INJURY LOG: SLAP repair, prehab / surgery / rehabilitation training log

Axillist said:
Not bad lifts though Gutterpump! Not at all considering what you have been through!
Click to expand...

Oh these were all numbers prior to surgery when I was healthy hehe. I can't wait to take care of all my mobility issues and blast through to the 500's in my deadlift though. Has to be my favorite lift. I love ME lifts, and pulling off the floor feels better than squatting to me.
 
Gutterpump said:
198lb is the current APA record for strict press? My coach is doing 225 for reps, but he's a freggin beast 260lbs @ about 5'8 or so. I'm not actually sure when/where he competes though, he's fairly new to our gym and I've been out for a while.

The last I tested my 1RM for strict press was last summer, and I got 181lbs, that's how I'm assuming my 1RM was about 190 in January, but I may be off a bit on that.
Click to expand...
No 198lb weight class. I have done 225 x 2(230 x 1 immedietly after that) already and am probably closer to 240 right now when fresh on a true max. I hope to be around 275 by winter.
 
Ahh I gotcha. Yeah you're waaay ahead of me lol. How long have you been powerlifting for now? That's a really respectable number man.

I started last summer, but last fall my training was really inconsistent too, so that's why I didn't' really focus on mobility till the new year as well. I was so busy last fall and also had a couple recurring injuries around that left shoulder.

Tbh though, I am starting to re-think my goals and training now. I don't want to go through another injury like this again. From what I've heard though, it's pretty commonplace in the PW'ing world and doesn't mean I'll have to stop. I just may scale back a bit and go for more volume.
 
Thanks!.

Umm roughly 3months ago. Did an 8 week conditioning phase, and am on week 4(deload) of our strength phase. So really not that long.

Best lifts so far are 505lb DL(this was like 4 months ago), I pulled 480 last week for an easy triple, and will pull 500 next week for a triple IIRC I did 405 x 12 reps in my conditioning phase. Goal is 600lb by fall.

345lb bench. My worst lift..lol I need to get my form down a bit here. Would like to hit 405 at some point.

230 SOHP Shooting for 250 in the not too distant future.

425 squat, but we train squats after DL. I would like a 500lb raw squat.
 
Damn, your lifts were already great before focusing on strength! Wish I had numbers like that!

I was pretty happy last summer when I pulled that 1RM for my deadlift though. I hadn't been deadlifting consistently at all, ever( due to lordosis / pain / tight hips), so that was an essentially untrained deadlift that maxed out way above my other numbers.

I mainly switched my style to powerlifting so that I could be more athletic (functional strength), focusing on full body movements and proper form/mobility.
 
Gutterpump said:
Ahh I gotcha. Yeah you're waaay ahead of me lol. How long have you been powerlifting for now? That's a really respectable number man.

I started last summer, but last fall my training was really inconsistent too, so that's why I didn't' really focus on mobility till the new year as well. I was so busy last fall and also had a couple recurring injuries around that left shoulder.

Tbh though, I am starting to re-think my goals and training now. I don't want to go through another injury like this again. From what I've heard though, it's pretty commonplace in the PW'ing world and doesn't mean I'll have to stop. I just may scale back a bit and go for more volume.
Click to expand...

Haha. Damn I misunderstood! I was really feeling terrible about myself thinking you were lifting that much this soon after surgery!
 
Haha noooo, I won't try those lifts for a while. =D Band work / strength training won't start in my left arm/shoulder for another 3-4 weeks. Only isometrics for now!

I'm doing split squats and GHR's with bodyweight. I'm so far behind right now in my lifts but hey, it's only temporary!
 
~ 6 Weeks Post-op - Monday May 14

Physical therapy is still the same, doing regular ROM and adding a bit of AROM into the routine. Doing some isometrics and yoga as well in and out of therapy.

Major problem right now: Muscle adhesions and knots in surrounding / supportive areas. I am not sure what is causing this so much, other than the muscles are getting used to the shoulder's new position. It's possible I am using the arm too much as well. Anyone have any input here?

I've been constantly trying to roll out all the knots that I have using my yoga tuneup ball and lacrosse ball against the wall and floor. There's a major one in my bicep, my outer delt, and tricep. There's also a big knot in my trap, around where the 1st rib is attaching at the top. My infraspinatus is SUPER sore and tight most days, supraspinatus is also tight but not as bad.

