Return to GLORY... from a torn labrum

Hey everyone, this will be my first log, and about my return to lifting glory after I had surgery on a [url=http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?p=370702851#post370702851]torn labrum [/url]in September of 2009.

Let me give you some background on myself. Currently, I am 24 years old, and I have been lifting since I was about 13 years old. I have been seriously lifting since I was about 17. I have never really hurt myself before while lifting, just some minor strains and pulls that required nothing more than taking a couple of weeks off of lifting, and stretching out more. The longest time I have gone without lifting before this injury was about 2 months.

Last MAY, I noticed that when I did pullups or pull downs, I had a sharp stabbing pain in my back. I worked around it for a few weeks, but It did not get better. I went to my doctor, and he said it was probably a pulled muscle, and to get some physical therapy. After a couple of months of no improvement, I got an MRI scan of my shoulder, and it turned out I had a torn labrum this whole time. I was told to stop lifting immediately, that was in July, 2009.

At this point, I was the strongest and most in shape I had ever been in my entire life. I was about 215lbs, benching 410ish, deadlifting 515 and climbing steadily, and squatting close to 500. I was very close to reaching several life-time lifting goals I had set for myself, and was planning on working on finally getting down to 10% bodyfat. I also had a lot of things going for me outside of the lifting life, unfortunately, my torn labrum, and surgery that followed sidelined all of that and more.

I made the mistake while recovering from surgery of falling into depression, and pretty much doing nothing but drinking whisky, eating pain killers, playing video games, and eating like crap. I did however, do physical therapy exercises at LEAST 2 hours a day, every day, which helped my shoulder immensely. Because of this bender, I have gained a good amount of fat, lost a lot of strength, and generally got myself into a rut.

Well, time to kick all those bad habits! I am working again, and recently my doctor cleared me to lift again (yay!) although only with about 40% (max) of the weight I was using, and I still cannot do many of the lifts I would normally do. For example, no lifts where my elbows drop below/behind my body, nothing straight up over the head, no nosebreakers, no upright rows, no raises straight out to the side, etc etc, you get the idea.

My whole lifting life, I have been a pseudo power lifter. I love deadlfits, squats, and bench, and i tend to focus and build around those, and my primary goal when lifting is for STRENGTH! I wouldn't say I am a pure power lifter, because I often go on cuts to try to keep my fat/weight down as well.

Since I can only do very light weight, I have decided to do volume training (10 sets of 10) which i have never done before. I also want to lose weight (I gained essentially 15 - 20 lbs of FAT on my whisky and perccocet bender) which disgusts me, so I figure volume training will be conducive to that.

Here is my workout plan:

-- focus on nutrition (will post more on that later)
--Monday: Chest and Triceps + abs + cardio
--Tuesday: Lower/mid back + cardio
--Wednesday: Physical Therapy + food shopping
--Thursday: Upper back + shoulders + abs + cardio
--Friday: Les + Biceps + cardio
--Saturday: Long run

Immediately after I finish my workouts (before the cardio) I drink a protein shake with 25g of Waxy Maise (a quick digesting carb) in it. I then stretch for 20-30 minutes before I do cardio. This gives time for the protein to feed my muscles. My cardio varries from biking, running, walking, and HIIT. Depending on what I do, it lasts from 20 - 45 minutes.

My goal is plain and simple: Get back to where I was before I got hurt. ~215lbs, 15% bodyfat, bench 410, squat 490ish, dead lift 515ish. I don't care how long it takes, but I will get there. I know I will need to pace myself, as I am still not fully recovered yet. My doctor told me the hardest part will be pacing myself.

I will probably only update this once or twice a week. I have a day job as an environmental chemist, then pretty much immediately after that, I go to the gym, which gives me just enough time to workout, make dinner, and shower before I get to my night job as a concert photographer (check out my website, [url]www.coppatopphotos.com[/url] ) If anyone has any suggestions for my training, extra lifts I can do, or advice from others who have torn labrums, it would be much appreciated. Thanks!

**1/11/10 Chest/Tris**

DB Floor Presses (can't let elbows drop past/behind my body, need to do bench on the floor)
---------------------------
10 x 10 45lb DBs in each hand.


Natilus Flys
--------------
1 - 140lbs x12
2 - 150lbs x9
3 - 160lbs x6
4 - 160lbs x6

Triceps Pulldowns
--------------------
1 - 60lbs x12
2 - 80lbs x 12
3 - 90lbs x 10
4 - 100lbs x 8
6 - 110lbs x 6


Drawbacks (kickbacks)
--------------------------
1 - 10lbs x 12
2 - 12lbs x 10
3 - 15lbs x 8

Shoulder PT, Abs. Drink Protein shake w/carbs (assume this after every workout), stretch for 20 mins, run for 20 mins




**1/12/10 lower/mid back**

Deadlifts
10 sets of 10 -- 225lbs (this destroyed me!)

