on free weights specially the barbell exercises and I am happy with the results. My body never felt and looked this strong. But as a runner I have been trying to test my tendon every time the pain is gone. So it seems this one is to hard to heal. Well, the PT said I must rest it for the next 6 weeks and that includes no free weights!!!! I am on week one and 4 days and it feels better so I wonder what are your thoughts about it. I know running is a big no no so I will wait. But practically just do nothing except for machines and core? I mean, not even body squats as I was told? Thank you in advance for any reply :) oh, must add I workout 6 days of the week and I reckon full body. More barbell and heavy dumbbells than anything. Including my core which is separate 4 days a week and before the injury running 3 days a week including one long run. I love miles and miles and miles. Barefoot by the way. I mean. Nothing on my feet except for my Bare feet. 2 years to have get rid of shoes which made my lower legs and feet stronger than ever. So this last info may help. :))
You know how there are people who love preparing for the apocalypse and then as they get more and more prepared they secretly wish it would break out finally? I never had pain but the topic is still fascinating to me. Wonder if at some point I'll look forward to it so that I can use all my knowledge, lol
Hey Allen my son who is 19, 175 lbs 6’2” is going off to boot camp (USMC) his upper body is pretty weak pull ups and push-ups are difficult for him do you have any recommendations I have a limited garage gym. Dead lift station, half rack, three kegs, pull up bar, dip station 1-35 lbs dumbbells 325 pounds Olympic bar
any tips for chronic groin injury? it's mainly in the adductor brevis/longus and seems to be concentrated near the tendon to bone connection point. Pain gets more intense after an extended amount of sitting still but also after running/dancing. Havent been squatting and deadlifting for 3 years (since the injury, started to do only bar but also stopped with that because it also increased the pain).
This helps. I was literally yawning in the gym at 630 yesterday morning and put my hands over my head BOOM MUSCLE IN MY UPPER BACK TIGHTENS UP, and it was hard to stand up straight for the rest of the day. Still sore today but gonna be okay. This happens to me every few months, anyone have any ideas why or what could be done to help?
I think next time ur muscles start to cramp IMMEDIATELY go limp like as if ure floating in water. completely relax the cramping muscles even though it hurts. once the cramping subsides it should completely disappear. from my experiennce its only when u "fight" against the pain and tighten up that the muscles stay sore for much longer
and also u probably have electrolyte imbalance that's why ur muscles cramp up so easily. eat more salt. not table salt but something like redmond real salt that has all the minerals in it. or just drink isotonic. but really people need to have more salt in diet we need salt to survive
You should go watch Barbell Medicines recent Santa Cruz Q/A. They talk about cramping there and I think itll help answer your questions. Basically issues like this usually arise from training fatigue and tend to go away on their own. I wouldn't worry too much.
I messed up my SI joint squatting 135lbs during my first legit squatting session. I haven't felt comfortable squatting even 95lbs since, and that was ~6 years ago.
Hi Austin - thanks again for the great content as always. From my understanding of your previous lectures, pain does not always mean that there is an injury present. In the context of lower back pain (as mentioned on your last feature on Alan's channel), would it be possible for the pain to represent an acute injury? And if so, would you still abide by the four step protocol? Once again, many thanks for the information!
Humberto Fierro Laredo How would you define an “acute injury” differently? If there are no classic “red flag” signs, I would use exactly the same approach.
Thanks again for the reply, Austin. From my understanding, there are at least two scenarios: 1) Pain represents an injury where something is wrong (i.e., broken bone, etc. ) and 2) Pain does not represent any injury... Would this be somewhat slightly accurate?....
Humberto Fierro Laredo Again, the definition of “injury” and something being “wrong” is a lot more tricky than you think. Fortunately, the overwhelming majority of acute pain / injury sustained in the gym tends to resolve on its own, or with continued activity. Acute fractures are exceedingly rare in barbell training.
I'm dealing with lumbago like every 3-4 months despite using the correct form (trained with a SS coach). It's just so frustrating! Everytime you have some little progress, you're taken back :(
+Nick Vetter, you'll get there. My goal is fairly modest, as I'm fairly close to retirement age. I'm going for a total of 615 total, that is, 205 orm in each lift.
