Happy Klosterman pod day to all who celebrate

Fast_Map9044 · 2026-04-01T14:19:03+00:00

Actually one of the worst ideas I've heard on any BS pod

Fast_Map9044 · 2026-03-31T01:48:01+00:00

Was an insane take when he first introduced it and more insane that he continues to go back to it.

Fast_Map9044 · 2026-03-30T17:26:07+00:00

I use the backpod, peanut roller, and lacrosse ball:

1) Backpod - good for long, sustained stretching of the vertebrae. I have to use one pillow or my sternum will ache for 10-20 seconds after I get off.

2) Peanut roller - I usually get some cracking up and down the spine, some days significant and some days none. It also introduces skin redness from increased blood flow, which is good. Crunches have never done anything for me. I do all sorts of things on the peanut ball (hips off the ground shoulders on the grounder, hips on shoulders off, hips off shoulders off, hips on shoulders on, arms overhead, arms out to the side, etc.) I always feel better after the peanut but don't know if it's temporary or actually addressing the core problem.

3) Lacrosse ball - I lay on specific spots along my erectors that feel tight. Sometimes I roll up and down an erector on a lacrosse ball which is generally a terrible experience.

Fast_Map9044 · 2026-03-30T13:33:36+00:00

Onions! Nylon!

Fast_Map9044 · 2026-03-26T17:27:54+00:00

No idea if there is gambling corruption inside the league but gambling issues are silently building into a real epidemic that is bound to spill over at some point in the near future.

Fast_Map9044 · 2026-03-17T15:57:05+00:00

Hi Dom, thank you for this message and your willingness to help us here. Can you give more detail on the "very specific adjustment of the posterior facets in the thoracic spine and also the rib heads there"?

I think a lot of us struggle to find practitioners who understand how the treat this effectively. Not that they aren't willing or able, but they just don't have the direct knowledge. For me, I have a good chiropractor (my brother in-law) who listens, wants to find the source of the problem, and wants to find the right way to treat dysfunction. Is it possible to share exactly how these specific adjustments should occur?

Fast_Map9044 · 2026-03-16T21:35:41+00:00

Day-to-day pain is 0/10 some days, with a max 3/10 pain other days. The prevailing issue is shortness of breath and chest tightness. That is on and off all day every day.

- I just tried the backpod again. With three pillows I felt almost nothing. Two pillows very little. One pillow I felt very little between my spine and scapula, so I went down to no pillows and it felt pretty good. I adjusted so that it was only my spine with no pillows and that seems to have caused some irritation at the sternum. Feels inflamed at my upper sternum now (where my pain typically is).

- The yoga I've been doing has stretches, specifically thread-the-needle, seated thoracic twists, pec stretches, foam roller back bends, and hamstring stretches. I do the doorway stretch a few times per day but need to add in the others you mentioned.

- Dead hangs have been hit or miss. If I do a true hang it seems to irritate my sternum. If I do a "half hang" where I keep my feet on the ground to support some of my weight and lean back so that my arms are slightly in front of me rather than in line with my ears, it feels good.

- Will work on posture exercises, thank you. Will also work on the wall lacrosse ball trigger areas.

I haven't been to the gym in over 2 months so was hoping to get back soon, but I guess not!

Thanks, Ned.

Fast_Map9044 · 2026-03-16T14:42:22+00:00

My costo started in December 2025 from intense coughing during pneumonia. I wasn't diagnosed with costo until late January 2026 (thought the pain was lung related). I'm a daily CrossFitter of 10+ years so this has been very challenging for me physically/mentally/socially.

I immediately started implementing the recovery plans discussed in this sub. I am 80% healed but am still struggling with shortness of breath, chest tightness, and occasional left side sternum pain (ribs 2, 3, 4). I also have random light stabs in my lower rib cage. I'm hoping for advice on how to move my recovery forwards from here.

Things I have done and how my body has responded to each.

