A Powerlifter, Larry Wheels suffered a Hamstring Tear squatting 700 pounds for 7 reps. In a candid YouTube video, he discusses using growth hormone for recovery.
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Despite recent triumphs, such as setting a new personal record with a 400-pound seated dumbbell shoulder press for four reps, Wheels now grapples with a hamstring injury. He believes it to be a grade-one tear, marking a temporary pause in his fitness journey.
Larry Wheels suffered Hamstring Tear Squatting 700 Lbs Due to Insufficient Warm-up; Looking to Resumes Growth Hormone Use
Larry Wheels notes that many of his injuries, including the recent hamstring tear, occur in cold environments.
“I mean, if it was not for the minor tear, it would have been I think even a PR. Regardless of whether it was a Pr or not, the injury happened because I was lifting in a cold environment and not sufficiently warmed up for the top set. I thought for the second to last set that I was warmed up sufficiently but I wasn’t super confident. That’s where I made a mistake.”
Wheels acknowledged that his actions were reckless, expressing the need to ensure he breaks a sweat before attempting such heavy lifts.
“I should have made sure before going to do the top set that I was breaking a sweat and my knees and everything felt really warm and I felt comfortable.
If you’re working out in the gym and your hands and feet are cold and you feel you need a hoodie on and you’re trying to hit an AMRAP it’s just really reckless. Me, I should know better. I’ve said this many times actually when I’ve got injured in the past training in cold environments,” shared Larry Wheels.
Regarding the injury sensation, Wheels described it as purely muscular, characterizing the pop as ‘very small.’
“As of today, as of right now, I say it’s just muscular, the pop was very small. So I’ve had quad and hamstring tears that have completely disabled me and so much to the fact where during the lift I completely collapsed and I couldn’t walk. There was no contracting in the quad or hamstring, there was no walking even.”
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In contrast to previous hamstring injuries that left him unable to walk, Wheels’ recent tear appears to be less severe.
“As of right now I can bare full weight on my leg, I can walk, sit, stand, and in my experience with a more serious tear maybe a tendon or ligament, it’s completely disabled right. You can’t contract the muscle, you can’t put weight on it at all, you can’t stand, I mean, I literally needed crutches for my last quad tear and my hamstring tear and it took me nearly nine months for each one to fully recover.”
“Now, I want to bring awareness to how important it is to be properly warmed up in a cold environment. See I haven’t lifted in a cold gym in so many years I underestimated how dangerous it could be. In Dubai, even in the winter time it’s warm all year-round.”
Reflecting on his actions, Larry shared that he underestimated the danger of lifting when the body is cold.
“In this situation, again, I underestimated how dangerous it could really be when your hands and feet are really cold and you’re doing sets and reps and you just can’t quite get warm.”
To prevent a similar issue in the future, Wheels suggests a thorough warm-up, including activities like treadmill or bike work, body weight movements, hip thrusts, or band work.
“A solution would be getting on the bike, maybe walking on the treadmill, doing more reps with lighter weight, breaking a sweat right, or maybe just doing some body weight warm-ups, hip thrusts with no weight, using bands, right. So this is why having a coach, a powerlifting coach for example that specializes in having athletes perform for feats of strength is really crucial if you’re trying to push your limits.”
“Where I am more tuned to bodybuilding right, it’s not every day that we’re really or ever really, he’s having to coach people into hitting single, triples, and fives, or getting under big weight like I just did.”
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Larry Wheels shared plans to use growth hormone for faster healing, a method he used for minor tears before.
“With that said, I’m going to hop on some growth hormone I’ve used it in the past when I had grade one tears such as this one when I know it’s muscular or maybe it’s a small tendon tear and maybe some growth hormone will help speed up the recovery process but it’s critical if you have a small tear like this you don’t rush the process and get back into lifting too quickly because this can very easily become a major tear as I mentioned before where it’s torn completely off the bone or the muscle and tendon are separated and now you’re looking at nearly a year of recovery,” said Larry Wheels.
Larry Wheels, post-Olympia Amateur, gained 55 pounds in two days, a self-proclaimed world record. Fans eagerly await his Pro card and how he’ll fare against elite talent in Classic Physique.
View the full video below:
Overview
Powerlifter Larry Wheels recently suffered a minor hamstring tear squatting 700 pounds, reflecting on the incident in a YouTube video. Known for his strength and numerous records, he emphasizes the danger of lifting in a cold environment and the importance of a proper warm-up. Larry Wheels plans to use growth hormone for recovery but warns against rushing the process. Despite setbacks, including finishing second at the 2023 Amateur Olympia, fans anticipate his return to bodybuilding in 2023.
Featured Image @LarryWheels (Instagram & YouTube)