Anyone know why when I internally rotate my arm and move my elbow I feel electric shocks in my elbow? Does it during breast stroke swimming and dips mostly.
What about when the pain doesn't appear during training and only during the following days post session? E.g. you squat pain free, but during the 7+ days after that session you feel knee pain even without squatting.
So what for a chronically tendonaphy? Every so many months of good training a tendon plays up again, slowly accumulating (only after sets and training) and setting me back for months
laurens Big matter of addressing it at the root of the problem...be that biomechanics and stresses, decreased strength (there's good research for eccentric loading helping with tendinopathies), or determining whether you're addressing acute, relatively isolated tendinitis, or a strain (and at what stage of tissue healing). Most situations will be different. But those things are important to address ASAP if it's chronic, to avoid breakdown of the tendon over time, though (i.e. tendinosis).
I don't have tendonopathy, but I have had a very upset ischial tuberosity and biceps femoris and pretty much we follow these four steps. Especially strengthening with basic exercises like hip extensions, then gradually increasing load more and more, and building up to a normal exercise (for me it's running)
ME: [grinding lacrosse ball into triceps tendon, 10 minutes into video] There's hope! AUSTIN BARAKI: One of the more difficult injuries that this will not always work for is a tendinopathy. ME: fuk
What if our body gives another signal rather than pain. I have constant twitching on my calf. The particularly right one. Due to a developing disc bulge. No pain, only symptom and I don't know what to do about it. Can anyone relate?
dinkie I suspect so. Presume so. I will get scanned soon and will see what kind of freaky problem I have. I don't have any pain but 7/24 twitching on my calf and weird pressure sensation on my lower back, along with extreme stiffness.
“I don’t always do anything” some wisdom right there!
Appreciate the nice step by step progression/regression to addressing pain/injury instead of the very typical "STOP TRAINING" protocol by many doctors.
*Friend tweaks back deadlifting*
Me: "May I introduce you to our Lord and Savior, the Bio-Psycho-Social Model of Pain?"
"I used to deadlift 800x5x5 until my sciatica broh"
Sven M 800lbs x 25, friend was a beast my dude.
It all seems so logical ... but I had no idea. As someone dealing with pain this was useful. Thanks for sharing!
What kind of pain did you deal with and how long until you recovered?
I hurt my knee last November. There was no indication that anything was wrong until I warmed up the next day. I finish 10 reps with the bar, then 95 lbs, everything is fine till I load 135 and then all hell broke loose. I stopped squatting for a week, then met with the athletic trainer who prescribed some weird step-up variation. No luck whatsoever. I just had to resort to box squats for 5 whole months before I could squat again. Over time I reduced the height of the box till I was box squatting touch and go below parallel. Right now with some decent neoprene knee sleeves, I am back at it. Probably lost a couple of months in this whole process but hey, I don't have to box squat anymore. The doctor's recommendation was interesting - "I don't see anything wrong in the x-ray, but why squat?" lol. P.S. - He is a good doctor and I trust his judgment in most cases. Probably he wasn't exposed to weight training.
Whaterya gunna do?? NAwt TrAin??
Watching this made me feel much more better.
3 hour seminar summarized in 12 minutes = gold
Austin is my hero. Please never stop sharing him.
A great book will tell you something you already know, but have not been able to put into words. This presentation is absolute gold. The perfect balance between not being a idiot, i.e listening to your pain and not ignoring it, and not feeling sorry for yourself to the point of hindering your recovery.
Awesome video. Never thought that way to train around injuries.
Ted talk on pain
Holy shit this guy is an incarnation of knowledge. Probably the most helpful workout video i ever watched. MORE OF THIS!
You missed including the part when somebody from the audience asked if the current model to understanding pain is finally sufficient to fully explain pain and Austin smashing the whiteboard in rage
can you tell us more
Marco Notarnicola wat?
Deserves more views, the legend Dr Pain!
Brilliant and clear as hell to understand. Thanks for posting ur boy Alan
My biggest failure in weightlifting was failing to do mobility exercises. I did some stretching, but nowhere near what I should be doing! Personal trainer took me to the side and started to poke my back and check my shoulders. He said I am very tense and asked how much do I stretch, or do mobility exercises?