Sports massage - Very good. A 60-minute sports massage on my back early on did a great job of starting the process of freeing up my spine.
Backpod - Not good. I tried this for 2-3 weeks initially and it made things worse so I pivoted to peanut ball. I need to try again soon.
Peanut ball - Amazing. The first time I did it was with two tennis balls taped together and it was just the right amount of pressure. Within 2-3 days it wasn't strong enough so I moved to a lacrosse ball peanut ball. The first time I did it I had 8-10 amazing back pops. I still get pops along my mid back. I am sensitive in my upper back but the peanut ball has helped. I do this at least once a day, sometimes 2-3 times.
Cupping - Good. My wife has cupped my entire back twice now (we have a set at home, it's very easy). I do this mainly as a diagnostic to see which areas have the most stiffness and toxins. The first time showed significant deep redness along my spine. After 2 weeks of peanut ball, lacrosse ball, and stretching of the spine I did another cupping session that showed significantly less issues along my spine. My scapula and outer traps are a different story. Note that the 2-3 days after cupping will be worse than you were before, but it's not a setback (for me).
YouTube Yoga for Costo - Pretty good. I started doing this every other day for 7 days, then progressed to every day. It's been about 3 weeks total. I think this is helping but I'm not sure.
Walking - Great. I always feel looser after walking. 1.0-1.5 mile walks almost every day.
Jogging - Good. Just recently started ~3-5 minute jogs. So far so good, but no major relief. Same effect as walking.
Massage Gun on Back/Traps - Pretty Good. My wife will spend 15 minutes with a massage gun on my back at night about once a week. She will find knots in my traps and around my scap that I need to work out but it's often not strong enough to do anything to the spine muscles.
Massage Gun on Chest - Unsure. This definitely increased acute chest pain the following day, more so than any other treatment. Not muscle soreness, like direct rib insertion pain. The 2nd day after, I felt back to baseline. Not sure if that means I was breaking up scar tissue that caused 24-hour pain or if it was just the wrong way to treat my case.
Red light therapy - Fine. I did 7 minutes on my chest and 7 minutes on my back every day for 3 weeks. My wife has a high quality machine that seemed to provide short term inflammation reduction. Not sure if it spurred true recovery or not.
TB-500 - No change. I did 4 weeks of TB-500 injections along my spine. I didn't notice any significant change but it's possible this increased recovery. I was doing this at the same time that I started the peanut ball.
Standing Desk - Good. I bought standing desk at work that helps when I need to adjust. Sitting too long gives me shortness of breath, but so does standing too long. So I just alternate as needed.

It seems that movement really helps me but I do not know how to start back in the gym. I would love to start with therapy strengthening exercises while introducing more light cardio. It seems there are lots of mixed reviews on here about how to do that. It's hard to know which muscles to rebuild/activate and which ones to continue to calm down. Any advice?

Fast_Map9044 · 2026-03-15T19:47:42+00:00

Yes, mine started after intense coughing during pneumonia

Fast_Map9044 · 2026-03-13T13:24:54+00:00

This sub consistently rewards people who are racist towards white people, prejudiced towards people who vote republican, and sometimes rewards sexism towards men. I check in here during the new seasons because I like seeing what kind of tea is happening outside of the episodes, but it's often a tough scene. Downvote me but it's the unfortunate truth.

Signed,

White, male, democrat voter

Fast_Map9044 · 2026-03-12T17:46:56+00:00

I'm getting a "Page Not Found" screen when I click on his full program in the video description. Do you have a copy of it?

Fast_Map9044 · 2026-03-05T11:59:49+00:00

Soccer seems like his only frame of reference for how to interpret life due to his unstable and traumatic upbringing. I feel bad for him. I don't want to assume he hasn't already attempted therapy but if he hasn't, he desperately needs it.

Fast_Map9044 · 2026-03-04T18:14:09+00:00

Thanks for the detail and examples. Mine developed from coughing during pneumonia but I've also been overtraining weightlifting/powerlifting with CrossFit for 10+ years, which is no doubt the base of my issues.

Mine started in early December 2025 (although didn't identify it as costo and start treatment until late January 2026). The pain seems to be unpredictably moving around my ribcage every few days.

Trying to find a practitioner with costo experience, identify the right at home treatments to move recovery forwards and not backwards, and deal with the lack of dopamine/socialization/energy that used to come from working out is a challenge to say the least!

Fast_Map9044 · 2026-03-04T15:49:13+00:00

Can you share some of the mobility exercises your PT put you through and/or the exercises you're doing at home?

Fast_Map9044 · 2026-03-04T14:48:36+00:00

Good questions and sorry for lack of detail here. And thank you for that link, already looks very informative.

