Picture from the APF Nationals courtesy of Monster Pixel.
I have been competitively powerlifting for over 20 years. Within that time I have competed raw, single ply and multi ply. I hold the highest all time total of 1930 at 148, the third highest total of 2045 at 165 and have broken over 35 world records, over 25 of which I still hold. Through the years in this sport I have learned a great deal from various training methods, met and formed long lasting friends, as well as learned the importance of balancing life, work, and training.
Elitefts accepted me as a team member over ten years ago and I am currently the longest standing still competing powerlifter on the site. I appreciate Dave Tate and Elitefts for giving me the opportunity to learn from and teach others through the Q&A and my training log.
In 2005 I opened Orlando Barbell – a 24 hour powerlifting friendly gym. As well as running Orlando Barbell I designed and sell the Home GHR and Doorway Home Gym, wrote the 12 Weeks to a Bigger Bench EBook, and produced the 12Weeks to a Bigger Bench DVD.
My latest contribution was writing the M2 Method EBook, designed to be the quintessential Raw Powerlifting training manual for beginners to advanced lifters looking to get stronger and prevent injury while incorporating the powerlifts.
I’ve been researching corticosteroid withdrawal (since I’m having some serious issues after coming off of months of taking dexamethasone to combat joint swelling associated with my UC) and was interested to see that numerous people have been through the same situation as me. The issue isn’t so much the withdrawal now, but the adrenal fatigue which causes all sorts of issues. I basically feel like I’ve had a really bad flu for the last two weeks with extreme fatigue, body aches, chills, cold sweats, and a temperature that’s been up to 103 and it’s not showing any indication of going away. To give you an idea of how serious this can be, here’s a list of the potential withdrawal symptoms, many of which I have:
Abdominal pain.
Anxiety
Body aches
Decreased appetite
Depression
Diarrhea
Dizziness
Fatigue
Fever
Headaches
HPA Changes
Joint pain
Low blood pressure
Low blood sugar
Mood swings
Muscle soreness
Nausea
Shaking
Skin rash
Suicidal thoughts
Vomiting
Weakness
Weight loss
The majority of the articles I’ve found basically say the only solution is time and that it could take as long as a year for the body to return to homeostasis. I really hope this isn’t the case. One of the lasting side effects is reduced blood sugar levels which explains why I feel so shitty all the time. I’ve been constantly drinking Gatorade to combat this, taking Tylenol to reduce the fever and chills, and ibuprofen to reduce the body aches all while hoping taking all of this doesn’t cause me to start having digestive issues again. Pretty much every article stated that people going through this shouldn’t exercise and in fact they don’t know how anyone could since the exhaustion is so overwhelming, but I’m doing my best to get what I can in while I have some energy. I have never had so much appreciation for feeling normal as I do now.
Bear with me, everything passes and I’ll get through this. As always, things could always be far far worse.
Here’s what I got done this past week:
Mini Band Shoulder Pulll Aparts and Dislocations x12x3
Flat Bench-
95x5
135x5
185x3
w/foam/manpon
225x2
w/looser Metal Catapult-
275x2
315x2
335x1
Incline DB Tate Presses-
40x10
45x10
50x10
Seated DB Lateral Raises-
25x10
30x10
35x10
8/24- Sprints and Back and Bis-
My resting heart rate is way higher than it should be. I realize that I’m not going to be motivated enough to do cardio in my target heart rate for a sustained period, so I figure sprints are the next best option. Thankfully I convinced Trinity to do them with me.
I lap around the building followed by a 40 yd sprint x2.
Close Grip Cable Rows-
130x12
150x12
165x12
DB Forearm Rotation-
External- 15x15, 20x15
Internal- 20x15, 25x15
Then I was completely exhausted and had to stop. Hopefully I’ll return to a better version of “normal” sooner than later.
The M2 Equipped Training Ebook
The M2 Method Raw Training Ebook
The Affordable and Effective Floor Based Home GHR
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12 Weeks to a Bigger Bench EBook