Lat Pull Downs
10 sets of 10 -- 110lbs

20 mins stretching, bike for 45 mins



**1/14/10 Upper back/ shoulders**

DB Shrugs
10 sets of 10 -- 85lbs

Reverse Flys
10 sets of 10 -- 60 lbs

Seated Rows
5 sets of 10 -- 110lbs

DB Raises (to my front)
10 sets of 10 -- 15lbs

Abs, stretching, 20 mins HIIT.


**1/15/10 Legs/Biceps**

Squats
10 sets of 10 -- 225lbs

Hamstring Curls
5 sets of 10 -- 90lbs (each leg)

Super Biceps -- These are kind of like 21's, but I do them with different amounts.
1 -- 70lbs x 8's (8full, 8 half, 8 quarter curls)
2 -- 80lbs x 6's (6 full, 6 half, 6 quarter curls)
3 -- 90lbs x 3's (3 full, 3 half, 3 quarter curls)

Drag Curls
3 sets of 12 -- 50lbs

Twist Curls -- not sure what these are called exactly, but you do them with a dumbbell, and when you curl up, your palm is facing you, and when you lower the dumbbell, you twist it so your palm is facing the ground when you lower it.

1 -- 12lbs x 10 each arm
2 -- 15lbs x 8 each arm
3 -- 17lbs x 6 each arm

Stretch + cardio 20 mins walking, 15 mins HIIT.

**1/16/10 long cardio**
1 hour biking on high resistance



That's my first week back in the gym since July. I did make it in a couple of times before this to do some cardio and light leg work, but I was just messing around.

I have never really trained like this (light weight, high reps) so I'm not even sure if I am doing it right, but I figure as long as I am going to the gym consistently, I am doing alright. I will probably train like this until I am cleared to lift like I was before I got hurt, then I will move to a 5x5 program. Always open to suggestions for training or adding exercises I am not doing!

your Jacked! Do it big


MMB Bro!

Had a labral tear in May 2008. Took me a good year to get back to a decent level - but opted not to have the surgery. Just a massive amount of PT work. Shoulder is close to 100% and i'm back to doing bench, inclines (took the longest to get back), military, etc... I avoid decline and most types of DB flyes (unless very light weight).

YTWLs and working on lower trap & scap strength is crucial to supporting the shoulder. heavy horizontal rowing (I do both BB rows and pendlays), seated low cable rows (usually paused), close grip pulldowns, hypers, and db prone incline shrugs (at 30-45 deg bench setting). Those are pretty much a staple for me week in and out.

You'll gain your strength back no doubt. I'm already passing by old PRs. But it took time and lots of patience (and due diligence on the physio work). Another thing that helped me out was some fascia stretching of the supraspinatus. Fkn painful massage, but a couple of those did wonders. and of course lots of int/ext rotations and RC work.

Good luck, i'll be following.

Good to hear you're back on training now. Just remember to listen to your body and stay consistent and you should see good gains soon. Good luck!

Been insanely busy, but I am still getting to the gym regardless. I even passed up sex one day to get my workout in. At this point, I am still adjusting my lifts every workout trying to get a feel for my shoulder. I switched it up slightly this week compared to last week.

***Monday -- Chest/Tri's -- 1/18/10***

Floor Presses
-----------------
10x10 50lbs

Flys (on the natilus fly machine)
---------------------------------------
1 140lbs x 12
2 150lbs x 10
3 160lbs x 5
4 170lbs x 5

Triceps Press Down seated -- Tried these for the first time since my surgery, seemed to work out pretty well.
---------------------------------------
10x10 80lbs

Triceps Pull Downs
------------------------
1 90lbs x 12
2 100lbs x 10
3 110lbs x 8
4 120lbs x 6

Shoulder PT, Abs, Cardio



***Tuesday 1/19/10***

Deadlift
----------
10x10 230lbs --- again, a soul crushing muscle destroying workout. Intense!

Lat Pull Downs
------------------
10x10 105lbs

Stretch/walk

Tuesdays are short because I am so burned out from the deadlifts. I may add barbell rows if my doctor clears it.