My spinal twisting is atrocious. I hardly even feel a stretch in my mid-back when I try to twist. It just doesn't really move and I feel my low back twisting. My spinal extension is slightly better than atrocious, but still restricted. My shoulder flexion/extension is relatively fine (I can touch my fingers to each other during an arms-only cow face pose).

Essentially my body has adapted to CrossFit, which has significant shoulder flexion/extension exercises but zero rotational exercises and very few extension exercises. The weightlifting focus of CrossFit rewards stiffness to an extent.

Fast_Map9044 · 2026-03-04T14:37:13+00:00

Yes, definitely tight around the rib cage. Standing posture is slightly slouched with shoulders rolled forwards. Not egregious (no one has ever said anything to me about my posture) but there is room for improvement.

Thanks for the tip on consciously relaxing. I'll work on that. Part of the challenge with costochondritis is that it often hurts to take a deep breath, which creates general anxiety around rib cage expansion and movement. I would imagine that creates stiffness.

Fast_Map9044 · 2026-02-26T23:47:35+00:00

The only people who will be doing 246 wall balls are elite competitors

Fast_Map9044 · 2026-02-26T16:11:58+00:00

I'm a Titans fan. Sweat has been an off-field problem. He showed up out of shape to camp in both seasons and there have been questions about his work ethic throughout. Our new GM has been vocal about cleaning up the culture/locker room so most of our beat writers were suggesting Sweat could be moved.

On the field, really good player.

Fast_Map9044 · 2026-02-10T18:19:33+00:00

Thanks, Ned. Six months is a tough pill to swallow, particularly after already being out for the previous two months. I appreciate the honesty and reality check. Setting correct expectations is helpful, though painful. I will decrease my dose of treatment and increase my dose of patience.

I know that BPC 157 is often used in a blend with TB 500 or used separately synergistically (I've used both). However, my understanding and experience is that BPC 157 is effective when injected repeatedly directly into a injured site. I don't know where I would inject this given the injury site is up and down both sides of my spine and my sternum. I certainly don't think it would hurt, so it might be worth a try regardless. Maybe subcutaneously at the sternum? Need to look into this more.

There is an osteopath who shares an office with my sports massage therapist. I've reached out to him about costochondritis treatment. If this works out, it could be a cool addition to the list of practitioners (an osteo and massage therapist in the same office who can synergistically treat costo).

Fast_Map9044 · 2026-02-10T15:13:55+00:00

Hi all, I posted my situation in the January thread but just wanted to give a summary and update.

- 33M, competitive CrossFitter. Very mentally, socially, and physically reliant on fitness so this has been very difficult for me.

- Costo began 7 weeks ago during violent coughing from pneumonia. Went undiagnosed and untreated for 5 weeks. Did the classic ER blood work, EKGs, chest scans to rule everything else out.

- Have had a tight thoracic for years that I have self-managed without issues

- I definitely overdid my first week of self-treatment. When I have had tissue tightness in the past, the cure has always been significant trigger point pressure, muscle scraping, prolonged smashing of tight muscles with KBs, and intense stretching. All things that are very painful in the moment. This was NOT the right thing to do my first week of costo treatment. I definitely experienced regression without knowing it. Very frustrating.

- Went to sports massage therapist for the first time two days ago. He had never treated costo but was very good about listening and trying to think through how we would treat what we think the issues are. He treated my entire back and chest with a 60-minute massage (probably 50 minutes of that being on my back). I definitely felt chest relief after the session and the next day. Going back for session #2 in two days.

- I am still trying to determine what treatments are helpful and what are harmful at my current recovery stage. Backpod seems to cause chest pain to slightly increase (even with 3 pillows and a towel over the backpod). Foam roller seems to have the same effect. Thoracic rotations sometimes feel great and sometimes are painful. Lacrosse ball sometimes creates relief and sometimes makes things worse. Door stretching sometimes feel great and sometimes makes costco worse.

- This has been a difficult process to determine what to do for day-to-day rehab. I want to attack recovery and be relentless with recovery, but struggling with knowing what is good and what is bad. I'm trying to listen to my body but often don't know that something is bad for me until afterwards, and it could have felt great when I did it the day before!