I looked at him and said little to non. He knows I have been lifting for years. My shoulder started to act up last week and was freaking out a bit. Pain dose not hit me all day long, just when I am doing some workouts like bench-press. I tried the bar alone and no pain and this is before someone sent me this video. When I tried 135 pounds I could do 10 reps slowly, but had to stop. This video is very insightful and I will use it to help me.
Thank you BBM for putting out this amazing information for everyone to watch for free. I've heard about your model for injury management several times before but it's nice to see it gathered all in one video. I hope a lot of people see this. I'm not even injured (jinx) but feel like I'm not even afraid of it anymore because I know how to handle it if it ever happens.
Straightforward and really helpful.
If i had a pound for everytime Alan Thrall mentioned Austin Baraki..... 🤣
mycoachaustinbaraki
bless you for that chunk of information! incredible value
Austin "eeeehhaaaaaaaaa" Baraki
I needed this video. Tweaked my back on a DL. Kept using pain as an excuse not to train. Time to get after it.
Best video I saw today
In a way it's almost like graduated exposure for someone with a phobia.
Thank you for a systematic process for addressing pain with trainees.
first on the list, front and center: DON'T PANIC.
Thanks for summarizing this Doc! Very helpful algorithm.
Underrated video running this for pin squats rn
Thanks for this video. I can’t do conventional deadlifts because it triggered sciatica pain. But I can easily do trap bar or sumo deadlift.
That's awesome content. Could we get some webinar in the future for those outside the US. A few weeks ago I was talking something related to this with a client.
Really. Awesome content Alan & BBM
Professional, medically sound, efficient; in tune to the lifters needs.
These strategies have helped me be able to get back under the bar. I continue to make progress and think about pain in a different way than I used to. Saving up to attend a seminar. Thanks!
oh baby love me some Baraki
Thanks for the great clip Alan!
This was really good teaching, meow.
Just tweaked my back deadlifting a couple days ago and boom. Thank you, Universe.
This made me feel a lot better. I hit 405 on squat for the first time and felt invincible that whole week. Then in the beginning of the following week while warming up on deadlifts I heard a quick pop pop pop in my lower back to left almost closer to the hip bone. The first day I couldn’t get out of a chair but two days later I could squat and deadlift 135 for sets of 10 low rpe with no pain. I feel as though I could increase weight but I’m a little concerned at what those popping sounds were and still feel twinges/pulling near the spot of the popping with certain body shifts like side to side or front to back.
Heading to the gym with a tweaked shoulder today. Thanks!!
How did it go?
Yeah man we're eager!
He got mogged by his shoulder
This is the most important video on the internet.....
While I can appreciate the lecture for what it is I also am interested in handling pain that isn’t exercise based, for instance chronic pain caused by genetic or hormonal factors that one cannot help. Really engaging video :)
Can you give examples of what "genetic or hormonal factors" you're referring to with respect to directly causing pain?
Austin Baraki honestly I was referring to menstrual cramps.
But what were those "red flags" he mentioned at the beginning?
Thank you for uploading this! I can't wait to attend a seminar in the future, love BBM ❤️
This is gold
That was actually amazing
Thank you for uploading this.
Excellent video. Thanks for the information Austin.
Excellent advice.
This was surprisingly interesting. Thanks for the upload Alan!
"I wouldn't say I always do anything." - Austin Baraki displaying how to be nuanced lol
I really learned a lot from this video. Thanks!
Barakis tris are quite impressive
Baraki lookin’ like he’s just a few weeks out from his debut physique show
This was super-informative.
Loved the last question and loved even more the answer to it. Great stuff as always.
never been this fast lol Alan Bless me with some "RPE GAINS"
Good looking, smart and muscular, must be a BBM coach.
Bikini Bottom Mafia ?
Big Booty Men?
*Better Batman Movies?*
Big Balled Men?
Barbell Medecine
So good.
How do I manage the pain in my heart
Lift heavier weight more times
Get a new heart
Have you tried caring less?
K so if my back hurts with low bar squats, try high bar, front squat, leg press, box squat.
First you gotta try out a weight you can perform without pain, if that hurts even with the bar then yes try different squats.