Last night I rubbed in a lot of magnesium oil into the areas and am feeling much better today.

Gym workouts are twice a week, Mondays and Fridays:

I'm now able to use the safety squat bar. It feels fine on my back/shoulders, the handles are in the perfect spot as well. I thought I'd have to keep my left arm down or away from holding the handle, but I was fine with holding both. I made sure that my arms didn't kick in at all, the weight was fully balanced on my back and kept low.

After squatting 5x5 with the safety squat bar, I moved onto:
5x8 Bulgarian Split Squats, holding just a 30 pound db
5x5 GHR's with bodyweight

I may start to step it up soon, and add sled pulls into the routine. Once things are going well, I will add a third day (on Wednesday) into the leg routine. This day would just be very light weight and high reps, just to aid healing and recovery.

Hopefully once I'm fully back in action, I'll be a 500 pound squatter! That's the goal with all this leg work I'm doing..it's basically the only goal I can have right now. I have no idea how things will be when I start lifting with upper body again, but most people tell me I should heal fine from this, according to what I had done.

Peptides:

This is my 3rd week of pinning 5mg of TB-500.
Haven't started up CJCw/dac + GHRP's yet.

Btw: Atrophy has been fairly bad on the affected side, but not as bad as I had thought, and not as bad as photos I've seen. It may have something to do with the supplement and diet protocol, as well as having been out of the sling early. The Dr had me out of the sling on day 3, only for short periods during the day while walking around my apartment, while working at my desk or while doing assisted passive ROM. I am almost certain he had me doing this since I had a lot of strength going into surgery. As a side note, if you're not athletic but following my log, I wouldn't follow what I am doing unless your Dr says so.
 
ART. Find a local practitioner and get in there asap. I get knotted up on my lower trap(ie. behind my shoulder blade/upper back) something fierce. It literally is like a golf ball. I get an ART session, and after that they have the massage lady work on it a bit, and I feel like a million bucks. If I keep up with it, like monthly appointments I never have issues. I actually just went last week and it has been a year.
 
Thanks, I'd thought of that but wasn't sure if it'd be ok so soon post op. It would be my first option as well if the Dr clears it. I'll ask him, I should be seeing him sometime this week.
 
Yeah, my atrophy was horrible after my repair. Took around 4 months to catch up with the other side. ART def would help with the adhesions but a good PT should be able to work them out. Keep doing what you're doing dude, sounds like you are ahead of the game right now.
 
Oh, my PT has been working on them every session. He's even been using ultrasound on the knots that won't go away. I have to say I've never had knots like these before, they're huge and ultra persistent! I'm also massaging them daily and using the lacrosse ball a lot.

The last couple days I've tried to really limit how much day to day stuff I'm doing with the arm, and it's been helping..also the magnesium oil is a lifesaver. Really helps to calm the areas when rubbing plenty on.
 
Well I missed my PT appointment yesterday due to work, and can't get in to see him till next week since he's booked solid. Really sucks. Things were supposed to change this week too. I guess a week's delay won't be significant though.

I've been a bit slack lately with the supplements except with the TB-500, Elastamine, SAMe, Androhard and Androdrive. Going to create a new protocol tonight and start the other peptides. I just need to get new slin pins. I'm also very tempted to run EQ for 16-20 weeks to aid the healing / recovery process (I'm on TRT, length isn't an issue as long as I give blood to lower hematocrit and drop RBC back down after). I have to keep reminding myself though that this is not a race. The DHT derivatives are supposedly great for collagen synthesis though.
 
7.5 Weeks Post-op - Tuesday May 22


First day of adding strength training into my PT program! My ROM is almost back to normal, I'd say 80-90%. We started PT with heat, then abduction with the cane while laying down, then ROM (pullies). We then started exercises with the cable machine. Very light RC exercises. We started with 5 pounds external rotation, keeping elbow locked in and arm bent at 90%. Was a bit much so we lowered to 2.5pnds. I didn't want to push too much when starting strength training for the first time post op. I did 3 sets of 10 external rotation, 3 sets of 10 internal rotation. Then we 2 sets of 10 starting with arm internally rotated by opposite hip, then ending movement in abduction, arm up like I'm holding a sword. The movement is similar to unsheathing a sword and then holding up in the air (think reverse cable flies). We then moved onto cable rows 2 sets of 10 at only 10 pounds (using both hands, squeezing shoulders back). Our last movement was holding the cables high in front of me, one in each hand, then pushing down and behind me, squeezing shoulders back again (targeting the muscle between the shoulder blades). I'll get the proper name for each exercise and post later.