***Thursday 1/21/10***

DB Shrugs
-------------
10x10 90lbs

Reverse Flys
--------------
10x10 65lbs

DB Raises
-----------
10x10 15lbs

Shoulder Blade Squeeze -- Take a rope / pulley system, bend the elbows at 90 degrees, and pinch your shoulder blades back togeather. This is a great exercise for the shoulder blade
---------------------------------------------------------------
1 50lbs x 20
2 70lbs x 15
3 80lbs x 20
4 100lbs x 15
Had to adjust as I went along, these are new this week, so I wasn't sure how much weight to use.

Face Pulls -- See here [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2d32eT8Lipc[/url]
-------------------------------------------------
1 50lbs x 10
2 40lbs x 12
3 40lbs x 12
4 40lbs x 12

Stretch + Cardio

***Friday 1/22/10**
Legs/biceps

Just want you all to know I had a very ****ty and late day at work on Friday, which infringed on my plans. I could of either had guaranteed sex with a HB 8, or hit the gym. I chose the gym, that's how dedicated I am to recovery and restrengthening.

Squats
----------
10x10 225 lbs -- same as last week, but trying to focus on form. It isn't second nature to me, especially after not doing them for ~6 months.

BB Lunges
------------
5x5 135lbs

Leaning Preacher Curls --- I do these laying/leaning on the preacher bench keeping my back perfectly straight so I can emphasize the use of the biceps.
--------------------------------------------------------
1 80lbs x 10
2 90lbs x 7
3 90lbs x 7
4 100lbs x 5

Drag Curls --- Like a reverse curl, but you keep your elbows behind you and drag the bar along your body. See here: [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YItJcwyS1ZE[/url] I do these reverse grip.
--------------------------------------------------------
1 50lbs x 12
2 50lbs x 10
3 60lbs x 8
4 60lbs x 6



That's it for week 2! I'll try to get my diet posted this weekend. C+C welcome on my workouts.

Strong dedication man, you're going allright! For what it's worth, even with the time you've been out of it, you're still significantly stronger than me...

[QUOTE=michielp;440937871]Strong dedication man, you're going allright! For what it's worth, even with the time you've been out of it, you're still significantly stronger than me...[/QUOTE]


hehe, thanks man!

I actually have no idea where I put my log book, so I am doing this from memory. Not too much has changed. I think I am going to take next week off from heavy lifting, and focus on PT exercises, abs, and cardio. Possibly throw in some forearms. Just need to give my shoulder a break I think -- it was starting to bother me slightly, and I don't want to chance anything. I went from 10x10 on the deadlifts, to 5x5 this week, but much heavier. 10 sets of 10 deadlifts was killing the rest of my workout.


***Monday -- Chest/Tri's -- 1/18/10***

Floor Presses
-----------------
10x10 60lbs

Flys (on the natilus fly machine)
---------------------------------------
1 150lbs x 10
2 160lbs x 8
3 170lbs x 6
4 180lbs x 4

Triceps Press Down seated
---------------------------------------
10x10 100 lbs

Triceps Pull Downs
------------------------
1 100lbs x 12
2 110lbs x 10
3 120lbs x 8
4 130lbs x 6

Shoulder PT, Abs, Cardio



***Tuesday 1/19/10***

Deadlift
----------
5x5 365lbs --- Had to mix it up from the 10 x 10, plus I was craving some heavier weight. My back has definitely gotten significantly weaker, this used to be easy for me, but it was quite difficult this time. I could have done more sets/weight, but my grip has also suffered significantly. My grip was giving out before my back. Also, my forearms were killing for the rest of the week after this!

Lat Pull Downs
------------------
10x10 110lbs

Barbell Rows -- added these this week, really felt it the next day
----------------
5 x 10 135lbs

Stretch/walk


***Thursday 1/21/10***

DB Shrugs
-------------
10x10 90lbs

Reverse Flys
--------------
10x10 70lbs

DB Raises + Scapula Shrugs -- Basically to do these, at the top of your lift when your arms are extended and parallel to the ground, you make a shrugging motion. It is awkward at first, but once you get the hang of it, it's a great lift.
-----------
10x10 12lbs

Shoulder Blade Squeeze -- Take a rope / pulley system, bend the elbows at 90 degrees, and pinch your shoulder blades back togeather. This is a great exercise for the shoulder blade
---------------------------------------------------------------
1 70lbs x 20
2 80lbs x 20
3 90lbs x 15
4 100lbs x 15


Face Pulls -- See here [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2d32eT8Lipc[/url]
-------------------------------------------------
1 40lbs x 12
2 40lbs x 12
3 40lbs x 12
4 40lbs x 12

