Over the past couple years, I've been transitioning from gear to raw. It's been challenging to find what works for me. I blame it on being a perfectionist. I've coached athletes for just as long as I've been competing, so it's not like I don't know HOW to squat. But I have a tendency to over-analyze every single movement and everything I feel during a movement.
We played around this year with some different stances and hip/spine positioning. I knew I needed to correct a little anterior tilt (and thoracic extension with a rib cage that sticks out). Things were going well. Then about 5 weeks out from my meet in December, I began to struggle. Mostly because my training cycle was just too long and I was past the point of being able to "peak". I also began to notice that my lower back was struggling to hold a load.
I got some soft tissue work done last week and while we came to a conclusion that some of the problem may have been a nervous system issue, we worked some areas and gradually started to feel a little better. (My homework includes staying on top of self recovery and breathing.)
I got a chiropractic adjustment today and he was like "WTF is going on here?" Apparently it was pretty obvious that my sacrum was out (posteriorly) and L5 was shifted slighted right. Needless to say after about 10 minutes of walking around Costco my right erector got tight. It's feeling better and I'm hoping we are on the up and up.
I remember the days of just training. Just lifting. Just moving weight. While, yes, it is important to think about cues when you're squatting, I want to get back to not thinking so much. Just doing it. Believe it or not, I think I've noticed a difference in my physique because of it as well. I seemed to have lost some thickness and muscularity. I have my own thoughts on why that might be. Perhaps that's a discussion for another day.
So, we shall see. It's been a whirlwind around here since the wedding. Haha. Holidays, putting the house up for sale, this polar vortex causing kids to miss school, plus some house repairs in preparation of selling. It seems like it never ends. But I'm hopeful. It's times like this that make me very glad I believe in something bigger than myself.