We then did some Yoga, a couple poses and one sun movement. Not sure the names. After that I had a lot of body work done by the head PT. Told him about all the knots, and he fixed me up. He found an area that was causing problems, that I wasn't aware about. There's a spot where my lat attached to the ribs on the side, mid-back, which was CRAZY sore when he massaged. He focused on that for a while and did a lot of manipulation of my arm as well as massaged around the shoulder blade, triceps, bicep and delts as well. Feeling great today. I expected some pain from strength training, but everything is feeling great.

Supplements:

TB-500 - 5mg per week
SAMe - 600mg day (200 / 200 / 200)
Twinlab Joint Fuel
Androhard (4 caps)
Androdrive (4 caps)

Nothing too crazy supp wise at the moment, nothing compared to the first month - 5 weeks. Slacking on starting my CJC + ghrp's... they're really inconvenient due to multiple shots per day and timing away from carbs, plus I'm low on pins. Ordering more and will start next week. EQ/var is in my sights - maybe in the next month or two, since we've started strength training now. I think it would've been a waste before and the TB-500 should be doing it's thing right now anyhow.. if the progress is good as is, I may not go there though. I've tried deca once, but 19nor's don't interest me at all after that. Never again. Var/EQ is much better at it's intended purpose anyhow (connective tissue repair), and GH even better than those 2.
 
Hey man I'm glad you updated today as I just came on to AM to ask how you were doing. I had my 8wk follow up with my surgeon yesterday and he gave me clearance to move my arm in any position and as much as I want. I am to use no resistance besides gravity when not in a PT session. Lifting my arm and moving it around again is an awesome feeling. I was almost scared to move it yesterday b/c I didn't know how it would feel, but it is great and pretty motivating. I have pretty good ROM which should only get better with time. I'm really anxious to hit the 12 and 16wk marks b/c then I'll really be able to do more. I'm glad things seem to be going well for you and hopefully those knots don't give you any more trouble.
 
thanks for posting, definitely keep letting me know how things go. I'm at my surgeons office right now waiting for his checkup. I just saw my GP and my BP is way up! 136/105! I'm thinking it's due to the TB500, since I am already on cozaar for blood pressure. He gave me a light water pill to start taking with it.

Its def a great feeling to be able to move the arm around again. I'm lucky to have almost full use of it again for day to day things. It feels fairly normal except for the occasional tweak if I move quickly with it or grab something quickly if I forget that it's injured. I can carry my laptop fine with that arm, pull on my shoes etc..

I am really kicking myself for stopping cardio though. I've gained about 15 pounds in the last 2 months.. Can't believe I'm 250 pounds now. I've NEVER weighed that much. I can't really see a huge difference either. Def carrying a bit extra around the waist now though, but not a WHOLE lot more. I must carry the weight well? Either way, I'm getting on a low carb diet soon to shed water (lower blood pressure) and shed some fat.
 
Just saw the surgeon. He's really impressed with how quick I've recovered. ROM is great, strength is normal (when doing resistance tests) and at 2 months post op! He called me the poster boy of recovery for this. I guess I made the right decisions on supps to take ;)

He told me to continue the strength traing in PT but not to hit heavy weights in the gym for a couple more months. I told him I'd be doing high rep stuff only when I start training upper body again, and he said 'sounds great'. I'll see him again in another month to see where I'm at. I can likely start high-rep upper body training then...not because I won't be able to lift heavy, but just to be protective. That's the name of the game.

Heavy lower body training will continue though..

BTW (adding onto the log for anyone following): the TB-500 calls to be injected sub-Q, but I've been shooting it directly into the affected shoulder (outer delt) IM, with a .5" pin. Just a technical note.
 
Today marks 2 months post op!

Since I've been recovering so well, therapy now has no limitations (as per Dr's comments). We are doing strength training via various methods now. Cables, bands (I'm using the strongest band they have), flexible body bar (quick side to side movements while holding it straight out, while the bar wobbles side to side rhythmically - this one is REAL tough and really burns) - we used various positions with the bar. We are still doing some yoga as well. The nots are slowly dissipating..I still need to ask if A.R.T is ok to do, but at this point I'd think it is. I'm really not in any pain though at all anymore though. Some tender spots, but still rolling them out against the wall with my lacrosse ball.