Stretch + Cardio

***Friday 1/22/10**
Legs/biceps


Squats
----------
5x10 225 lbs -- Had to stop these after 5 sets because the weight on my shoulder was bothering it. My form is really starting to come back on these though, I was definitely squatting past 90 degrees today

Quad Extensions
-------------------
5x10 225lbs --- did these in place of the 5 sets of squats I couldn't do

Leaning preacher super Bi's (done leaning on the preacher bench, and in the format I mentioned in week 1.
--------------------------------------------------------
1 80lbs x 7's (21's)
2 90lbs x 5's (15's)
3 100lbs x 3's (9's)
4 110lbs x 1's (3)

Drag Curls --- Like a reverse curl, but you keep your elbows behind you and drag the bar along your body. See here: [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YItJcwyS1ZE[/url] I do these reverse grip.
--------------------------------------------------------
1 50lbs x 12
2 50lbs x 10
3 60lbs x 8
4 60lbs x 6

I'll see if I can find my log book, might of left it at the gym. My doctor said the hardest part would be pacing myself, and he was completely right. Even though I am doing much, much less weight than I did before I got hurt, I am doing lots of reps. Ergo, going to give myself a week to cool down, and focus on cardio and abs a bit more. I also have been neglecting my forearms, and am already starting to get "forearm splints" when doing curls. The best way to combat those is to work on wrist/forearms directly, as opposed to indirectly.

[QUOTE=Coppatop;443510731]I think I am going to take next week off from heavy lifting, and focus on PT exercises, abs, and cardio. Possibly throw in some forearms. Just need to give my shoulder a break I think -- it was starting to bother me slightly, and I don't want to chance anything.

Barbell Rows -- added these this week, really felt it the next day
----------------
5 x 10 135lbs

DB Raises + Scapula Shrugs -- Basically to do these, at the top of your lift when your arms are extended and parallel to the ground, you make a shrugging motion. It is awkward at first, but once you get the hang of it, it's a great lift.
-----------
10x10 12lbs

My doctor said the hardest part would be pacing myself, and he was completely right. Even though I am doing much, much less weight than I did before I got hurt, I am doing lots of reps. Ergo, going to give myself a week to cool down, and focus on cardio and abs a bit more[/QUOTE]

Smart move. One thing i've learned coming back from the labral tear is that the PT/Physio aspect just can't be left out. The return on the investment there continues to always pay out when you keep up with it. Those DB Raises/Scap shrugs are great. Strengthening your lower traps and scap will go a long way in keeping your shoulder strong.

The doc was right- when I started back into my regular workouts, I decided to put a 'ceiling' on my lifts each week- before I went into the gym. That way, no matter how good or strong I felt, I wouldn't try and ramp up too quickly or crazy on the weight. I posted it in my journal too- so it'd keep me honest. After each session I'd evaluate whether I could go up a few reps or a few lbs next workout.

And horizontal rowing will make a huge difference in your recovery as well. I swear by it - LSU1 had a labral tear and he got me hooked on them. Heavy bb rows and pendlays do such a good job building up that back region to support the shoulder. I can't go a back workout without one of them.

Good luck on the recovery process - seems like you know what your doing and have put up some filthy numbers in the past. No reason why you won't blow those #s away in the future.

[QUOTE=nwskier;443599681]

And horizontal rowing will make a huge difference in your recovery as well. I swear by it - LSU1 had a labral tear and he got me hooked on them. Heavy bb rows and pendlays do such a good job building up that back region to support the shoulder. I can't go a back workout without one of them.

[/QUOTE]



What exercise are you talking about exactly with the horizontal rows? I've heard people call horizonal rows different things. What I currently call a horizontal row is when I am seated, and row from a pulley by my feet (legs extended) up to my chest.

I do barbell rows as well, but I always thought those were much more for the lats, than the shoulder.

Also, I just googled Pendlays -- that's how I always do, and have always done my barbell rows -- with my back paralell to the ground.

[QUOTE=Coppatop;443799161]What exercise are you talking about exactly with the horizontal rows? I've heard people call horizonal rows different things. What I currently call a horizontal row is when I am seated, and row from a pulley by my feet (legs extended) up to my chest.

I do barbell rows as well, but I always thought those were much more for the lats, than the shoulder.

Also, I just googled Pendlays -- that's how I always do, and have always done my barbell rows -- with my back paralell to the ground.[/QUOTE]

Sorry dude, my bad. I shoulda just said Rows in general. Both seated, bent-over, and pendlays. But the lat strength will ultimately help support the shoulder. Strong back, scap, and lower traps will help with overall strength and stability of the shoulder.

you obviously know what your doing and have lifted some serious weight before so I didn't mean to come off as arrogant or what not. Just wanted to provide some advice with what's worked for me (and what my doc - who used to be a PL- has told me to focus on) and also what's worked for others with the same injury.

