Ronnie Coleman is in the hospital! (news update)

[Reeves]

Ive had disc replacment at 3 levels in cervical spine,( resulting from compression injuries playing rugby then compounding it with heavy weights for a decade) the resulting nerve damage from this type of injury is unforgiving whilst i have improved in certain areas on my right side the muscles furthest away from the area that was compressed are gone, im 3 and a half years post op and my right lat especially the lower section is gone, upper back is okay along with the tricep to some extent and the pec is 50% what it was once, but spinal injuries are the end of life as you once knew it, I tell all young lifters at the gym to slow down, life is a marathon not a sprint. Big Ron has had this problem for years, Jay also has issues with spinal compression, after going through it myself i can identify it in others better than any doctors, the telltale signs are there, you need to pull up asap, to preserve your spine for the rest of your life, I cant train like I used to but I pulled up early enough so that im still able to live a fit athletic life without pain.

Sound insight from real life experience.  Thanks!

[lovemonkey]

Ive had disc replacment at 3 levels in cervical spine,( resulting from compression injuries playing rugby then compounding it with heavy weights for a decade) the resulting nerve damage from this type of injury is unforgiving whilst i have improved in certain areas on my right side the muscles furthest away from the area that was compressed are gone, im 3 and a half years post op and my right lat especially the lower section is gone, upper back is okay along with the tricep to some extent and the pec is 50% what it was once, but spinal injuries are the end of life as you once knew it, I tell all young lifters at the gym to slow down, life is a marathon not a sprint. Big Ron has had this problem for years, Jay also has issues with spinal compression, after going through it myself i can identify it in others better than any doctors, the telltale signs are there, you need to pull up asap, to preserve your spine for the rest of your life, I cant train like I used to but I pulled up early enough so that im still able to live a fit athletic life without pain.

That's gotta suck so bad to see your own body slowly wither away and knowing it's never gonna come back.

[cephissus]

Definatly avoid the yates style bent over rows with your back standing more upright than the conventional row, when you contract your lats pulling your elbows back , you tend to tilt your head back to contract the traps,I honestly believe this excercise is a disc killer, just an opinion.

this reminds me of shrugs.  when i do the shrug motion, i feel like i'm pinching my neck and can't feel shit in my traps.  with your compression / nerve problems, did you also have trouble feeling the muscle (the "mind muscle connection")?

[honest]

That's gotta suck so bad to see your own body slowly wither away and knowing it's never gonna come back.

It was a lot easier to deal with as i had retired from then sport and had other priorities in life with my business and family, but as a guy who loves to train it devastated me, but I have never given up and the recovery is sufficient for gym rat, certainly wouldn't be able to ever think about competing again, but even without the injury, my bodybuilding days were behind me.

[honest]

this reminds me of shrugs.  when i do the shrug motion, i feel like i'm pinching my neck and can't feel shit in my traps.  with your compression / nerve problems, did you also have trouble feeling the muscle (the "mind muscle connection")?

No, but with shrugs becareful not to move the position of your neck during the rep, easy to pinch a nerve, quite a few guys have done similar injuries doing standing calve raises by moving their heads with the stack leveraged on their shoulders. I would think the mind connection could be achieved better by contracting the traps at the top the rep, but be careful not to move your head mid rep, peak contraction training is excellant at turning a muscle on, I have used it with my calves in all my traing days as i had no mind muscle link there only a burning feeling from the pump, mind muscle is important, in my opinion. 

[NordicNerd]

how do you train around it ?

@MikMaq: yeah all men in their forties have a disc replacement ...

I also have severe low back problems. I cannot do squats, leg presses, seated cable rows etc. I train around it as follows:

1. I do one- leg leg press and lunges for thighs, as well as leg extentions. One leg exercise works very well and I get no back pain from it.

2. All seated rows are done with machines having chest-pads for support. One arm dumbell rows works well

3. I do overhead presses seated, without arching my back

4. I do hyperextentions for lower back. Works well. Feels like it gets blood into the lower back and decompresses in the low part of the movement. Also keeps up low back strength.

NN

[Nirvana]

wouldn't light deadlifts be good for your spine? I always heard keeping the lower back muscles strong was good for the spine, as long as you can strengthen them without ruirning your spine. I rarely go above 740 usually keeping the reps above 15.  I'm young and already train like an old fart due to my dad being run down from lifting.

[yates fan]

i read in a ronnie coleman interview, a rcent one, where he said he doesnt squat,deadlift,do t-bars or bent rows anymore and a few other exercises that were his mainstay.he has had 2 surgeries on his back and said a third one is necessary,to fix what is wrong,he also said he would love to vcompete again,if he could do these exercises again,as he would need to do them to look the way he once did, i doubt he has any regrets being that he won 8 sandows,only lee haney can say that.

[musclecenter]

Is Ronnie in the Methodist Dallas Medical Center ?

[closeline]

everyone beliving that coleman will ever be on stage again presenting a decent look is a complete idiot

his body is faling apart , and that s just normal at nearly 50yrs old

he was great , but that s it

lights out!

[willie mosconi]

Definatly avoid the yates style bent over rows with your back standing more upright than the conventional row, when you contract your lats pulling your elbows back , you tend to tilt your head back to contract the traps,I honestly believe this excercise is a disc killer, just an opinion.

That is how I injured my back 8 years ago. It hurt really bad for about a month, but thereafter I've been more or less fine.
 However, there are flare ups once or twice a year. dI don't know why I decided to experiment with Yates style rows. Should have just left well enough alone.

 I avoid squats, deadlifts, and bent rows now. It seems those are the most dangerous exercises for me

[NarcissisticDeity]

Yeah Buddy

[pamith]

Poor Ronnie I'll pray for him   

[pamith]

Given the size of his gut, is he pregnant with Bay's "muscle baby"?

Lmfao!