I attribute the quick healing to the use of my cold compression ice machine in the weeks immediately after surgery ( I was EXTREMELY diligent with it, using it for hours daily) - and the good range of supps I've been taking, as well as the TB-500. One area I need to keep an eye on is the incision area on my bicep. I need to continuously massage it to prevent any adhesions with the tissues beneath it.
 
9 Weeks Post Op


I am just over the 2 month mark, we've been strength training since week 7. Last week - my 2nd strength session, we dropped the cables, etc, and went straight to dumbells. I used 3,5, and 7 pound dumbells for various rotator cuff exercises, tricep extensions and bicep curls. He then did PNF for a while. The PNF felt like it will help a lot. But I've been very sore the days after, nothing severe, just nagging soreness. I have been icing/heating and rubbing magnesium oil on it, and take many supplements as well.


I am also still working out on the regular. I work my core and lower body. I squat with the safety squat bar (w/ handles) and do GHR's, ham curls, etc. I am able to do pec deck now, but not the full range of motion, only 3/4 and no stretch... very important to keep it that way for now, and only low weight high reps... In 2 months I will be back to training fullbody, but I will not powerlift yet - instead I will focus on bodybuilding techniques which are easier on the body - volume training - high reps lower weight. Once I am ok'd to power lift again, I will start training with the conjugate method (Westside). I will use the current time to rebalance my frame/muscle balance, and improve conditioning.


I am giving up supersetting and the like - this is too hard on the body and CNS/recovery. Check Defranco's site for info on someone who went through TONS of surgeries, and completely changed his training protocols to prevent future injuries:


Invalid Link Removed


Training which address's hypertrophy, strength, mobility and function.

ISSUES WITH RECOVERY:


The largest hurdle I forsee, will be the scapular area, infraspinatus, teres major, and side of neck. Strange I know, but these are supporting muscles. They are causing me the most issues right now. I spoke with others who are further down the road of reovery, and they said this is very intuitive, so for anyone reading, pay CLOSE attention to these areas!!

UPDATES:

I forgot to mention that I've changed my diet completely now to a Paleo diet, somewhat following the lean gains protocol. I am trying to lose the weight I gained during the first month of recovery when I wasn't moving.
 
~10 Weeks Post Op


I had a Physical therapy session last Tuesday. We used the body bar on a bosu ball, doing the range of motion with it from opposite hip to up in the air (think sword in scabbard, to drawn sword) all while shaking it / wobbling it nonstop for 30 seconds, short break then repeating 3 times. This was challenging at first but once I found the rhythm with it, I was fine.

We used 3,5,7 pound dumbbells again. 7 pound dumbbells for bicep curls, 3 sets of 20 each arm (easy). 7 pound dumbbells for overhead triceps extensions (easy). 5 pound for rotator cuff external rotation (bilateral). 3 pound dumbbells for front raises (easy).

I threw in an extra set just because I felt I could.

After all this we did PNF again, and then I had bodywork done (working out knots and such) and had some kinesio tape placed carefully on the traps and neck - the main area that's bothering me.

This was 2 days ago. Today I feel great so I'm going for another session. I'm going to stick to 2 sessions per week, and if I feel fine after today's session, I will do these exercises on my own from home as well, with one day of recovery in-between.

I never would have thought recovery would be moving this quickly after reading other logs. The atrophy is almost reversed now too, it's not bad at all.

The only pain that I get now, once in a while, is around the incision on my bicep. I have to keep remembering to massage that area. The pain is likely due to adhesions.

Just saw Prometheus at IMAX last night and it was f&*kng amazing. Can't wait for part II to answer some questions!!

BTW, I'll see if I can take a photo of my PT chart and post on here to share.
 
I'm 11wks post-op today and feeling pretty good. I'm only going to PT once a week b/c I started summer classes after work, but I do my normal routine at home 1 or 2 days in addition to the PT appt. Glad to hear everything is still going well for you. Keep up the good work man.
 
Thanks. What do they have you doing now? Mainly AAROM and PROM? Watch that scapular area when you start strength training.
 