[QUOTE=nwskier;444635021]Sorry dude, my bad. I shoulda just said Rows in general. Both seated, bent-over, and pendlays. But the lat strength will ultimately help support the shoulder. Strong back, scap, and lower traps will help with overall strength and stability of the shoulder.

you obviously know what your doing and have lifted some serious weight before so I didn't mean to come off as arrogant or what not. Just wanted to provide some advice with what's worked for me (and what my doc - who used to be a PL- has told me to focus on) and also what's worked for others with the same injury.[/QUOTE]


Oh, not at all man, you didn't come off arrogant at all! I know what I am doing with lifting, yes, but I have no clue how to go about recovering from an injury like the one I have sustained. I said in my first post any training ideas or input is more than welcome, and I thank you for it! I wish my doc/PT was a former power lifter, doctors just don't understand lifters. "Just take time off" they always say. We don't work like that.

[QUOTE=Coppatop;444883551]Oh, not at all man, you didn't come off arrogant at all! I know what I am doing with lifting, yes, but I have no clue how to go about recovering from an injury like the one I have sustained. I said in my first post any training ideas or input is more than welcome, and I thank you for it! I wish my doc/PT was a former power lifter, doctors just don't understand lifters. "Just take time off" they always say. We don't work like that.[/QUOTE]

No worries man. that's the great aspect of these journals- besides motivation is just knowledge sharing and feedback. I thought that my comments might have sounded a little preachy, lol hence my apologetic comment.

anyway how's the shoulder feeling? FWIW, it took me longest to recover on my bench/chest work. Most people I've talked to that have gone through a labral tear have pretty much written off decline pressing and some won't do incline db anymore. it's all relative though and in the end you gotta do what feels good for you and your shoulder.

i'm hoping to learn a few things in your journal that could also help my shoulder out. funny, i've done so much strengthening of the injured shoulder that now it's somewhat stronger than my previously good shoulder.

looking forward to seeing you get back up to where you were lifting pre-injury. should be interesting when you get the green light and muscle memory starts kicking in. your pre-injury stats are fckign impressive.

So I took the week of the 2nd to the 5th off. I think it was a smart idea. My shoulder was bothering me a bit, so I just did shoulder PT work that week, and some abs + cardio.

Here is week 4, from the 8th - 12th. It was a good week. This comming week is my last PT, so I will be able to lift more, since I wont have any more PT. Thinking about adding a shoulder day. I attempted arnold presses the other day, and they felt great. My shoulders have been essentially ignored since I have been back lifting as per doctors orders.

Here we go!

I actually have no idea where I put my log book, so I am doing this from memory. Not too much has changed. I think I am going to take next week off from heavy lifting, and focus on PT exercises, abs, and cardio. Possibly throw in some forearms. Just need to give my shoulder a break I think -- it was starting to bother me slightly, and I don't want to chance anything. I went from 10x10 on the deadlifts, to 5x5 this week, but much heavier. 10 sets of 10 deadlifts was killing the rest of my workout.


***Monday -- Chest/Tri's -- 2/8/10***

Floor Presses
-----------------
10x10 60lbs

Flys (on the natilus fly machine)
---------------------------------------
1 150lbs x 10
2 160lbs x 8
3 170lbs x 6
4 180lbs x 4

Triceps Press Down seated
---------------------------------------
10x10 100 lbs

Triceps Pull Downs (I am stopping these, they bother my elbows)
------------------------
1 110lbs x 12
2 120lbs x 10
3 130lbs x 8
4 140lbs x 6

Drawbacks/Kickbacks -- Started these this week, the weight was too light, going up on them next time.
1 12lbs x 12
2 15lbs x 10
3 17.5lbs x 8

Shoulder PT, Abs, Cardio



***Tuesday 1/19/10***

Deadlift -- I had a GREAT day on the deadlifts. The last time I did them it really kicked my ass, but the week off, and strength built from last time really showed here.

Started off intending to do 5x5 @ 365lbs, ended up doing 2 sets of this and it was to light, so I went to 385lbs and finished off. Grip is still an issue, especially on my left side. Going to hit the CoC grippers up more.



