JK fitness journal update:
So. TFL. I tried to stretch it and it got super achy from that, so I totally ignored it when I was on vacation to see family the past two weeks. TFL didn't respond at all to rest, still the same ache/same place, so my plan is to do super light weight/workouts at the gym and let the trainers know beforehand so they don't think I'm skimping.
Went to the gym last night. Haven't worked out in two+ weeks. Deficit deadlift, 4x7, only went up to 137lbs to be nice to myself. Accessory was four rounds of 10 of: weight step up, weighted Cossack squat, and single arm kettlebell swing (10 each arm). This is where the TFL kinda started acting up. Weighted step up I only held one dumbbell, 25lb, and I could feel my hip twinge/my step not be as stable when I stepped using the left around the third round in. Cossack squats I did one round with a blue kettlebell and HOMG the left hip was not happy when I squatted in that direction/it was a twinge pain and not an ache pain. Told the trainer and he said to drop the weight, widen my stance, angle out my feet more, and not go as deep, which helped a ton and I was able to complete. The single arm kettlebell...didn't hurt the hip at all, so IDK?
Conditioning was ****. 40/30/20/10 reps scenario (for distance it was 400m/300m/200m/100m) for the following: sit-ups, dumbbell snatch (split per arm), and bike/rower/ski. I used the bike for my distance, because I figured the rower would...not make the hip happy. Sit-ups were just hard because it was so much. The dumbbell snatch was...interesting. I went super light because of how many reps we were doing and got heckled by one of the other trainers (I was using a 10lb dumbbell vs. my normal 25lb). Snatch was good when I was using my right arm, but when I used my left arm...I think the reaching down between the legs forced the TFL to stretch super hard on that side, and I def felt a ping. Happy I was lower weight so that way I could just kinda do a strict press on the way up instead of using my hips. Also kinda limped a little, but it went away after I drove in the car, so I might have pushed it a little.
After a shower, I slapped a couple of those salonpas pain reliving pads near the area (2) before bed. Woke up this morning and the area doesn't feel any worse, and doesn't really feel any better, so I think I'm just going to keep working out at a lower weight and see what 'triggers' the TFL twinge. It mostly seems to be movements where I do a super deep hip angle (like the Cossack squat) or reach across/down movements, which moves the torso and the TFL together.