This is what I do when I go in there:

1. Lie on my back on a table and do stretches using a weighted stick (idk the real name, but last week I moved from 1lb to 3lb). stomach to behind the head (best way I can describe the motion lol), pushup motion, circles, side to side, etc. (all while holding the stick with both hands)
2. Using a 1lb dumbell so far I do punches from that same position on my back and then sit up and do curls.
3. Move onto the yellow band for rows, internal, and external rotation.
4. front raises with thumbs up, front raises with thumbs down, all without weights or bands and all at a 45degree angle.
5. 6 min on hand bike. 3min going forward and 3 min going backwards.
6. Ice pack for 5-10min
 
Oh that's great, I didn't know how far along you were. Watch the hand bike - I got them to up the tension on it because it felt easy, and I was paying for it after! Right now I use it for a 5min warmup before the dumbbells. I totally forgot to mention it above!
 
Fantastic log bro and really great detail, sure it will help a lot of people. Glad to see you are recovering well :biggthumpup:
 
When do you expect to be able to do things like pushups and pullups? I'm going in for my 12wk visit on Tuesday and my PT is feels as though I'm ready to be without restrictions, but she said of course it's up to my doc. She told me she wishes all of her patients went through PT as well as me b/c it would make them and her a lot happier. I can't imagine how depressed I would be if it was nearing wk 12 and I was still having a lot of problems with things like ROM etc. I'm very happy everything has went well for me so far and I'm sure you feel the same way.
 
My doc said no restrictions in PT, but definitely restrictions in the gym right now. He told me not to attempt lifting heavy until after week 16 or so, depending. He said you'll still want to protect the repair, but that volume training is fine. Today I did chest press with a light weight and felt fine. I also did rotator cuff exercises on my own in the gym and front raises. I'm also leg pressing 400+ pounds for reps now, which is nice. I want to really aim on the areas that will improve my squat when I get back to normal training, so I'm also hitting the core real heavy and doing back extensions as well. I really need to up my hip mobility still though and ham flexibility.

You will not want to do dips anymore, or flies beyond parallel to floor. Not for a long time if at all anymore, definitely no more dips or upright rows at all, ever, if you want to stay injury free and protect the repaired area.

Are you doing wall pushups? It really helps strengthen the scapular area. If you're not doing them, ask your PT about them and how to perform them properly to focus on the scapular area.
 
There are things my PT would have me doing, but my doc still has me on a conservative schedule. I think it will really kick up after this week since it's week 12. Probably start doing wall pushups and ball tosses. Wow that sucks about dips!! I really loved doing dips. Never really did much upright rows or deep flies so those won't be missed. I wish I could just fast forward a few months and be back in the gym on a normal routine lol.
 
Thanks! Hopefully this well help lots of peeps out there with similar injuries / surgeries.

Week 11 Post Op

I haven't updated in a lil while, been busy at work and play. Summertime in the city means out and about with the ladies! It feels so nice to be single and dating in NYC. I'm usually tied up with a longterm girlfriend, but I've decided not to get serious for a while, so I can focus on my own stuff. I've started DJing again on the side but am also trying to get my own side-business up and running. I'm a designer (mainly motion graphics, but I do it all). I'm trying to learn iPhone app dev and am studying how to manipulate web traffic. I have some new/big links in both industries (app dev and web feeds). I'd love to one day work 2-3 days per week and be rich - so focusing on business is the only way. Lots of work in the beginning but should pay off over time. I'm actually planning a trip to LA this summer as well, and will be staying at a friend's in the hills, working on music, DJing a gig and enjoying the scenery. Can't wait for that trip. Hoping to get some snowboarding in as well if the glacier is open.

So here's the latest PT log:

I've stopped the TB-500 2 weeks ago because I ran out, and general pain came back pretty quickly. I've ordered more and it arrived, so I will be starting it again today. 5mg for a few weeks then back to 2mg weekly. The main pain I'm getting is joint pain in the shoulder, and adhesions around my upper trap, scapular area, and generally all around my shoulder blade - lots of adhesions and small knots.

I found out that my upper peck needed releasing, the therapist did some trigger point therapy on the upper peck which helped release the crazy knot in my upper / outer trap. Was crazy painful while he was working that area, but I feel much better. I've also been going for deep tissue massages, and asking the ladies to help too. Of course, still using the lacrosse ball and rolling against the wall or floor.

