well, i for one would love a Snapper coach—you could be onto something! or like pmpm suggested before-a ref at meets. You have a good eye and are helpful with your observations.
I’m a black and white-all or nothing typer person too. its got its benefits and its drawbacks for sure 
and hurray for the 25th!
hey! they FINALLY have the march meet results up!
http://www.rmlccolorado.com/ took only what, 3 months
Thanks to all of you for the kind words and PMs.
I saw my surgeon this morning. Many positives came out of this meeting. First, I lifted my arm up for the first time in six weeks. It was an incredibly difficult task. I also received clearance to use machines for lower body work. This is huge. The rest of my visit centered around a negotiation of what I can and cannot do activity-wise for the next six weeks. As would be expected, my surgeon won every round of the negotiations. Our biggest argument centered around squatting:
Me: When can I squat?
Him: Not soon.
Me: Well, why not?
Him: Too much stress on the joint in that position.
Me: Well, when then?
Him: September
Me: How about August?
Him: You can squat in a smith in August.
Me: But I don’t like the smith. I want to be in the cage. If I can’t be in the cage, I’ll just do leg presses.
Him: Okay, then just do leg presses.
Score: Surgeon 1; Me 0
In hindsight, I realize how stubborn I was being.
Left the surgeon’s office and went to physical therapy. I did my first active range of motion exercises. Oh my. I was so exhausted when I left. It’s hard to explain but even holding the steering wheel in the car is work.
Left PT and went straight to the gym where I did leg presses, leg extensions, and seated hamstring curl. Was totally exhausted after that and left. It’s a process, I keep telling myself.
So it looks like serious training will not commence until sometime this fall.
At least your listening to the surgeon and your body cues Snap: if you were exhausted after those presses, extensions and curls that tells you he was right. And we’re practically already in July. Just a couple of weeks until your back in the game!
p.s love the arguement. I bet he still respects the fact you want to move though. How many couch potatoes does he see in a day asking if they can use the TV remote control or shower. ugh.
I know who will be in the Smith machine in August.
This is GREAT NEWS! You are obviously healing up well with no complications. Yeah, your summer will suck, but summer by its very nature goes quickly and September will be here before we all know it.
Did you negotiate suggesting a safety squat bar? If you have access to one, I think that helps with the shoulder situation. Oh, and what about front squats??
If I were you, I’d eat ice cream now.
[quote]kimbakimba wrote:
I know who will be in the Smith machine in August.
This is GREAT NEWS! You are obviously healing up well with no complications. Yeah, your summer will suck, but summer by its very nature goes quickly and September will be here before we all know it.
Did you negotiate suggesting a safety squat bar? If you have access to one, I think that helps with the shoulder situation. Oh, and what about front squats??
If I were you, I’d eat ice cream now.[/quote]
What the kimba said! but not so sure about the smith machine. SSB squats may be the ticket since you don’t have to reach up and back with the healing shoulder.
[quote]kimbakimba wrote:
I know who will be in the Smith machine in August.
[/quote]
Oh Kimba. You’re blowing my cover. Of course I’ll be in the smith come August 1. You think I’m crazy?
I’ve never used a SSB. My gym doesn’t have one.
Exercise, my style.
[quote]kpsnap wrote:
[quote]kimbakimba wrote:
I know who will be in the Smith machine in August.
[/quote]
Oh Kimba. You’re blowing my cover. Of course I’ll be in the smith come August 1. You think I’m crazy?
I’ve never used a SSB. My gym doesn’t have one.
[/quote]
wanna borrow mine?
Trying again.
Have you ever squatted on a smith machine? It’s weird!
I was wincing along with you watching that vid…you are making progress, as slow (and painful) as it is!
ouch - that puts things in perspective. At least I can’t see any black and blue anymore so you must be healing really quickly. That’s another step towards futur PR’s Snap. keep it at and eat cheese and ice cream!
Even after your upper-body lay-off, you still look very hot. So far, my little guinea pig, I am heartened by this experiment.
Soldog: What a nice offer! Perhaps I could visit your home gym and see how one even uses an SSB.
M-in-MD: Yes, I’ve squatted in a smith. I hate the fixed plane of motion. But I’ll probably do it for a month anyway.
nlmain: The bruising is all gone and the scarring is minimal. My shoulder looks damn good, if I do say so myself.
Kimba: Of course I still look hot! You little doubter you. Although I must admit that I visited my ART guy yesterday (a social visit, he lasered my shoulder for free) who commented on my loss of musculature. I do have one twiggy arm at this point.
My goal for the end of this week is to be able to change the radio stations in my car with my right arm. Believe it or not, I can’t do it yet. Takes too much strength at this point!
[quote]kpsnap wrote:
Soldog: What a nice offer! Perhaps I could visit your home gym and see how one even uses an SSB.
M-in-MD: Yes, I’ve squatted in a smith. I hate the fixed plane of motion. But I’ll probably do it for a month anyway.
nlmain: The bruising is all gone and the scarring is minimal. My shoulder looks damn good, if I do say so myself.
Kimba: Of course I still look hot! You little doubter you. Although I must admit that I visited my ART guy yesterday (a social visit, he lasered my shoulder for free) who commented on my loss of musculature. I do have one twiggy arm at this point.
My goal for the end of this week is to be able to change the radio stations in my car with my right arm. Believe it or not, I can’t do it yet. Takes too much strength at this point![/quote]
snapper - you and anyone you would like to bring would be most welcome to visit my home gym and try out the SSB.
Is it the strength or pain holding back that reaching motion? or both?
I agree the SSB might just be the thing for the healing shoulder, but there is still weight on the shoulder though it’s a more neutral shoulder position.
Congrats on a lower body workout though.
On Friday night I saw a guy using this in the squat rack:
It was his own equipment that he brought into the gym. I asked him about it, and he said he was a former pitcher with a permanently busted rotator cuff and this is the only way he can squat.
It isn’t that massive, and seems easily carried about.
Interesting, Kimba. Never seen such a device before. But . . . good news! Today I achieved full external rotation in a supine position. I had to work HARD to get my arm there, but I did it. So I should eventually have no problem getting my arm rotated to hold the bar properly to squat again.
Realistically, I won’t be able to use an SSB any sooner than a regular bar. My surgeon isn’t so much concerned with the rotation but with the load and stabilization required to squat in the cage. Hence, the smith machine. But I’m curious. What is the benefit of training with the SSB? Anyone?
Soldog: It’s definitely strength and sort of pain and a weird super-tightness and a certain mental component holding me back.
Regarding Friday’s lower body workout . . . the DOMS are horrible. I can hardly sit down on the toilet! And I only used about 75% of the weight that I normally would. I’ll go in tomorrow and put myself through the same lower body routine. Truly, the pain feels so good.
[quote]kpsnap wrote:
…But I’m curious. What is the benefit of training with the SSB? Anyone?
[/quote]
I’m no expert (obviously!) but when I use the SSB the balance is such that it forces you to squat in a more upright position and it seems to hit the quads harder. I like/hate it for those two reasons.
[quote]kpsnap wrote:
Truly, the pain feels so good.[/quote]
I completely understand.