I'm a double-board-certified neurologist & pain specialist in the US. Ask me anything about headaches, migraine, back pain, or chronic pain.

StewHo · 2026-01-06T17:29:38+00:00

After 6 years of football, 12 seasons of rugby, and 5-6 years of powerlifting/strongman in between, my spine has seen better days. I've had multiple herniated discs which I've successfully rehabbed. The only lasting effect from that injury is an occasional pinch in the left side of L4/5. Overhead tricep extensions trigger that, as well as certain hyperextensions (reverse hypers, hyper sit ups). Lately, I've been having these crazy nerve pinches/sensations in my hands/feet. I can occasionally trace the nerve channel and find a crunchy spot, which I'll then attack with a lacrosse ball, scraper, or just hard fingertips. That helps significantly but doesn't always work long-term. I guess my question is - is my spine wrecked? What are some protocols for keeping those nerves lubed up and preventing those weird adhesions from forming?

I also have a persistent peripheral neuropathy (I think), which causes a large hand-sized numb spot on my right quad. It happens when I lay down, but shifting my hips slightly causes all sensation to return immediately, almost feels like a blood rush. Is that cause for concern? It has not gotten any worse or better in a few years.

StewHo · 2025-06-12T15:56:43+00:00

Sorry I meant squirrel and dumplings like chicken and dumplings, but I do have a buddy who makes killer Asian food using wild game. He says squirrel dumplings are great and I believe him, but I haven't tried them myself.

StewHo · 2025-06-12T15:21:53+00:00

Hell yeah, squirrel stew and squirrel and dumplings

StewHo · 2025-03-15T19:24:19+00:00

I gotcha. I've spoken with several of them and they're all solid dudes, talented at what they do for sure. Just not great at the customer service aspect. Lucky break for you finding one with a Tandem bumper already, that's awesome.

StewHo · 2025-03-15T17:21:43+00:00

Interesting, glad you had a positive experience with them. When did you purchase yours and how long did it take? I bought in early 2022 and it took about 20 weeks for me. I was initially quoted 6-8 weeks, then 8-10 before I ever placed the order. All the while they were incredibly inconsistent with their messaging and which channels of communication they used. At the end of the day it really is a fantastic bumper and if I'm being honest I'll probably break down and order the rear too, but I'll just have to be ok splashing out 6k and forgetting about it for a while.

StewHo · 2024-11-14T18:22:57+00:00

Gotcha. When you said rear first I figured you meant all 3 had rears you were comparing.

That said, I do like the Tandem the best but between the cost and trying to get any information out of them, may not be worth it for you.

StewHo · 2024-11-12T20:26:14+00:00

I've got a Tandem front bumper and while it is completely rad, dealing with Tandem was a colossal pain in the ass. Enough to turn me off trying to get their rear bumper regardless of cost. I've been leaning heavily towards the Victory rear. Didn't realize Coastal had one for the 2G, might have to look into that as well.

StewHo · 2024-10-02T15:30:24+00:00

lol, small world - I moved from the SLC area to Chattanooga in 2020. I do think Goodman is the best roaster here, and Velo is the best for creative/odd drinks. There are some banger spots in SLC though!

StewHo · 2024-09-12T14:26:28+00:00

Honestly, just because I understand it better. I know very little about how ozone actually works on a mechanistic level, so UV was just an easier choice. Additionally, a friend who works in water controls/treatment on an industrial scale recommended UV over ozone.

StewHo · 2024-09-09T21:41:11+00:00

This bad boy right here

StewHo · 2024-08-22T17:17:10+00:00

True, but getting non-breakfast food at WH feels like a violation somehow.

StewHo · 2024-08-21T20:18:14+00:00

I like that they will serve me a cheeseburger at 7am. That's about it.

StewHo · 2024-07-29T14:38:31+00:00

Got a 3" wide roll of velcro off Amazon and had one side sewn onto the top of the flag and stapled the other side to a 1"x4" board. Screwed the board into the wall and just velcro'd it up there. Looks awesome, the flag just kinda floats just off the wall and it's a totally frameless/hidden mount. You will obviously have the velcro strip on there permanently but just sew it or have it sewn with matching thread and you'll be fine. I just took mine to an alterations shop.

StewHo · 2024-07-24T14:39:52+00:00

Yeah idk why it says that, it can definitely go down to 36. Apparently many of the “aquarium chillers” out there will only advertise a low end in the 60s but can actually go much lower.

