Hello Docs,
Around 3-4 years ago I sustained a back injury high bar “squatting” (quotes due to having no idea what I was doing) around 365lbs and my back was never the same. I would throw my back out for a week attempting anything over 135 lbs. I thought I would never lift heavy again. Luckily I eventually discovered starting strength and realized I had no idea what I was doing. I eventually got an mri, and a diagnosis (something about a bulging disc somewhere and early arthritis, they asked me if I fell off a ladder or something), however I chose not to read the printout or acknowledge the diagnosis after listening to the “back pain” podcast with Rippetoe and reading some of Baraki’s articles. So I don’t actually know what the diagnosis was, precisely. I finished my lp about 2 months ago, and am squatting 365x3x5 next week.
Anyway, as I’ve started approaching heavier weights I’ve been feeling mixed feelings of confidence and fear. When I was deadlifting yesterday 410x3x2 on my second set I lost focus due to technical issues and the first rep became a grinder. I lost balance above the knees and felt a “slide” in the area I injured in the past. I still locked it out, but was so off balance my right leg slid sideways to compensate (with a wider stance). I immediately terminated the set. There was no pain afterwards, so I decided to go for the three rep set again and got it with some difficulty after the built up fatigue. How should I approach these moments in my training? Should I continue training as normal? Should I repeat the weight next week? I just want to keep getting stronger safely.
I intended to have a video, but my smartphone was on the fritz (part of the reason I lost focus, due to frustration over this).