6 months ago, I just started lifting. I am 48. I had an acute injury. Posterior tibial tendon to be precise. I got engaged on free weights specially the barbell exercises and I am happy with the results. My body never felt and looked this strong. But as a runner I have been trying to test my tendon every time the pain is gone. So it seems this one is to hard to heal. Well, the PT said I must rest it for the next 6 weeks and that includes no free weights!!!! I am on week one and 4 days and it feels better so I wonder what are your thoughts about it. I know running is a big no no so I will wait. But practically just do nothing except for machines and core? I mean, not even body squats as I was told? Thank you in advance for any reply :) oh, must add I workout 6 days of the week and I reckon full body. More barbell and heavy dumbbells than anything. Including my core which is separate 4 days a week and before the injury running 3 days a week including one long run. I love miles and miles and miles. Barefoot by the way. I mean. Nothing on my feet except for my Bare feet. 2 years to have get rid of shoes which made my lower legs and feet stronger than ever. So this last info may help. :))
That was great a Strategy
You know how there are people who love preparing for the apocalypse and then as they get more and more prepared they secretly wish it would break out finally?
I never had pain but the topic is still fascinating to me. Wonder if at some point I'll look forward to it so that I can use all my knowledge, lol
This is fucking Gold
Hey Allen my son who is 19, 175 lbs 6’2” is going off to boot camp (USMC) his upper body is pretty weak pull ups and push-ups are difficult for him do you have any recommendations I have a limited garage gym. Dead lift station, half rack, three kegs, pull up bar, dip station 1-35 lbs dumbbells 325 pounds Olympic bar
yaaaaas queen
degen
any tips for chronic groin injury? it's mainly in the adductor brevis/longus and seems to be concentrated near the tendon to bone connection point. Pain gets more intense after an extended amount of sitting still but also after running/dancing. Havent been squatting and deadlifting for 3 years (since the injury, started to do only bar but also stopped with that because it also increased the pain).
Going from effectively "untrained" to a somewhat rigorous lifting regime, I'm pretty much going through this process with every lift.
This helps. I was literally yawning in the gym at 630 yesterday morning and put my hands over my head BOOM MUSCLE IN MY UPPER BACK TIGHTENS UP, and it was hard to stand up straight for the rest of the day. Still sore today but gonna be okay. This happens to me every few months, anyone have any ideas why or what could be done to help?
I think next time ur muscles start to cramp IMMEDIATELY go limp like as if ure floating in water. completely relax the cramping muscles even though it hurts. once the cramping subsides it should completely disappear. from my experiennce its only when u "fight" against the pain and tighten up that the muscles stay sore for much longer
and also u probably have electrolyte imbalance that's why ur muscles cramp up so easily. eat more salt. not table salt but something like redmond real salt that has all the minerals in it. or just drink isotonic. but really people need to have more salt in diet we need salt to survive
You should go watch Barbell Medicines recent Santa Cruz Q/A. They talk about cramping there and I think itll help answer your questions. Basically issues like this usually arise from training fatigue and tend to go away on their own. I wouldn't worry too much.
Great!
Good content
Saw this guy today and wanted to ask him how I tweaked my low spine squatting 105.
I messed up my SI joint squatting 135lbs during my first legit squatting session. I haven't felt comfortable squatting even 95lbs since, and that was ~6 years ago.
Hi Austin - thanks again for the great content as always. From my understanding of your previous lectures, pain does not always mean that there is an injury present. In the context of lower back pain (as mentioned on your last feature on Alan's channel), would it be possible for the pain to represent an acute injury? And if so, would you still abide by the four step protocol?
Once again, many thanks for the information!
Humberto Fierro Laredo How would you define an “acute injury” differently?
If there are no classic “red flag” signs, I would use exactly the same approach.
Thanks again for the reply, Austin. From my understanding, there are at least two scenarios: 1) Pain represents an injury where something is wrong (i.e., broken bone, etc. ) and 2) Pain does not represent any injury... Would this be somewhat slightly accurate?....
Humberto Fierro Laredo Again, the definition of “injury” and something being “wrong” is a lot more tricky than you think.
Fortunately, the overwhelming majority of acute pain / injury sustained in the gym tends to resolve on its own, or with continued activity. Acute fractures are exceedingly rare in barbell training.