Here is my latest strength training log during my last PT session:

(everything is done bilaterally)

Started with band pull aparts: very high reps with blue band
Then: band pull aparts in bridge position on large yoga ball, 2 min nonstop

bicep curls 8 pound dumbbells x 25 reps x 2 sets
Overhead Tricep extensions 8x20x2

external rotation (cable machine): 5x12x2
scaption: 5x15x2

Rows (cable machine) really focusing on the scapular area, inner back muscles : 22,5x15x2
Shrugs: 8x20x2

D2 with body bar (with oscillating movement) for 1min nonstop
Lateral body bar (with oscillating movement) for 1min nonstop

Bodywork after this (release of upper peck and work on the adhesions in upper trap)
Ice for 15min, then more ice at home and food
 
Week 12 + 13

Nothing huge to report back. I started using TB-500 again and had almost immediate relief of any pain I was having, within a few days of first 5mg dose again. I'm 100% sold on this naturally occurring peptide, where it comes to injury repair.

Strength training remains the same as before, but now we're using cables and bands for the D1/D2 movements. We are continuing the dumbbell exercises, adding in some more Yoga as well.

I had some major tightening in the outer-lower pec, really deep adhesions/knoting. I had to get the PT to work hard doing A.R.T to the area, with lots of icing later on that day. This has helped a lot. I didn't realize for a while that I had issues in my pec, but this was causing imbalance in my shoulder and muscle pain in the rear delt/rhomboids. Things are MUCH better now!
 
Hey i dont mean to just bump onto thread like this but im just curious. Hope you dont mind. I injured my knee at football camp. I just had my MRI and the doc said I ruptured my acl,tore my meniscus pretty bad, an have tears in my mcl and lcl. I know I won't be able to play football this year. But I was wondering if anyone knows if I'll even be the same after surgery? I've already had meniscus tear surgery in the same knee before. But I have no info or experience with the other injuries.
 
I'm not familiar with your injuries or the surgery required to repair them, sorry. Maybe someone else will chime in but you could also look for injury specific forums on the web. There's a few good ones out there. Invalid Link Removed is where I got a lot of info from personally.


Log entry:
It's been almost 4 months post op now. Exercises include 10 pound dumbbell for bi/tris, 20 rep sets. Red rubber cable (strongest cable) for rotator cuff exercises. We just started using the cable machine as well for all rotator cuff movements. I can't remember the weight, but I'm feeling much better now as the weight is going up. I am also doing pushups with a medium sized yoga ball now, against the wall. I should've been doing these ages ago...the stability required hits a lot of supporting muscles around my problem areas.

I think I may join hot yoga soon (Bikram) and keep up my lower body workouts for another month or so, then start to hit the gym doing fullbody workouts again near the end of August. Once I am back and feeling great, I want to start training westside (conjugate method) and really focus on mobility work as well. I hope to rejoin my powerlifting gym by October (a total of 6 months post op).

I'm in a toss-up between Westside or DC training. I want to rebuild some size so I may go DC, which should also help stength-wise too. Both programs are pretty great, and I love the variation in Westside, so we'll see. Lots of time to plan.
 
I went for my 16wk checkup on the 19th and have been approved to do any exercises I want as long as the weight I use allows me to get 15+ reps. I have been hitting various shoulder exercises, some regular pushups, cable rows, curls, & lat pulldowns. I'm hitting the cardio again and working my lower body as well. I'm pretty much doing an upper day and lower day b/c I don't have time for more lifting plus I'm sore for days after my first workouts. It feels awesome to be getting close to normal again!! Doc said he will fully release me on my next visit (20wk post op) as long as everything is still going smoothly. I'm glad everything is going well man and I'm sure you will be killing whatever program you choose very soon.

Oh one thing that is still annoying is I have a good amount of popping if I do a circle with my arm or move it over my head in a certain way. Doc said it could take up to 6 more months or so for that to go away completely. It doesn't hurt at all, but I still don't like it. Are you having any popping still?
 
Thanks man, glad to hear your progress as well. Seems like things are moving well for you. I think I'm being a bit conservative with my estimates to get back to normal training. I'm just worried about the scapular region / infra+superspinatus (which are real tight right now), and trap on repaired side. That's where I have knotting/tightness. The TB500 helps, along with heat/rolling (foam roller + lacrosse ball) and ice.

