[quote]kpsnap wrote:
Appreciate the kind words . . .
Went to the gym yesterday and did:
Squat
10/45
5/80
5/100
2/120 . . . was supposed to do 7 (sets) x 5 (reps) here but it was just too much load on the shoulder in that position
5/95
then left the gym.
Saw the surgeon this morning. He said the tear and resulting gap were very large. I basically tore the muscle right off the bone. He will have to go in and stretch it back into place to reattach with screws in three locations, I believe he said. He will, however, be able to do it arthroscopically, which will require drilling three holes (front, side, back) for access, which is way better than having to open up the whole shoulder.
The SUPER good news is that he does believe that I will be able to bench again, but I will have to be very, very careful. And it will be some time before I can get there. Because he’s such a high-demand surgeon, he couldn’t schedule me until mid-May, which seems like forever to me. In addition, he advised against any heavy lifting in the meantime. Ideas for staying sane, anyone?
Another bit of good news was that my arm strength tests were off the charts given the severity of my injury. He was very surprised by that. The net result is that there is a plan and I am happy about that.[/quote]
Having the foundation that you have right now should make your recovery go well. Good to hear there is a plan.
Have you ever tried uni-lateral movements? I believe that there have been some studies showing carry over from the work done on one side to the injured side. Also maybe try the leg press instead of squats, pistol squats, Bulgarian split squats, step ups, etc.
no heavy lifting whatsoever? how about circuits in the form of stuff soldog mentioned…you’d be surprised at how fast bodyweight stuff can kick your butt!
Yeah, I’m going to need to give this stuff a try. Especially if I have a month to kill before surgery and many months to kill afterwards. Quite honestly, I’ve never done this type of stuff before. I’m really a squat, bench, deadlift kind of girl. I’ll have to google stuff like “pistol squat!”
Shit, sorry to hear about your injury. That sucks. Also, I’ll repost my response to your comment in my log re: Smolov:
“Kpsnap, I did read somewhere that if you are starting with a sub 300 lbs. squat, you want to increase 10 lbs. the first week, then 5 lbs. the second week, rather than 20 and 10. The program written by crazy russian for male power lifters, and the numbers work for most men. 10/5 seems alot more reasonable for someone who weighs less than half of what I weigh.”
I will also add, Smolov is a real bitch. I could not fathom getting through the base or intense phase while injured. My suggestion would be to get good and healed and then give it another go. Smolov will be lying patiently in wait for your return.
You’ll love/hate pistol squats. Its like a figure skater going for a sit spin. Which is why my right leg pistol squat is awesome (used to skate and spin on that leg) and my left one SUCKS.
Yeah, it makes sense to stop loading a bar on your back given the problem the surgeon outlined. If that muscle goes off the bone completely, then you are really fucked.
i only used to do body weight exercises for a good year when i was pretty down and out and had some bad circumstances. those fuckers made jumping under the bar a lot easier a year later. and QUITE welcome
Actually, Kimba, the supraspinatus IS off the bone completely and has retracted to nether regions. The surgeon’s gotta fish around and find it before he can stretch it back and screw it down. Fun stuff!
Yeah, jjackkrash, the timing is oh so wrong for me to do a program such as Smolov and I have, consequently, put the brakes on it. Never read about adding less weight on subsequent weeks if your starting squat is less than 300 lb, which, in fact, mine IS!
Empty leg press for time periods is a great idea, CBear. My booty probably wouldn’t disappoint, but the under-the-sweater action might. Unless you’re just into nice nipples.
Anyway, I’m not dead yet and decided to go punish myself this morning with some high-rep fun.