Lat Pull Downs (up 5 lbs from last week)
------------------
10x10 115lbs

Pendlay Barbell Rows -
----------------
5 x 10 155lbs (up 20lbs from last week)

Stretch/walk


***Thursday 1/21/10*** -- Upper back/scap/shoulder --- Really added a bunch more shoulder/scapula lifts this day to help with stabalization of my shoulder.

DB Shrugs (up 10lbs)
-------------
10x10 100lbs

Reverse Flys
--------------
10x10 75lbs (up 5 lbs)

Seated Rows (up weight on these too, feeling good)
5x10 75lbs

Shoulder Blade Squeeze / Scapula pull backs-- Take a rope / pulley system, bend the elbows at 90 degrees, and pinch your shoulder blades back togeather. This is a great exercise for the shoulder blade. Up decent weight on this too.
---------------------------------------------------------------
1 80lbs x 20
2 90lbs x 20
3 100lbs x 15
4 110lbs x 15


Face Pulls -- See here [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2d32eT8Lipc[/url]
-------------------------------------------------
1 40lbs x 12
2 40lbs x 12
3 40lbs x 12
4 40lbs x 12


Arnold Presses -- Tried these for the first time since JULY. Didn't bother my shoulder at all. Seen here if you don't know [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jDQaC_tOK8[/url]
1 20lbs x 10 (too easy, shoulder felt good)
2. 25lbs x 10 (same)
3. 30lbs x 10 (same)
4. 35lbs x 10 (same)

I used to do these with 60lbs with good form (the guy in the vid I posted drops the weight too low in front of him I think, you are supposed to bring it in front of you at eye level). I will add these in when I have a shoulder day next week.

***Friday 1/22/10**
Legs/biceps


Squats
----------
5x10 225 lbs -- Last week I stopped at 5 because my shoulder was bothering. Made it the whole 10 sets this time, with good form. Like I mentioned before, I am sticking at this weight until I get my form back. Although I could squat decent weight before, they were one of my worst lifts, and I really had to work at them. It took me forever to get the form right. I always try to do lifts with good form as opposed to cheating, if I can't do it with good form, I drop the weight. My knees are coming slightly ahead of my toes when I am in the squat position, and also my back leans forward when I go down really low. Still trying to get to 90 degrees, but my back want to lean forward when I get there.


Leaning preacher sup
1 80lbs x 10
2 90lbs x 8
3 100lbs x 6
4 110lbs x 3

Drag Curls --- Like a reverse curl, but you keep your elbows behind you and drag the bar along your body. See here: [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YItJcwyS1ZE[/url] I do these reverse grip. Up in weight on these.
--------------------------------------------------------
1 60lbs x 12
2 60lbs x 10
3 65lbs x 8
4 65lbs x 6

Hammer Curls
1 60lbs x 12
2 60lbs x 10
3 65lbs x 8
4 65lbs x 6

Twisting Curls
1 20lbs x 10
2 25lbs x 6
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I was feeling so good last week, when I went in today, I figured I would try flat bench instead of floor presses to see how it went. The first set of 10 with 135lbs (super light for me) felt good. 2nd set my shoulder felt a little funny, and 3rd set it started to bother me, so I stopped. Going to try again in a month.

[QUOTE=Coppatop;450418131]
This comming week is my last PT, so I will be able to lift more, since I wont have any more PT. Thinking about adding a shoulder day. I attempted arnold presses the other day, and they felt great. My shoulders have been essentially ignored since I have been back lifting as per doctors orders.[/quote]

That's awesome. You got a good plan and keep up with the PT afterwards too. FWIW, it took me a lot longer to get my bench back to relatively pain free than it did for doing direct delt work. I also agree- Arnolds feel good on my shoulders as well

[quote]
***Thursday 1/21/10*** -- Upper back/scap/shoulder --- Really added a bunch more shoulder/scapula lifts this day to help with stabalization of my shoulder.

DB Shrugs (up 10lbs)
-------------
10x10 100lbs

Reverse Flys
--------------
10x10 75lbs (up 5 lbs)

Seated Rows (up weight on these too, feeling good)
5x10 75lbs

Arnold Presses -- Tried these for the first time since JULY. Didn't bother my shoulder at all. I will add these in when I have a shoulder day next week.
[/quote]

Great exercise selection - the more scap/lower trap work you can do to strengthen those muscles, the better support your shoulder will have when it comes to pressing, etc... My doc has me doing heavy Reverse Flys on a pec deck too. Seated Rows as well.

Have you tried doing DB Shrugs prone on an incline? Those hit the lower traps amazingly well. I usually set the bench around 30-45 degrees for those. I also read somewhere that if you hold your breath on those contractions, you can get a little bit more squeeze.