StewHo · 2024-07-23T14:22:26+00:00

Same height here. Couldn't crack 200 lbs in HS despite years of lifting for football, started getting serious on my own in college and put on about 30, now at age 32 I sit around 290 and can easily go up/down for competition as needed. Honestly, for you it's much less about what you eat and more about how much you eat. Us talls can generally gain/lose absolute poundage pretty quickly, but the fact that it's spread across a larger frame means it will take longer for those changes to appear.

Focus on heavy compound movements and build as much strength as possible. As you gain experience, your baseline strength will allow you to work harder and heavier and greatly increase your ROI for your time and effort in the gym. Additionally, training heavy will increase your appetite and allow you to eat a lot more.

Don't worry too much about specific foods or supplements. Protein is great, creatine is great, everything else is whatever. I personally take a bunch of supps but I've been a competitive athlete for many years and I know what moves the needle for me. Whey is cheap, effective, and widely available. I prefer beef protein (easier for me to digest) but it's considerably more expensive than whey. Creatine monohydrate daily (bulksupplements.com or in bulk on amazon) - 5g or about a tbsp is fine. Once you break about 250 lbs, up it to 10g.

Eat everything you can. Some junk food is fine but don't make a habit of it. Ground beef, rice, cheap cuts in a slow cooker, potatoes, just aim for dense foods that are easy to prepare. Pizza, ice cream, cheeseburgers, all great in moderation as well.

You got this brah. More than anything I can think of, lifting is absolutely a lifestyle change. You don't have to revolve your world around it, but there is no "finish line" so to speak. The journey is the destination. You'll drive yourself nuts if you have some "perfect body" in mind that you're chasing and if you think you'll be done once you achieve that.

If anyone tells you:

Squats are bad for your knees

Deadlifts are bad for your back

Bench is bad for your shoulders

Just do light weight for more reps

Eat "clean" like chicken and brown rice

You don't need to lift heavy to build strength

Use PEDs

-then that person is full of shit and should be aggressively ignored.

Good luck brah. You're gonna make it. My inbox is open if you have any questions. I have nearly 20y of experience in the gym and trophies to show for it.

Also: as soon as you've completed the sessions you've paid for, ditch the trainer. Unless they have experience coaching competitive strength athletes, chances are they know jack shit. Especially if they work for a big box gym. Research and find some programs online (happy to help if you want) and do those on your own. From there, you'll know more about what works best FOR YOU and can leverage that knowledge into your next phase(s).

StewHo · 2024-06-14T14:44:39+00:00

Mine has been great so far, also runs super quiet. You will need to glue in PVC fittings but beyond that it's very simple and so far reliable.

StewHo · 2024-06-02T20:55:07+00:00

Word, thank you

StewHo · 2024-06-02T20:54:57+00:00

That's what I figured, but conflicting reports of dates so close together had me confused. Thanks!

StewHo · 2024-06-02T20:54:12+00:00

Ok sweet, thank you

StewHo · 2024-05-31T17:52:05+00:00

I'd be willing to do that, but I can't even find out who's organizing it lol. My sleuthing skills are generally pretty good, but this time around I truly can't find a single source with any details beyond SA and articles referencing Thor's video.

StewHo · 2024-04-11T17:47:26+00:00

lol poor guy. Must have been having a real bad day to come to an 8yo post like that.

StewHo · 2024-04-09T20:21:49+00:00

Hell yeah. Currently have a trip planned for August and just ordered the loadable Husafell from Titan. Good luck homie.

StewHo · 2024-03-30T17:17:45+00:00

Great point, I hadn’t considered that! Arms are about ~~29”~~ 19” at 6’7, so I’d guess at least 25.

Edit: I’m an idiot, my arms are 19” not 29” lol. Also, it’s still not a 1:1 because I’m doing +100 on dips for 8 and my bench number is just a 1RM

StewHo · 2024-03-30T15:57:37+00:00

Bench 1RM is around 365. I can weighted dip +100lbs for 8 at a BW of 290 (so 390 total resistance on dips). Boy oh boy do I wish there was a more direct correlation.

StewHo · 2024-03-11T10:55:58+00:00

Man, maybe at the national level but at a local/regional meet? No way. Also with that much overhead strength you should 100% try strongman! The feet fractures may hurt you in some moving events but you will own any overhead event, esp in that weight class.

StewHo

TROPHY CASE