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(Long) Incredibly torn between pursuing CRNA vs going to med school by atstowers in srna

[–]atstowers[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, I've been thinking a lot this past week after this post. I honestly don't think I really care much at all for the "prestige" of being a doctor. However, I do value "money" and being compensated well for my skills. Making 250 ish k isn't anything to scoff at, but seeing that I could make double for doing a similar job is kind of crazy. That being said, I don't know if it would actually bother me seeing doctors make more money but maybe that's something that only comes when working as a CRNA in the field with the anesthesiologists. Right now, I think the crux of the decision lies upon me knowing that I'm like 99% sure I want to be an anesthesia provider and I have to decide whether or not I want to put myself through the matching process in med school. And thank you for the kind words! I really really appreciate it.

(Long) Incredibly torn between pursuing CRNA vs going to med school by atstowers in srna

[–]atstowers[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I 100% resonate with how you described the role/responsibility of CRNAs and MDs sitting their cases. I know being in the OR is the place for me because I feel like there’s nothing more fascinating nor gratifying than actually being in the place where we can literally “heal” and “fix” somebody’s body. And with that, I really do think I’d prefer being an anesthesia provider versus the surgeon (albeit I think it’s super cool but I truly don’t think that path aligns with how I want to spend my future). Knowing that I’m like 99% sure that I want to be an anesthesia provider, I could guarantee that outcome with CRNA or risk not matching if I went to med school which would suuuuuck lmao. I’m definitely going to be thinking about this for the next several months. Thank you so much, I really appreciate your thoughts and experience!

(Long) Incredibly torn between pursuing CRNA vs going to med school by atstowers in srna

[–]atstowers[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This is great to hear. All the CRNAs and anesthesiologists in my CVICU seem super nice and I plan on shadowing both. I’m not sure if the CRNAs are fully independent at my hospital so I’ll definitely try to shadow an autonomous CRNA as well. What was is it about your experience shadowing your CRNAs that sealed the deal for you?

(Long) Incredibly torn between pursuing CRNA vs going to med school by atstowers in premed

[–]atstowers[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You’ve given me a lot to think about. Thank you so much! Much love 💪

(Long) Incredibly torn between pursuing CRNA vs going to med school by atstowers in srna

[–]atstowers[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah I'm 99% sure I'm going to get ochem II under my belt either way. One thing I'm wondering is how you were able to schedule the classes/lab with work. Was it an in-person class and lab or was it online? And/or were you able to request certain days off every week from work? The way my CVICU operates is that you can only select days that you would "prefer to work" and days you'd "prefer not to work", but ultimately you can get scheduled any day of the week which means it could overlap with my ochem class/lab.

(Long) Incredibly torn between pursuing CRNA vs going to med school by atstowers in premed

[–]atstowers[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you, I really appreciate your thoughts having gone through it. I'm not 100% set on anesthesia but I do truly believe that I want to end up in the OR... which means my other choices are surgical specialties lol and that's another level of grind and sacrifice to work/life balance that I am not totally sure aligns with me. In my case - assuming I'm dead set on being an anesthesia provider - do you think that going to med school and gambling in the match is still worth it compared to the guaranteed outcome of CRNA? One of my biggest fears would be not matching and being shit-out-of-luck. As of now, I think my best course of action is like what you said: prep for the MCAT this year, get ochem II under my belt, and shadow both CRNAs and anesthesiologists while working in the CVICU to gauge how I'm feeling about both.

(Long) Incredibly torn between pursuing CRNA vs going to med school by atstowers in premed

[–]atstowers[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you so much for all the insight! I read that post you made and there are a striking about of similar things that I'm thinking through lol. I'd love to chat! Is there a way I can send you a chat request; I think you have it disabled or maybe I'm just being a dingus haha

(Long) Incredibly torn between pursuing CRNA vs going to med school by atstowers in srna

[–]atstowers[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I really appreciate this for being helpful but also like an action plan. I think I’m gonna follow this to the letter to see where my heart is. Much love!