[quote]
I was feeling so good last week, when I went in today, I figured I would try flat bench instead of floor presses to see how it went. The first set of 10 with 135lbs (super light for me) felt good. 2nd set my shoulder felt a little funny, and 3rd set it started to bother me, so I stopped. Going to try again in a month.[/QUOTE]

It took me a while to get flat bench back. Incline took longer. I found that really focusing on my lats and scap when doing bench and using more of a PL style arch to recruit the lats, that has helped me quite a bit. I also throw in some YTWLs on pressing days, DB Ext/Int rotations, and do quite a bit of band work before and in between sets to keep the shoulder warmed up.

The bench will come back, just takes some time.

Great workouts and I like the exercises. May try and incorporate some of those into my routine. btw, check out the PL journal that LSU1 is running. He had a labral tear a few years ago and is competing in PL now.

Alrighty, been slacking here, sorry about that! Been busy busy. Went away for a week snowboarding -- got a condo right on a mountain with about 15 friends. That was good times.

First, to Nwsker. I usually do my shrugs 5 upright, and then I lean forward for the next 5. I have done them on an incline in the past, but I find if I lean forward and put my arms in front of me, it has almost the same effect. Also, what are YTWLs?

WEEK 6
[B]MONDAY 2/8/10[/B]
----------------------------------
[I]NOTES: Elbows started to bother me after triceps day, need to modify triceps lifts. This was a problem in the past[/I]

[B]Floor Press[/B]
10 x 10 60lbs

[B]Flys[/B]
1 150lbs x 10
2 160lbs x 8
3 170lbs x 6
4 180lbs x 4

[B]Cable X-Over[/B]
3 x 10 45lbs

[B]Triceps Press Down (seated)[/B]
10 x 10 95lbs

[B]Triceps Pull Down[/B]
1 110 x 12
2 120 x 10
3 130 x 8

[B]Drawbakcs[/B]
1 12lbs x 12
2 15lbs x 10
3 17.5lbs x 8

+Shoulder PT


[B]Tuesday 2/9/10[/B]
----------------------------------
[I]NOTES: Deadlifts went great again today. This weight is coming back quickly. Pendlay rows also felt great.[/I]

[B]Deadlifts[/B]
3 x 5 365lbs
2 x 5 385lbs

[B]Lat Pull Downs[/B]
10 x 10 115lbs

[B]Pendlay Rows[/B]
5 x 5 155lbs

+ Abs and walk


[B]Thursday 2/11/10[/B]
----------------------------------
[I]NOTES: Went up on most lifts, especially shrugs. Arnold presses felt ok again. Did them real light, it hurt a bit, but not too much. Will probably add a dedicated shoulder day in a few weeks[/I]

[B]DB Shrugs[/B]
10 x 10 100lbs

[B]Reverse Flys[/B]
10 x 10 75lbs

[B]Seated Row[/B]
5 x 10 140lbs

[B]Scapula / Shoulder pull back[/B]
1 80lbs x 20
2 90lbs x 20
3 100lbs x 15
4 110lbs x 15

[b]Face Pulls[/b]
1 45lbs x 12
2 50lbs x 10
3 55lbs x 8
4 60lbs x 6

[B]DB Raises[/B]
3 x 10 20lbs

[B]Arnold Presses[/B]
1 20lbs x 10
2 25lbs x 10
3 30lbs x 10
4 35lbs x 10

+Shoulder PT

[B]Friday 2/12/10[/B]
----------------------------------
[I]NOTES: Was super tired today, but had decent lifts regardless. Stuck with the same weight on the squats, and agian, really paying attention to form.[/I]

[B]Squats[/B]
10 x 10 225lbs

[B]Leaning Preacher Curls[/B]
1 80lbs x 10
2 90lbs x 8
3 100lbs x 6
4 110lbs x 3

[B]Drag Curls[/B]
1 60lbs x 12
2 60lbs x 10
3 65lbs x 8
4 65lbs x 8

[B]Hammer Curls[/B]
1 60lbs x 12
2 60lbs x 10
3 65lbs x 8
4 65lbs x 6

[B]Twist Curls[/B]
1 20lbs x 10
2 25lbs x 6
3 30lbs x 3




WEEK 7
[B]MONDAY 2/15/10[/B]
----------------------------------
[I]NOTES:Tried flat bench for the first time today. Only got in 3 sets at 135lbs, and my shoulder really started to bother me. Finished out with floor presses. Also changed up triceps a bit -- "pulling" triceps exercises tend to bother my elbows. I switched up triceps pull downs for 1 arm reverse grip pull downs. Even though this is still a pulling lift, it seems to have worked. Went up in weight in pretty much everything here again except flys and drawbacks.[/I]