I haven't had popping for about a month or more now. Must be scar tissue I think. Could take a while to clear out.

Have you ever trained DC before?
 
Ya I was thinking you sounded a little conservative, but I figured you were just going by what the doc was recommending. I made a poor attempt at DC training for like a week or less lol. I don't have much input based upon that short run. I'm going to be doing more this high volume stuff the next month or so and then move down to something like 8-12 reps avg. I still need to find a routine that I want to stick with once I get to that point. I just don't want to go back to trying to push too much weight too fast b/c that is how I got myself into this situation before and that was doing 5x5 etc and constantly moving up the weight. Once I feel like I'm really good to go and have been in the gym for a while again I will probably switch it up to include lower reps as well. I know that my plan is based more on fear probably than necessity, but I don't give a **** lol.
 
That's a good plan, I should really do the same, at least for the remainder of the year. Maybe an HST-type routine with high volume. How's the atrophy been for you, and has size come back during PT?

I'm on vacation for a week pretty soon. I think I'll do some planning in that time.
 
I look a bit smaller or less toned I guess muscle wise. I also gained a good bit of fat during my "I can't do anything, I'm depressed, I'm going to eat what I want" phase so that doesn't help as far as seeing how much my muscle has changed in the mirror. I'm definitely weak in the gym upon my 1st and 2nd actual workout, but that is to be expected b/c of how restricted we are post surgery and everything our shoulders went through to make the surgery a success. Overall I don't think it the atrophy was nearly as bad as I was expecting from some other posts I had read. You seem to pay a lot more attention to everything that is going on with your recovery than me so how was your atrophy?

I honestly bs'd my way through the 2nd month of PT and barely did it. I started going back to school after work everyday and also went on a vacation during that time and I somehow justified not doing much PT. It was stupid, but my doc didn't seem to think it was a huge deal when I was expecting him to tell me I was a horrible patient. He seemed happy with my strength and ROM etc and said my fitness level before surgery and my age really helped my situation. I just think about how crappy recovery must be when having the same surgery or worse as a 65yr old in poor shape.
 
Yeah, it's not fun for anyone who wasn't athletic/fit beforehand. People like us return to normal life much faster... but I can't wait to tear it up in the gym again lol

My atrophy wasn't horrible, not as bad as some photos I've seen. Overall I've softened up though, and I'm not happy about that. I've also been eating whatever I want, way too many carbs, so I've gained a bunch of fat and look softer. I need to do a strict low-carb diet for a while to lose the water weight and strip off some fat. I think I'm going to start doing fasted morning sprints at the park across from me, while in ketosis. I swore I was going to stick to a strict Paleo diet throughout this whole ordeal, but that was super tough. Like you, I got depressed about not being active, and so I sat around playing video games, listening to music and eating lol. Time for a recomp real soon. Btw, how old are you again?
 
I'm 27... 28 in Oct...Dang I'm getting old!! This week I started going to the gym every morning and doing 30min of fasted decent pace cardio w/ ECA. I'm burning between 350-400 calories depending on the pace I keep. I've got a fire lit now that I have been approved to go back to the gym. Diet is on point again like it should have been all along. I definitely pushed my 2nd upper body session a little harder than I probably should have. I was sore for like 4 days. I started with a ton of shoulder work stuff from PT with various light weights. Then I did some lat pulldowns, cable rows, and finished with some pushups. I did 5x15 on everything except when I got to the pushups I was dying. I did 15, 12, 10, 6, and didn't attempt the 5th set. There was no pain except the pain of working out and being sore later. Hell the doc said I could do anything at 15 reps, but I doubt he actually meant to push it like that. It sure was fun though and to me it didn't seem like a lot at the time, but the soreness let me know it was a lot for my body in this state. I'll be back in there again this weekend and I can't wait.
 
I've started ECA a little while ago, but it was more for work...been real busy. My adrenals are already bad so I have to be careful with this sort of thing. I'm taking AndroDrive as well (5 caps daily). Needless to say, I'm on BP meds with that mix. I've added a water pill to my regular cozaar dose. I think during my week vacation, I'm going to try to kick caffeine as much as possible. I'm drinking 3-4 cans of monster per day and that's way too much. Going to try to cut back to 2 cups of coffee in the morning during my trip.