Squat
10/45
10/65
10/75
10/85
10/95
10/105
Good Mornings
10/45
10/65
3/6/85
Then, I must admit, I was trying out machines I could do without holding on and did:
A) Hip Adduction
3/10/90
B) Hip Abduction
3/10/80
C) Standing Calf Raise (this won’t work, of course . . . will move to seated calf)
3/10/255
I must admit that I’m scared of one legged squats. They will humiliate me. And a one-armed pullup. Well, now there’s a good challenge. If I can get one, I’ll video it.
again… that sucks about the injury but if you are anything like me, you are already planning what you will do once you can get back to training. it’s just a little speed bump and part of this lifting thing. i always say “if you aren’t getting injured once in awhile, you aren’t putting enough effort into it”.
Great to hear that there is a plan in place! I’m sure that gives you piece of mind too - so I’m super glad that you’re moving forward. And waiting for a good surgeon is probably the best idea!
I agree, I think you’ll also be surprised by your recovery, esp if you play it smart. Don’t be surprised if you overestimate your energy levels tho, I found that recovering from injury was work in and of itself (and my pull was nothing comapred to what you got here) - but you know I wasn’t all there mentally (what else is new).
Anyways, on the plus side, this could be a good time to try new things, like Brute said, get you back under the bar with a new appreciation for lifting. I’m going to think of some good stuff for you. Maybe like MiM said, complexes, or some fun plyo stuff insert maniacal laugh
I can totally see how months of pilates and yoga would get me screaming back under the bar and lifting ;).
My 2 cents Snap: at least it’s summer and you can use this injury to do something different and take it outside? Jog, walk, run, swim, hike, bike, rollerblade, run away from bears…
^ N, it doesn’t sound like she wants to run away from the Bear.
Snapper, I’m really glad to hear you and your surgeon have a plan in place! And mid-May sounds pretty quick to me for an in-demand surgeon (but this is coming from a girl who waited several months just for my initial appointment). Sounds like you’ve gotten lots of great tips to help keep you active and sane while you wait!
It’s also great to hear that your arm strength test was so good. Going into the surgery in good shape and strong will make the whole recovery process go that much more smoothly.
Today I did 8s. For no other reason than because it sounded fun.
Squat
10/45
8/65
8/75
8/85
8/95
8/105
8/110
Stopped there because it was bodyweight and I’m trying to keep it light.
Leg Extension (Single Leg)
3/10/45
Decline Situps
3/30
Hypers with 25-lb. plate hugged to chest
3/10
Interesting comment, RBlue, about the wait for the surgeon seeming reasonable. It gives me pause as I advocate for socialized medicine at the same time that I bitch about having to wait a month for a surgery.
I’m actually going to try to do some upper body this week. Let pain be my guide. I can’t just sit around watching my upper body atrophy!
[quote]kpsnap wrote:
Interesting comment, RBlue, about the wait for the surgeon seeming reasonable. It gives me pause as I advocate for socialized medicine at the same time that I bitch about having to wait a month for a surgery.[/quote]
I’m not going to pretend to be knowledgeable enough about socialized vs privatized medicine to make any sort of insightful comment. However, I will say that some of the issue may be a lack of surgeons…
[quote]I’m actually going to try to do some upper body this week. Let pain be my guide. I can’t just sit around watching my upper body atrophy!
[/quote]
Hope it goes well! Given you already know it’s a full-blown tear, it probably can’t hurt to try, assuming to take it slowly and let pain be your guide, as you stated.
So, I triumphed over some upper body work today. Pretty limited. But still! Just gotta keep my elbow close to my body.
Bicep Concentration Curls
3/10/15
Tricep Rope Pushdown
3/10/40 (I know, really pathetic weight . . . being careful here)
Seated Row
shoulder laughed at me so no go . . . was just trying to do it with no weight for range of motion
Standing Hammer Curls
3/10/12.5
Barbell Wrist Curls
3/20/25
Standing DB Shrugs
3/12/25
Seated yogic lifts (made up this name . . . I’ll try to find a pic of this)
3/25 seconds
Spent an hour reading horror stories about shoulder surgery gone bad online last night. Really scary stuff. I can only hope I have a good result from the surgery.
