First Cycle and Injury, any motivation/success?

[DJjoeyfran]

Hey, been planning my first real run a while now. Everything I need I've had a while, but haven't run. Test E 16-20 weeks @ 400-500mg/wk + ancillaries. But I have a hip injury.

For stats: 26, 99% natty training 8-yrs (3-week epistane cycle in college about 5 years ago lol), heaviest ever - 230lbs chubby. Currently - 188lbs 5'8", 13%BF. Big 3 total before injury a few months ago was a bit north of 1500. Primary goal was to increase my deadlift from low 600s to high 600s/700 to put my total up. 700lb deadlift was my lifetime natty goal but... life happens. For basically 8 years I've been training 3-6 days a week natty.

I've had right hip pain on/off for a few (~3) years. So fast forward to today: just had X-ray, doc said I have bilateral FAI, and probably a hip labral tear on the right [also, 50% torn R-adductor magnus from a few years back]. Pain was 8/10 the last time I flared it, couldn't walk. Through intensive rehab 2x a week I do, I've got it to less than 1/10 on most days. Got MRI coming up in a few weeks, then doc wants to discuss PT and a steroid shot in the hip as first line.

If I was to finish cutting down to 8-10% bf (2-3 more months of slow cutting probably) - then start my cycle, do you think there's a chance it helps my pain go away completely?

I realize that FAI, and if I do in fact have a labrum tear, will never completely heal without surgery. In some studies, 50%+ individuals with FAI/labral tears walking around every day, completely asymptomatic. All I want, is to be able to lift pain free, with whatever form modifications I have to make.

Avoid surgery if possible (I've had 5+ already from competitive snowboarding and bmx back in the day as a younger kid and adolescent), and steroid shot I'd rather not have. With that said, I would do shot and surgery eventually, but, am willing to try other routes. If I run the cycle, I will be devoting 3-4 days a week, 2hrs a day to my hip rehab. +Push/pull bodybuilding type training.

Thanks. I won't do it, and just try natural methods, if you all think this probably won't help much.

 

[SilentButDeadly]

Steroids wont help your hip heal at all. If anything becoming a bigger and stronger person will just damage it more unfortunately.

 

[Ari O’Speedwagon]

Given what you described, I wouldn’t do it. I’d wait until you get the hip problem resolved and can really make the most of a cycle.

 

[Pineapples4Puss]

I’ll be honest man drop the dream and adjust your lifestyle find a new love.im not shitting on your goals or anything but genuinely looking out for you. I suffer from extremely bad back pain and had surgery when I was 17. I blew a disc, herniated one, and fractured a vertebrae. Since then I kept trying to Lift the big numbers I did when playing football. Biggest regret today because I can’t lift pain free all the time and my hips are forever fucked. Imo the meds will add up and stop working. You won’t make it another 5 years. You need to take care of yourself. Hips and back are no joke as you probably know.

lift all you want. But adjust the lifestyle a bit. Don’t chase PRs just to do it. Don’t sacrifice your body if you’re not getting paid to do it. I know what it’s like not being able to get in and out of a car or out of bed, putting my socks on. It’s a miserable life I’d wish on nobody.


That being said get the steroid injection. Worse thing that happens is it doesn’t work. I had one for my back about 3 weeks ago and it worked wonders. I haven’t felt this good in a long time. I had 5 when I was 17-18 didn’t touch me what so ever. But found a good doc and it’s manageable now. Also Celebrex (think that’s how you spell it) is a non steroidal anti inflammatory drug they give me and it’s the best thing I’ve had so far.

 

[Human_backhoe]

@Pineapples4Puss Had the same damn injury! Lost 5 years of my life to it. Had to stop all power lifting type work outs. You ar 100 percent right! Op has to find a way of not chasing PR's! It will only hurt him worst. What AAS is good for is keeping mass on to prevent injury! without AAS I would be a fucking cripple!

 

[Pineapples4Puss]

@Pineapples4Puss Had the same damn injury! Lost 5 years of my life to it. Had to stop all power lifting type work outs. You ar 100 percent right! Op has to find a way of not chasing PR's! It will only hurt him worst. What AAS is good for is keeping mass on to prevent injury! without AAS I would be a fucking cripple!