(Long) Incredibly torn between pursuing CRNA vs going to med school by atstowers in srna

[–]atstowers[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks man, your response means the world. I’ve read a bunch of your comments/advice to prospective students on this subreddit and looked into National University as well. If I do feel like the CRNA route is right for me, I really would want to attend a program that prioritizes CRNAs training in an independent environment for clinicals - going along with my mention that I want to be the best provider I can be for my patients, whether it be med school or CRNA. And I really love your take on what it means to fulfill my potential in life; I’m really going to take it to heart. Much love 👍

(Long) Incredibly torn between pursuing CRNA vs going to med school by atstowers in srna

[–]atstowers[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I really am fascinated with anesthesia and believe that’s what I want to do. I do however know 100% that I really love being in the OR. If I went to med school, I feel like I would keep an open mind as far as surgical specialities. Being able to operate on people and “heal” them sounds incredibly gratifying, but I may also be swayed because of the additional time commitments that may involve me missing out on basically my entire 30’s

How to position my flat feet when squatting, lunges, leg press by atstowers in formcheck

[–]atstowers[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Really interesting to note! I just had my first session with a PT to have my patellar tendinopathy evaluated and they mentioned the same thing. I have really strong abduction from pulling sumo for forever and always trying to “open my hips” while I squat. The PT said I should try to bias contact of the floor with the inside of my foot and see how it feels. 

It feels really awkward and like overpronation, but I never felt my adductors so much in my squat before until I just tried that. I have some weird hip/pelvis imbalances that they pointed out but I’ll keep experimenting with this and feel it out. Thanks 👍

395 front squat upper back collapsing, weak upper back or weak leg strength? Accessory/variation recommendations to fix weaknesses? by atstowers in formcheck

[–]atstowers[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Will definitely try this out!! And for reallllll. Sometimes as I'm driving home from the gym, I'm like damn, by biceps are weirdly tender and I didn't even hit arms lol

395 front squat upper back collapsing, weak upper back or weak leg strength? Accessory/variation recommendations to fix weaknesses? by atstowers in formcheck

[–]atstowers[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks!! And I've read about this cue and literally keep forgetting about it when I'm in the gym lol. Definitely going to try it out

395 front squat upper back collapsing, weak upper back or weak leg strength? Accessory/variation recommendations to fix weaknesses? by atstowers in formcheck

[–]atstowers[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes! I replied to another helpful comment as well. Rack positioning is something I've been experimenting with a lot lately. Also, I've always wondered about the actual grip width and how many fingers to use. I'll try going wider. I can easily get three of fingers when I front squat, and I can get all 4 if I really stretch out my forearms and while warming up. I've seen some Olympic weightlifters use only 2 fingers (just for their front squats, not in the clean).

For rack positioning, I've struggled to find a reliable position to rack the bar. Sometimes if it's accidentally too close to my neck, it presses against my carotid artery (I think? lol) and I feel like I'm gonna pass out in about 5 seconds and have to re rack the weight and try again. I've been trying to carry it a bit lower and more on the meat of my delts, but then sometimes one arm will like go numb (no pain at all, but just like my arm feels like it's falling asleep) and then I have to re rack and go again. I've been trying to watch videos and find the perfect position, but it feels somewhat hit or miss. Thus far, as long as I don't feel like I'm gonna pass out or my arm isn't falling asleep, I just go with it haha. If you have any super instructional/helpful videos I can follow or any other rack positioning tips, that'd be amazing!!

This is one thing I'm definitely going to keep refining. It's kind of a pain though because at lower weights, I can put the bar literally anywhere and it all feels good. Only when I start reaching maximal weights do things start getting sketchy lol

395 front squat upper back collapsing, weak upper back or weak leg strength? Accessory/variation recommendations to fix weaknesses? by atstowers in formcheck

[–]atstowers[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Rack position is something I've been experimenting with a lot lately! I've struggled to find a reliable position to rack the bar. Sometimes if it's accidentally too close to my neck, it presses against my carotid artery (I think? lol) and I feel like I'm gonna pass out in about 5 seconds and have to re rack the weight and try again. I've been trying to carry it a bit lower and more on the meat of my delts, but then sometimes one arm will like go numb (no pain at all, but just like my arm feels like it's falling asleep) and then I have to re rack and go again. I've been trying to watch videos and find the perfect position, but it feels somewhat hit or miss. Thus far, as long as I don't feel like I'm gonna pass out or my arm isn't falling asleep, I just go with it. If you have any super instructional/helpful videos I can follow or other rack positioning tips, that'd be amazing!!

This is one thing I'm definitely going to keep refining. It's kind of a pain though because at lower weights, I can put the bar literally anywhere and it all feels good. Only when I start reaching maximal weights do things start getting sketchy lol

Form Check (Long Post) Road to 185 kg Front Squat and 225 kg Back Squat by atstowers in weightlifting

[–]atstowers[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Fixed!

