The Official CityOfChicago Rehab Thread

[CityOfChicago]

Welcome back to my Hell.

So it's 0011hrs on Sat, which makes it 5.5 weeks post surgery. My range of motion is pretty good, getting better. I can almost get my arm straight over my head, and I can lift it outward to almost parallel with the floor. Internal rotation is a *****, and I can only get my hand to touch my lower back (the other one I can get up to my shoulder blades).

Good news is I can start some cardio again. Just 25mins on the Stepmill 4dys a week, but you gotta start somewhere. Once the sling comes off hopefully I'll be fit to run. I'm at 240lbs now. Wast at 225 before but want to get down to 215/220. Diet's easier to follow now that I'm doing cardio again.

Spirit is pretty good. Bored outta my mind, but activity is helping.

Encouragement is always welcome.

[Nole795]

Good luck to you dude.

[Jynkxxie]

???

I think he is trying to hint that he's not a homo.

[CityOfChicago]

He couldn't successfully lobby for that

[CityOfChicago]

Welcome back those of you who are taking the time to actucally read this. Today is Monday the 13th of April, and tomorrow will mark the 6 week date post-surgery. I've taken the liberty of relieving myself of my sling, cause I'm freakin' tired of it. The doc told me at week 4 I could stop wearing it when at home on the sofa, and week six I could ace it all together.

Went to the gym for 25mins of cardio. I've only been using the Stepmill (the big revolving staircase beast), and after a week of 'every other day' I've almost gotten the intensity back where it was. Still cant run, though (impact vibration in shoulder I have to wait for doc clearance). But I did get adventurous with some weights

Just did 3s/20r with 10lbs (shut up) for biceps curls, 3s/15r lateral raises, and 2s/15r front raises. The poor little de-conditioned muscles are PISSED! But I have therapy tomorrow, so I get strecthed, iced, and elec stim. Nice.

Actually, the lifting felt really good. A little stiff on the first set of laterals, but warmed up nice, felt smooth and no pain. Biceps curl a bit diff, w/ a little "hello" in the shoulder. Front raises ok, but still is my worst movement, where I've lost the most ROM. Hopefully, when the doc officially clears me (I have to see him to get him to tell my therapist to go to Phase II of rehab, though over the phone he said I can try some very light exercise) we can jump back into the swing of things quickly. That appt is on the 23rd,

[mcsap]

I kind of feel your pain.

2 yrs ago (at age 46 ) I had labral tears in both shoulders. I got them fixed about 4 months apart. The first one was regular surgery , was off work 7 weeks. The other was arthroscpic and 'i was only off 4 weeks.

Phys Therapy went well.

I have managed to keep up my running now for 31 yrs and keep track of my mileage to date as part of my sig line. It keeps me motivated to keep going. I'll do 3 mi on my treadmill at 0200 on my nights off.

At 48 I am content to have great cardio. It has paid off a few times.

[CityOfChicago]

Therapy continues to proceed - and it's still pretty good. We added some internal rotation stretches both to the side and behind the back. In just one week there is a marked improvement in flexibility. Strengthh is progresing slowly. Use of the arm leaves the front of my shoulder sore, and I must ice it. But I was able to work a bit in the garage yesterday, so lookin' good.

I've been thinking about some of the cruelest ways to get back into shape when this bad mamma is fully healed. I think I have a plan. As a few of you know, I competed in both powerlifting and strongman for about 10 years (did a World's Strongest Man qualifier in 1998). I like that type of training because it's so different, and wrestling a tractor tire tranlates better into strength on the street than bench press and curls. So... I've decided to put together a small strongman gym in the garage. I have a 100lb heavy bag and gloves, so that's in the garage. I'm going to add a homemade McGloshen stone (the big stone balls - a 14" diameter one will weigh around 140), a steel log, a partially filled beer keg, a partially filled pony keg, and a jump rope. I'm also stringing a 1" rope across the joists to use for chins. I figure a circuit of 60sec on the heavy bag, 15-20 squats holding the stone in a bear hug, 15-20 cleans and presses with the log, 60sec on the jump rope, 15-20 rope chins, and 15-20reps of keg snatches- then repeating should do nicely.