My biggest pain is the sciatica. I don’t even have anything pushing my on nerve anymore, but the nerve still acts up, foot going numb. That’s exactly the way I look at AAS too. Help me recover and train properly to prevent another I jury!

 

[DJjoeyfran]

Steroids wont help your hip heal at all. If anything becoming a bigger and stronger person will just damage it more unfortunately.

Appreciate the input. I understand that steroids won't heal my hip at all (and even might weaken connective tissue). This was my thought: steroids = strengthen all the muscles around the area, enhance my response to exercises to strength surrounding muscles drastically, potentially through that the joint would become much "stronger" if you see my thought process.

But, it seems like that might not be in-line with what would happen based on the responses I've gotten.

Given what you described, I wouldn’t do it. I’d wait until you get the hip problem resolved and can really make the most of a cycle.

Thanks for the input. I definitely will not be running the cycle for 2-3 months at least (judging from the thread - I won't do it at all yet lol). I have MRI next week which will give me a full picture. Doc thinks the pain might not be from the labrum itself, he thinks its actually from tendonitis/spasm in the area (have that torn adductor there too), probably as a result of postural compensation for several years, because of my hip joint itself. So the muscles themselves, are misaligned if you will/out of whack in a way.

I’ll be honest man drop the dream and adjust your lifestyle find a new love.im not shitting on your goals or anything but genuinely looking out for you. I suffer from extremely bad back pain and had surgery when I was 17. I blew a disc, herniated one, and fractured a vertebrae. Since then I kept trying to Lift the big numbers I did when playing football. Biggest regret today because I can’t lift pain free all the time and my hips are forever fucked. Imo the meds will add up and stop working. You won’t make it another 5 years. You need to take care of yourself. Hips and back are no joke as you probably know.

lift all you want. But adjust the lifestyle a bit. Don’t chase PRs just to do it. Don’t sacrifice your body if you’re not getting paid to do it. I know what it’s like not being able to get in and out of a car or out of bed, putting my socks on. It’s a miserable life I’d wish on nobody.


That being said get the steroid injection. Worse thing that happens is it doesn’t work. I had one for my back about 3 weeks ago and it worked wonders. I haven’t felt this good in a long time. I had 5 when I was 17-18 didn’t touch me what so ever. But found a good doc and it’s manageable now. Also Celebrex (think that’s how you spell it) is a non steroidal anti inflammatory drug they give me and it’s the best thing I’ve had so far.

Hey, I really appreciate this. I totally understand. I used to train through pain but, in the past year, have really seen it's not worth it. I definitely value my longevity in training (would rather be able to lift well into my 50s - 60s if i can!).

Whether I cycle or not, I won't be doing any heavy lifting for lower body, just rehab and slowly working up. I use pain as a guide to rehab - if it hurts, I don't do it. I only progress in difficulty when there is 0 pain. I have been rehabbing, and am at the point where I don't need any pain medicine. The pain is 1-2/10 on a bad day now or after a tough rehab session, and 0/10 on good days. (started at 8/10 for a few days).

In the long-run, I am definitely starting to shift my goals to bodybuilding. I'm not sure how much more lean mass I can put on naturally, though at this time after 8 years of solid training. I think my arms and upper body might be able to throw on a few more lbs muscle in a few years if I'm lucky as a natty? That's definitely another reason I thought of starting sooner rather than later.

In any case, I'll definitely heed the advice. I don't plan on killing myself for PRs anymore - only if they are completely pain free will I push myself. And, before any attempt at PR's, I would make sure my hip is 100% pain free as well. That's definitely a long ways away.

@Pineapples4Puss Had the same damn injury! Lost 5 years of my life to it. Had to stop all power lifting type work outs. You ar 100 percent right! Op has to find a way of not chasing PR's! It will only hurt him worst. What AAS is good for is keeping mass on to prevent injury! without AAS I would be a fucking cripple!