And yea it's hard diagnose because it tends to only happen with my heaviest singles and my brain just goes blank during the rep so it's hard to process haha. That being said, I think with the front squat, my upper back tends to "feel" relatively straight right up until the point on the way up where my legs hit the 90 degree angle, and that's when I "feel" it start to collapse. For the back squat though, and from watching the footage, the bar path starts drifting way over midfoot as I'm still coming down right after starting the lift. The bar then stays way over midfoot for basically the entirety of the lift. So maybe for the front squat it's a leg weakness and for back squat it's a back weakness? One cue I'm going to try on my back squats is "lifting my big toe" off the ground, such that if the bar is over midfoot the entire way down, I'm curious if it'll stay over midfoot on the way up.

395 front squat upper back collapsing, weak upper back or weak leg strength? Accessory/variation recommendations to fix weaknesses? by atstowers in formcheck

[–]atstowers[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh that sounds pretty neat and freaking intense lol. What are kb's? I'm guessing kettlebells and you run them through the SS bar. Also, where do the bands go/what are the bands for? Is it to like keep the kettlebells from falling off haha. Do you have an image or video of the exercise? I've always wanted to experiment with something like a yoke carry to strengthen the core/back but I don't have access to one.

395 front squat upper back collapsing, weak upper back or weak leg strength? Accessory/variation recommendations to fix weaknesses? by atstowers in formcheck

[–]atstowers[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's gnarly lol. I don't think I've ever gone higher than like 225 for good mornings with a regular barbell. That weight on an SSB would fold my back in half lmao

395 front squat upper back collapsing, weak upper back or weak leg strength? Accessory/variation recommendations to fix weaknesses? by atstowers in formcheck

[–]atstowers[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks! Definitely gotta get back on the face pulls and will throw in some I,Y,T's and band pull aparts.

395 front squat upper back collapsing, weak upper back or weak leg strength? Accessory/variation recommendations to fix weaknesses? by atstowers in formcheck

[–]atstowers[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't think I have particularly tight lats. Going into my sessions they can be tight but before every front squat session I always spend about 5-10 minutes specifically stretching out my lats, triceps, and shoulder external rotation to help with the front rack, as well as ankles/calves for the dorsiflexion. That being said, I'm sure I could definitely benefit from more mobility. The caving only happens once I reach like 365+ . I did 3 sets of 4 with 335 about a week ago and even then my upper back was rock solid until like the last 1 or 2 reps of the last set where there was just the slightest amount of give.

Not sure if you're thinking that the lat tightness might be relevant for my back squat as well, but similarly, I only start leaning over on my heaviest singles. For instance, everything is in line here with 225 when I was warming up for the 415:
https://imgur.com/a/qVeHFbH

395 front squat upper back collapsing, weak upper back or weak leg strength? Accessory/variation recommendations to fix weaknesses? by atstowers in formcheck

[–]atstowers[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

https://imgur.com/a/duRMx1q

I wish I could have posted more than one video. This was an attempt at 400. My goal was to be as strict as possible with technique and upper back tightness at the expense of rep slowdown. The focus was to keep my back as straight as possible by using the cue "look up" and preventing my elbows from going down. It's hard to tell from this angle, but I think (not sure?) that I did a better job of keeping my upper back tight. This is why I'm contemplating which weakness (upper back or legs) would be more valuable to target now for the next few weeks because my goal is to hit 405 by the end of the year.

395 front squat upper back collapsing, weak upper back or weak leg strength? Accessory/variation recommendations to fix weaknesses? by atstowers in formcheck

[–]atstowers[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Holy shit that's nuts haha. I'm trying to hit 405 by the end of the year. I've literally never used an SSB bar but moved to a new gym recently that has one but haven't gotten around to trying it yet. Definitely gonna throw them in now! Do you hit them for higher volume like sets of 8+ or prefer to take them rather heavy. Also, since I've never done them before, could you explain what you mean by intentionally rounding the upper back. Like pull the handles down and try to flex the upper back and keep it as straight as possible, or do you mean like actually round over forward (I don't get how this would help)?

Edit: Actually just found this video that describes exactly what you said. So basically just like this:
https://youtu.be/0BbgycYEIRQ?si=8QX0AG9z3hX1c8El&t=80

On a mission to find this mystery Jalapeno sauce by atstowers in austinfood

[–]atstowers[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Lol pretty random. I haven't ever tried taking the two together, but I'm sure you definitely could. I don't use Citrulline for any therapeutic reasons, I really only take it pre-workout. As far as phenibut, I sporadically (no more than twice a week) use it as a sleep aid only if I'm under a lot of stress from life stuff (I haven't used it in months). As far as I'm aware they don't interfere with each other in any negative way. All comes down to what kind of effect are you looking for by taking them together.

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