[Pookie44]

Good lick and I hope you get well soon! :D

[CityOfChicago]

Thanks

[ChevySSP]

CityofChicago I was reading your thread and I wish to offer my best wishes towards your rehabilitation and getting back on the tracks of your career. I know all too well the damage that happens when and MC takes on a four wheeled vehicle.

Needless to say, it looks like all is going well for you and I hope it continues throughout your recovery timetable.

One note I would like to add though...is that if your gonna use a keg in your gym, please don't use a beer keg. Might get lighter throughout the workout.

[CityOfChicago]

CityofChicago I was reading your thread and I wish to offer my best wishes towards your rehabilitation and getting back on the tracks of your career. I know all too well the damage that happens when and MC takes on a four wheeled vehicle.

Needless to say, it looks like all is going well for you and I hope it continues throughout your recovery timetable.

One note I would like to add though...is that if your gonna use a keg in your gym, please don't use a beer keg. Might get lighter throughout the workout.

Thanks. The trick is to buy a keg, drink it dry, then use the empty to work it off. :D

But seriously, since water weighs about 8.8lbs per gallon and an empty keg about 30lbs, I'll pull the ring and ball and add back another 9 gallons, gimmie about 110lbs of shifting weight. That's a good place to start.

[ChevySSP]

Thanks. The trick is to buy a keg, drink it dry, then use the empty to work it off. :D

But seriously, since water weighs about 8.8lbs per gallon and an empty keg about 30lbs, I'll pull the ring and ball and add back another 9 gallons, gimmie about 110lbs of shifting weight. That's a good place to start.

Interesting. So by using the shifting weight it helps more than just free weights? And how do you work out with it? :confused:

[CityOfChicago]

"More" is a relative term. Shifting weight is not more helpful to increasing bench press strength, but bench press strength does not directly translate to athletic strength. Think a position like offensive line. If such were the case, the best in the weightroom would be the best on the field, and the best on the field would be the strongest in the weight room. But we know that's not always, or even often, the case. I played ball with a guy who was 6'5 and 280lbs, and he could only bench 215lbs. But he manhandled everyone in front of him because he had a tremendous amount of functional strength.

A well rounded program utilizes multiple types of training. I rely about 80% on traditional weight room lifting. It's safe and effective, I can target specific muscles or muscle groups, I can control the plane and axis of motion, and I can increase the strength around my joints in a known way.

The non-traditional methods are not the same. Specifically regarding shifting weight - be it water, sand, or gravel - it constantly is in motion, requiring many adjustments to control. These adjustments can be large, such as altering body postioning, or the can me small, such as involuntary motor neuron firing patterns within individual muscles. Because the resistance is interactive, the response to it must be interactive. The movements are never the same, causing the body to instantly adjust - even at the neurological level, in order to cope. The movements are not in static planes like weight room exercises, and as a result can be considered more functional. That is, they translate into real life movements (in our work wrestling with a bad guy) better.

Large movements are usually best when doing this type of training. Small movements typically do not allow for enough interaction. For the full size keg, you can work cleans, cleans and presses, clean and jerks, the snatch, or even a snatch-to-throw (performing the snatch but releasing the keg overhead and trying to throw it as high as possible). With a pony keg a single arm clean and jerk or snatch work really well.

[ChevySSP]

I think I see what your saying. Its like doing crunches or pushups with a resist a ball. By using a flowing medium, your improving the functional strength of your muscle groups while working different areas of the body.

So If I got a resist a ball and did figure 8s with it, I'd be using more muscle mass simply to control it?

Dang, they never taught us that in weightlifting class lol.

[CityOfChicago]

Welcome to Advanced Theories :D