i have recently undergone surgery to repair a ruptured left triceps tendon. as of today, i have been cleared to go back to the gym, but with NO active ROM of the left arm. i can do shrug variations, leg work, and anything for my right arm/side of my upper body.
any suggestions on how to train while i am on the mend?
I’d say stick with what you can do until you can work your upper left and right sides equally.
Not sure what your plans are but…IMO, it would be best to be atrophied as evenly as possible so when you can do upper body stuff, you will have less of an imbalance to start with.
Hope every thing turns out well.
Squat, and treat that tricept like a baby learning to walk…be gentle and patient till you can get your ROM back comfortably. Pushing it with weights could set you back…way back if you get hurt.
thanks guys, no doubt i will baby the triceps. i was wondering if like a once a week 2x5 moderate heavy stuff with the unaffected side would be good to maintain function and strength while not over reaching and looking like the guy from Lady in the Water, LOL…
[quote]heavythrower wrote:
thanks guys, no doubt i will baby the triceps. i was wondering if like a once a week 2x5 moderate heavy stuff with the unaffected side would be good to maintain function and strength while not over reaching and looking like the guy from Lady in the Water, LOL… [/quote]
Tough call, I’m not at all sure what the best option would be.
My gut instinct (possibly not worth much) tells me that it would be better to not train either side so as not to develop a large imbalance in strength between the two.
When you can train both sides again, hopefully muscle memory (or whatever the up-to-date way of saying it is) will kick in and you’ll gain at a quick pace when you’re all healed up and ready.
I don’t know if its smart or not, but its what I’ve been doing for the last two months from a dislocated elbow (see pic).
For my right upper body I do 1 arm chinups (have someone spot your feet) , DB rows, and DB shrugs for back.
I do 1 arm dumbbell bench (press really hard with foot of the side your using- hard, thick soled boots are best),1 arm pushups,1 arm scap pushups, and 1 arm dumbell press for chest and shoulders.
For legs, I do bulgarian split squats, lunges, legpress, 1 arm deadlifts (just grab it in the middle and balance), and step ups.
All of these will give you a crazy ass grip on your good hand also. Which is great cause off hand masturbation is just plain hard. It doesn’t feel as good at first so it takes longer with an arm you dont have much endurance with. How can I bust a nut when I’m feelin’ the burn in my forearm and triceps.
Oh and everyone tells me I look like the guy from lady in the water…and I’ve never seen the movie
[quote]unearth wrote:
I’d say stick with what you can do until you can work your upper left and right sides equally.
Not sure what your plans are but…IMO, it would be best to be atrophied as evenly as possible so when you can do upper body stuff, you will have less of an imbalance to start with.
Hope every thing turns out well.[/quote]
According to Pavel, you are better off continuing to lift with the other arm, because it will reduce the level of atrophy in the recovering arm. Pretty sure I have read this elsewhere as well.
[quote]sharetrader wrote:
According to Pavel, you are better off continuing to lift with the other arm, because it will reduce the level of atrophy in the recovering arm. Pretty sure I have read this elsewhere as well.[/quote]
Pavel is kind of a weird guy. I’m not sure that I would take Pavel’s word for much of anything.
But, shit, he may be right, and I’m certainly not claiming I know what I’m talking about in this instance. Do you remember his reasoning behind this idea?
I’ve heard it helps keep neural strength up, not size. If I may provide anecdotal evidence: LOOK AT MY FRIGGEN RIGHT ARM.
[quote]Taquito wrote:
I’ve heard it helps keep neural strength up, not size. If I may provide anecdotal evidence: LOOK AT MY FRIGGEN RIGHT ARM.[/quote]
Yes, this is probably right. However, this still means it is easier to restore size when you can get back into exercising with the injured arm. This is probably what Pavel was on about as well.
that is quite a difference taquito.
as far as the pavel thing goes, i have heard the same for one of the more respected contributers to this site, Eric Cressey himself. though i cant remember the details of the rational he gave.