Dude 27 isn't old ;P I'm turning 35 this year. It's all about your mindset and how well you treat your body..and genetics don't hurt either haha.. most people think I'm in my 20s.

Btw, are you doing shrugs or overhead press (military press) at all now? I've been adding in light shrugs at PT, but no OH press. I think I'm going to start doing PT on my own at the gym 2 other days per week, so every other day...and see how that goes for a month before training with a barbell overhead again.
 
Gutterpump said:
I've started ECA a little while ago, but it was more for work...been real busy. My adrenals are already bad so I have to be careful with this sort of thing. I'm taking AndroDrive as well (5 caps daily). Needless to say, I'm on BP meds with that mix. I've added a water pill to my regular cozaar dose. I think during my week vacation, I'm going to try to kick caffeine as much as possible. I'm drinking 3-4 cans of monster per day and that's way too much. Going to try to cut back to 2 cups of coffee in the morning during my trip.

Dude 27 isn't old ;P I'm turning 35 this year. It's all about your mindset and how well you treat your body..and genetics don't hurt either haha.. most people think I'm in my 20s.

Btw, are you doing shrugs or overhead press (military press) at all now? I've been adding in light shrugs at PT, but no OH press. I think I'm going to start doing PT on my own at the gym 2 other days per week, so every other day...and see how that goes for a month before training with a barbell overhead again.
Click to expand...

3-4 monster's a day! Dang dude! That's a lot of caffeine and a lot of sugar!
 
Sugar free =) Yeah, I think it's almost a gram of caffeine per day? It's only been this way for a month now, but I get into these high-caffeine kicks once in a while due to deadlines at work ---- it then becomes an addiction though. I am only drinking that many because I'm ultra hooked on that much caffeine, no other reason. I had a week or two that was pretty busy, but it's been weeks since then. Time to cut back next week while I can laze about and relax!

Btw, I also take 1gram of inositol per day, and about a gram of phosphatidylcholine. The inositol supplementation is to replace what the caffeine depletes...phosphatidylcholine compliments inositol greatly and also helps the liver.
 
Haha I know 27 isn't really old, but when you're injured and get pudgy during recovery it makes you feel old lol. I did shrugs also at the gym the other day I forgot to mention that. 20lb dumbells in each hand. Did 5x20 and felt great. Could have went heavier, but I was taking it easy. My shoulder work is what seems to be the hardest since it doesn't recruit the other muscles as much. I was using 2.5 and 5lb plates/db's and that crap was tough. I did 70lbs on the lat pulldowns and cable rows and it felt great. I will bump those up more next time. I stuck with 10lb db's for my curls on my 1st workout b/c I was kinda scared since I hadn't been to PT in like 3wks. I also used the machine overhead press on that 1st workout with about 15lbs. I was deathly afraid of that, but it went well and I plan to go heavier next time. I'm just going to take it slow with what feels good, but still allows me to feel I got an actual workout in. As long as I'm not feeling pain during the exercise I'm gonna continue to push the weight up if I can still do 15 reps at the higher weight. It's super exciting getting going again man. I missed this so much and I'm not even back to doing everything I did before. One thing I'm holding off on is deadlifts b/c I don't want all that weight with my arms just hanging down holding it. That scares the hell out of me!!
 
2.5 and 5lb plates/dumbells for your rotator cuff exercises? You should also use the bands/rubber cables! I'm using the thick red one (strongest one) in PT and it kicks my ass when I do them slowly! I started with dumbbells for those exercises but switched to bands.

I'm afraid of deadlifts for a while because I had the bicep tenodesis done, which was the largest part of the surgery. I don't want to get tendonitis which some people get if they train too much/too quickly post op. When I do start back with deads again, I'll likely throw in dynamic work with bands.
 
Ya I never got the rest of my bands besides the yellow one which is pathetic since I never went back after that. I should go buy some I guess. I could use them during the week when I'm unable to make it to the gym b/c of school. That will give me more training which I would like.
 
You can use the cable machine at the gym too, but I really like these rubber cables with the handles (red one)... it gets exponentially harder the more you move through the movement.
 
I tried one of the cable machines, but it starts at 10 and I didn't feel comfortable with it on the side I had surgery. It felt pretty tough compared to the other side and freaked me out lol.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top