After Chris Spealler cracked inside the top 20 of the Masters 35-39 Online Qualifier and accepted his invite to compete at the 2017 CrossFit Games, the CrossFit community was excited. The new 35-39 Masters division is full of former Games athletes as well as others who are hitting their prime in their late 30’s…so it will be fun to watch in Madison.
On Spealler’s Icon Athlete podcast, Spealler has talked about increasing his volume in an effort to prepare himself for the grueling four days that he will encounter at the CrossFit Games. He has said he is not training to win, but to stay healthy on the competition floor.
To do this, Spealler has set out to do three workouts per day on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
But on Spealler’s most recent podcast (IA39 Games or No Games?), Spealler revealed that he has been dealing with some hip or back pain that has caused him to reconsider competing in Madison. His biggest concern is that it is a disc injury that, if not treated properly, could result in bigger health problems down the road.
In the podcast, Spealler continues that he has seen a physical therapist who believes it is a “hip” injury and that significant stretching and treatment between now and the Games might resolve the issue. But if it’s not resolved in the next 3-4 weeks, it could be a back/disc injury.
Two days ago Spealler took to Instagram to give an update to his fans and followers. Spealler says, “Things are pointing more and more to a disc issue leading to nerve pain in my hip and leg.” That is definitely not good news. However, it appears that he is not giving up and will continue to rehab and modify his workouts for the remaining three weeks to see if he can give it a go.
Spealler’s modifications mean going with higher reps and less loading.
So keep your fingers crossed that it all resolves itself before August and we can watch Spealler one more time on the CrossFit Games floor.