Got it. Once again, thanks for the info. I now patiently wait for the inevitable BM book.
Oh and when I did wall stretches I felt like my body was made of hard plastic. lol. not good, but lessoned learned.
Maybe very obvious, but i’m guessing it’s likely the assessment leads to a form fix that you will need to combine with an adjusted load/ROM?
Joost Fonk Not necessarily.
My biggest tip, smoke a joint before you lift, you'll definetly ignore all pain signals.... As well as injury signals 😂
I'm dealing with lumbago like every 3-4 months despite using the correct form (trained with a SS coach). It's just so frustrating! Everytime you have some little progress, you're taken back :(
Why would this not work for tendinopathy?
What about with tennis elbow? Almost any lift irritates it
light stretching all the time, circles with your arms, high reps band curls and push downs, colagen...
nothing is painful for you after you went through 20 rep squat routine
Would have been nice to see before i maxed today but still made it in 700 lb club with a total weight of 740. Thats clean, squat, bench
Knock it out, Dude. Great job.
zENmONKkEY60 thanks trying to get in 900 by end of highschool
Nick Vetter
Deadlift?
Andre DrummGOD we didnt max on that so dont know for sure rn
+Nick Vetter, you'll get there. My goal is fairly modest, as I'm fairly close to retirement age. I'm going for a total of 615 total, that is, 205 orm in each lift.
Anyone know why when I internally rotate my arm and move my elbow I feel electric shocks in my elbow? Does it during breast stroke swimming and dips mostly.
Hmm, I would suggest not doing dips. See if you can perform a decline bench press without problem. It's a better movement than a dip anyway.
James D elbowla
your piniching or squashing a nerve
What about when the pain doesn't appear during training and only during the following days post session? E.g. you squat pain free, but during the 7+ days after that session you feel knee pain even without squatting.
Yeah
*Mr T nods in agreement* 😲
Austin is an alpha-male
So what for a chronically tendonaphy? Every so many months of good training a tendon plays up again, slowly accumulating (only after sets and training) and setting me back for months
laurens Big matter of addressing it at the root of the problem...be that biomechanics and stresses, decreased strength (there's good research for eccentric loading helping with tendinopathies), or determining whether you're addressing acute, relatively isolated tendinitis, or a strain (and at what stage of tissue healing).
Most situations will be different. But those things are important to address ASAP if it's chronic, to avoid breakdown of the tendon over time, though (i.e. tendinosis).
Go read West Side Barbell.
I don't have tendonopathy, but I have had a very upset ischial tuberosity and biceps femoris and pretty much we follow these four steps. Especially strengthening with basic exercises like hip extensions, then gradually increasing load more and more, and building up to a normal exercise (for me it's running)
Question... Does volume fix load? Eg. Is 20 reps at 50 the same as 10 reps at 100? Or say, benching 50kg twice a week as opposed to 100kg once a week?
Longshot78 no, they’re totally different kinds of stress and will give different responses.
“When you have pain it hurts”
ME: [grinding lacrosse ball into triceps tendon, 10 minutes into video] There's hope!
AUSTIN BARAKI: One of the more difficult injuries that this will not always work for is a tendinopathy.
ME: fuk
Keep grinding
Lesson learned, dogma is the enemy of progress.
sometimes there is stiffness in the muscle ! you forgot that ! or even leave the ex at all ! like leave squat and doing Bulgarian lunge
What are you gonna do, learn pain?
What about doing 25 reps with light weight daily?
Killer
Alan, your form is crap. and I love your videos. Keep them coming
prediction?......pain
Alan thrall the type of guy to check his form before sex
I busted out my rib 2 years ago while curling ... 2 years I'm still hurting, help ?
Train calves more....
What if our body gives another signal rather than pain.
I have constant twitching on my calf. The particularly right one. Due to a developing disc bulge.
No pain, only symptom and I don't know what to do about it. Can anyone relate?
How do you know it is because of a developing disk bulge?
dinkie I suspect so. Presume so. I will get scanned soon and will see what kind of freaky problem I have. I don't have any pain but 7/24 twitching on my calf and weird pressure sensation on my lower back, along with extreme stiffness.
FCFL!
dammit... just realized I wasn't the first like.