Firehawk

[Dan C]

Originally Posted by Firehawk

If you knew about hernias, you would know that somenoe can get up off a couch and "bust their gut". Someone can bend over to pick something up and spring a hernia. Children are born with hernias, or get them at young ages. It just so happened that I sprung mine on the bench press (HANDLING LESS WEIGHT THAN I HAVE PREVIOUSLY BY THE WAY) and if it hadn't happened then, it was bound to happen eventually, because I was prone to it. And we know that now because I HAD ONE OCCUR. Talk to a doctor. He'll tell you the same thing. It is not one of those things you can't protect against by keeping your abs strong or packing on ab muscle.

In using the equipment, yeah it worries me, because the internal pressure is above and beyond what my body is naturally capable of and with the time off I have done serious thinking about that. And to be honest, I'm not so sure it is safe for me anymore. So, if I do choose not to use full gear, I will probably still compete because I enjoy it. But that is what I feel is best for me, and since you started this thread for my sake, and what is best for me and not about powerlifting in general, let's talk about my situation instead of powerlfiting as a whole. And if I make the choice not to use the equipment anymore, it will be because of my constnat worrying about my heart, not because of a hernia injury.

Though I respect that last paragraph and your willingness to really look into what is best for you, I still feel that equipment, and the internal pressures it causes, could be, and most likely was, the cause for your recent injury. Maybe you were prone to it since birth, maybe the attempt with 100lbs over your max had something to do with it. Either way, because you've lifted heavier before doesn't mean that the weight wasn't the cause. I've already agreed to the fact that injuries can and do occur, even with intellegent training, and as such, there is no rule that says they only occur with PR weights.