Again, thanks. I won't be chasing any PR's until my hip is 100%. Whether that means 3-6 months of PT and a steroid shot, or surgery; or just PT. I'll have to see how it plays out. And by PR's - I don't necessarily mean 1RM - maybe I'll transition into more full bodybuilding style, and just push my higher rep sets. I'm not sure what exactly it looks like yet, but I don't plan on hurting myself for the sake of PR's anymore going forward.

Overall - it seems that the message is: don't run the cycle to get stronger and push PR's, and I totally agree. If I did run the cycle, I would only focus on 1) rehabilitation which includes: glute, adductor/abductor, core, calves, hamstring work, and 2) upper body size and high reps with 4x a week push/pull. All bodybuilding style.

If running the cycle won't very much strengthen all the muscles around that area, and enhance my response to rehab very significantly, and possibly avoid surgery because of how much more "support" the area has (all those little muscles in pelvis/hip) then I won't run it.

So, I think judging on responses now, I would not run the cycle at this time. I will see if anyone else has opinions on the matter. As of now, I would probably wait to see if I can get back to heavier lower body training with PT +/- steroid shot. If I can do that, then I would consider running the cycle in 3-6 months from now (still focused on size/mass, not strength).

 

[jbil75]

Hey, been planning my first real run a while now. Everything I need I've had a while, but haven't run. Test E 16-20 weeks @ 400-500mg/wk + ancillaries. But I have a hip injury.

For stats: 26, 99% natty training 8-yrs (3-week epistane cycle in college about 5 years ago lol), heaviest ever - 230lbs chubby. Currently - 188lbs 5'8", 13%BF. Big 3 total before injury a few months ago was a bit north of 1500. Primary goal was to increase my deadlift from low 600s to high 600s/700 to put my total up. 700lb deadlift was my lifetime natty goal but... life happens. For basically 8 years I've been training 3-6 days a week natty.

I've had right hip pain on/off for a few (~3) years. So fast forward to today: just had X-ray, doc said I have bilateral FAI, and probably a hip labral tear on the right [also, 50% torn R-adductor magnus from a few years back]. Pain was 8/10 the last time I flared it, couldn't walk. Through intensive rehab 2x a week I do, I've got it to less than 1/10 on most days. Got MRI coming up in a few weeks, then doc wants to discuss PT and a steroid shot in the hip as first line.

If I was to finish cutting down to 8-10% bf (2-3 more months of slow cutting probably) - then start my cycle, do you think there's a chance it helps my pain go away completely?

I realize that FAI, and if I do in fact have a labrum tear, will never completely heal without surgery. In some studies, 50%+ individuals with FAI/labral tears walking around every day, completely asymptomatic. All I want, is to be able to lift pain free, with whatever form modifications I have to make.

Avoid surgery if possible (I've had 5+ already from competitive snowboarding and bmx back in the day as a younger kid and adolescent), and steroid shot I'd rather not have. With that said, I would do shot and surgery eventually, but, am willing to try other routes. If I run the cycle, I will be devoting 3-4 days a week, 2hrs a day to my hip rehab. +Push/pull bodybuilding type training.

Thanks. I won't do it, and just try natural methods, if you all think this probably won't help much.

Those PRs are hard not to chase. You have one hell of a deadlift already though.

 

[DJjoeyfran]

Those PRs are hard not to chase. You have one hell of a deadlift already though.

Thanks for that. It was actually my worst lift for a long-time. I remember when I started training at 17-18, I was about 140lbs at the time and my max DL was 185. It has been quite the journey so far.

I remember thinking of running a cycle so many times, and I am glad I waited now, 8 years later.

I have had my fair share of injuries along the way but, this is the first one where I've thought to myself - damn, maybe I won't able to comeback. I know that's not the right mindset, and I know goals need to change when life happens. But damn, I'll definitely give it my all to get back.

Funny how you realize how much you love training after you can't train like you want to. I know we all go through injuries, and I think I can start to relate now to how much it can mess with your head.

if I wasn't destined to have a long heavy-lifting career, maybe I can transition to bodybuilding. When/if I eventually start cycling, maybe I'd even compete one day. I would imagine it is easier on the joints than the heavy powerlifting?

Even if I can't push the weight, at least I can still get as big as possible. I've never really tried training with lighter-weight, higher reps consistently before this time to be honest. Always PL style.