Small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises.

Tried doing bench press today but right rotator cuff was still sore. Found out that my form might not be right as I am pushing off on my shoulders more than my triceps and chest. Next time I will have to try to go on a narrower grip and pushing off from my chest.

Tried doing the WOD of ring dips or ring push ups but my cuff was still sore. So I skipped the WOD.

It is better to live for something than to die for nothing.

Major improvement today with the back issue. Was able to sleep in any position and was able to stretch out the back pretty good. Tried bending from the waist while rounding the back and I'm slowly gaining the strength and flexibility back. Will keep stretching and icing/heating. But this is great progress. Will be back soon.

Interesting article: Why endurance sports might be bad for you? There will always be proponents and opponents to endurance sports and while the article highlights the possible damage to the heart, one sentence caught my attention; "sensible training and adequate recovery". That is true for all sports but how many of us take that to heart. I for one did not. With my back being injured it was hard not to think about how I'm losing good training time. Endurance sports are great, for me it was a great mental accomplishment. And it stops at that. It did not help me physically as I was tired beyond imagination and my body was susceptible to injuries and sickness. It did not help me socially either. I didn't have time for friends and my relationships suffered. At least that's for me. For others its a match made in heaven. Hats off to them.

If you are not living on the edge, you are taking up too much room.

Back feels slightly better today. Yesterday was horrible with no relief other than laying on my sides. Standing up hurts and sitting down is excruciating. Doctor advised to walk through the pain to try to stretch out the back and hamstrings. Did that all day but nothing seemed to help. Been applying more heat as that feels the best on the back and to stretch it out.

Can a high fat diet beat cancer? Time Online magazine

The difference between success and failure is often not who has the most education. Its motivation.

Morning WOD

This morning the back felt better. Last night I was able to sleep on my back. But overall it is still pretty tight and will still have to take the day off. Hopefully I will get back into things soon. I can't help but tell myself that while I'm resting someone else out there is training to be stronger than me. While it is frustrating, it has been awhile since I took time off and this will be good for the body to recover.

The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start.

Back got worst today. Will be skipping today's workouts for sure and I'm not sure about others. Last night could not sleep on the back and had to sleep on my sides. Felt like something was really tight. This morning sitting on a chair hurts just as much. 

Dr Crum was out so saw Dr Alverson instead. No herniated or slipped disc so it was really good news. Bad news is I managed to cause a spasm in my back muscle. Probably during yesterday's workout when I was jumping rope and felt the tinge in my back. The body reacts by tightening up the muscles around the back.