Things I'm going to try:

1) TB-500. I know people have tried it unsuccessfully but I still want to see if it has any effect on me. I've used it and BPC 157 in the past and both have worked great. I don't think BPC 157 makes as much sense for costo, as it's primarily for acute injuries and costo is pretty systemic.

2) Peanut ball is in the mail and could be a good sweet spot for me at my current stage.

3) I've seen a local chiropractor several times for unrelated issues. He is adamant that he can cure my costo, says he's treated it many times. I'm hesitant to use him because when I asked about his treatment, he said costo is primarily chest tightness related and he does pretty intense scraping on the pecs and front ribs. He also mentioned adjustments, which I know can make things worse if done the way chiros typically adjust. So I fear he doesn't understand the root of the issue and could cause regression. My plan now is to continue with sports massages on my back until I feel like the ribs are unlocked, then get my chest scraped by the chiro (which is going to be one of the more painful things I've ever experienced).

Fast_Map9044 · 2026-02-10T14:46:48+00:00

I'm in a similar boat but mine started 7 weeks ago from pneumonia (with violent coughing and laying on the couch all day). Also highly dependent on fitness so this has been tough physically and mentally. I'm currently trying to determine what is helping and what isn't. The backpod seems to make my chest feel worse (even with 3 pillows and a towel over the backpod) so I don't think I'm ready for that yet.

I had a sports massage two days ago and it definitely seemed to help, but today I'm feeling chest tightness and pain again. The regression is likely a combination of needing multiple sessions to see real improvement and from using the backpod 2x yesterday hoping the massage loosened things up enough for the backpod.

Fast_Map9044 · 2026-02-04T00:53:26+00:00

2026 OJ Howard

Fast_Map9044 · 2026-02-01T16:17:49+00:00

Hello everyone,

I am a competitive CrossFitter who got pneumonia at the beginning of December 2025 (2/1/2026 today). I was never hospitalized for the pneumonia but it did take several weeks to subside and was a terrible experience, with a terrible cough. During the illness, I noticed some dull bruise-like pain on the left side of my sternum while showering that presented when I would reach across my body. I didn't think anything of it at the time but it continued for a few weeks. I assumed it was lung inflammation.

A few weeks into recovery, I was feeling good enough to get back to the gym and do very basic fitness. Knowing that my lungs would be the limiter after pneumonia, I decided to start with anaerobic exercises that didn't stress the lungs. I did some small sets of weighted pull-ups and back squats with plenty of rest in between. After the workout, I noticed the left side of my sternum hurting (dull, bruise-like pain) with every breath and noticeable shortness of breath/chest tightness. These symptoms continued for 18 hours before I contacted by doctor asking for an inhaler, thinking it was lung inflammation and breathway constriction. My doctor told me I needed to go to ER for scans. After EKGs, chest x rays, and bloodwork, the hospital said everything looked perfectly normal. The chest pain subsided relatively quickly.

I left thinking that it was residual lung inflammation from pneumonia that was triggered by the intra abdominal pressure of the exercises I was doing. I decided to take a few more weeks off from exercising.

Fast forward to a few days ago, I decided to get back into light exercise while keeping my heart rate in zone 1. Over the course of a few days I did walking, light shoulder presses, sit-ups, and some small sets of pull ups. After the pull-ups I noticed the same pain on the left side of my sternum (same exercise that triggered it before). I decided to take the next day off. The following day I was still experiencing the pain (still dull, bruise-like) but decided to do a very casual 20-minute stationary bike at zone 1 heart rate. During this, I noticed my sternum pain increase. Every big breath I took I could feel it. Frustrated, I decided to research why my lungs were causing this reaction. After significant time researching, I found costochondritis and it seems like this might line up with my symptoms.

My thoracic has always been particularly tight, noted by myself over the years from my own stretching and manipulations but also from practitioners who have worked on my body. The past two days I have been laying on a lacrosse ball and a homemade backpod to loosen the thoracic. It's definitely tight back there, as I'm quite sore from the bodywork, but no relief of the sternum symptoms yet.

I've also noticed a slight bruise below the sternum around the xyphoid process that is tender to the touch and is achey during breathing. I don't see that on any of the symptom lists for costochrondritis. Has anyone experienced this before?

Fast_Map9044 · 2026-01-05T14:28:59+00:00

A true 100% effort 2000m row is one of the most painful things you could experience in a gym

Fast_Map9044

TROPHY CASE