[B]Flat BB Bench Press[/B]
3 x 10 135lbs (had to stop :( )

[B]Floor Press[/B]
7 x 10 65lbs

[B]Flys[/B]
1 150lbs x 10
2 160lbs x 8
3 170lbs x 6
4 180lbs x 4

[B]Cable X-Over[/B]
3 x 10 50lbs

[B]Triceps Press Down (seated)[/B]
10 x 10 100lbs

[B]Reverse 1 armed Triceps Pull Down[/B]
1 40 x 10
2 45 x 8
3 50 x 6

[B]Drawbakcs[/B]
1 15lbs x 12
2 17.5lbs x 10
3 20lbs x 8

+Shoulder PT


[B]Tuesday 2/16/10[/B]
----------------------------------
[I]NOTES: Another good Deadlift day. Also went up on pendlay rows, but my form was horrible, so I will drop it again next week.[/I]

[B]Deadlifts[/B]
1 (warm up) 225lbs x 10
2 (warm up) 315lbs x 5
3 385lbs x 3
4 405lbs x 3
5 425lbs x 3

[B]Lat Pull Downs[/B]
10 x 10 110lbs

[B]Pendlay Rows[/B]
5 x 5 185lbs

+ Abs and walk


[B]Thursday 2/11/10[/B]
----------------------------------
[I]NOTES: Up again on most lifts. Took out face pulls today, and added arnold press for more sets. It went well with almost no pain at all.[/I]

[B]DB Shrugs[/B]
10 x 10 105lbs

[B]Reverse Flys[/B]
10 x 10 80lbs

[B]Seated Row[/B]
5 x 10 155lbs

[B]Scapula / Shoulder pull back[/B]
1 85lbs x 20
2 95lbs x 20
3 105lbs x 20
4 115lbs x 20

[B]Arnold Presses[/B]
5 x 10 35lbs

+Shoulder PT

[B]Friday 2/12/10[/B]
----------------------------------
[I]NOTES: Bad day today. My shoulder was bothering me (possibly from overworking it) having the weight on it while doing squats, and my knee was bothering me, I twisted it a bit earlier in the week. Pretty much stopped half way through my squats. Preacher curls are stagnant. Did hammer curls leaning on a preacher bar this week, that was pretty killer. Did a lot more weight on these, but it effected my drag curls afterward.[/I]

[B]Squats[/B]
5 x 10 225lbs

[B]Leaning Preacher Curls[/B]
1 80lbs x 10
2 90lbs x 8
3 100lbs x 6
4 110lbs x 4

[B]Leaning Hammer Curls[/B]
1 60lbs x 12
2 65lbs x 10
3 70lbs x 8
4 75lbs x 6

[B]Drag Curls[/B]
3 x 10 45lbs


[B]Concentration Curls[/B]
1 30lbs x 10
2 35lbs x 6
3 40lbs x 4




The next week I took off because my shoulder (and knee) were bothering, I got dumped on with about 2 feet of snow, and then I decided to go snowboarding for a week because of all of the snow. Got a condo with a bunch of friends on a mountain. Going to update last wek (2nd through the 6th) in a new post later.

[QUOTE=Coppatop;460802321]Alrighty, been slacking here, sorry about that! Been busy busy. Went away for a week snowboarding -- got a condo right on a mountain with about 15 friends. That was good times.

First, to Nwsker. I usually do my shrugs 5 upright, and then I lean forward for the next 5. I have done them on an incline in the past, but I find if I lean forward and put my arms in front of me, it has almost the same effect. Also, what are YTWLs?
[/QUOTE]

Condo on the mountain is full of win. Where'd you go?

As for YTWLs - here's a great vid. I've also done these laying on a stability ball and also on a low incline (using 5lb dbs)

I'm having an issue copying the embedding from my computer but here's the link:
[url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xck3d8LidME[/url]

Scap pushups were also a big help to me on my physio
[url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iY9Vuo27pCs&feature=related[/url]

[url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6_VU9fH9GA&NR=1[/url]

You're probably already doing most of these, but another vid on shoulder rehab stuff
[url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0ONHZmsFec&feature=related[/url]

fwiw, it took me the longest before I could get my bench back. I had less pain on shoulder pressing. Pendlays and lots of heavy rowing should really help create more support for your shoulder. So in time, your bench will come back. Be patient with it - frustrating now, but hit the back hard and keep up with shoulder exercises and stretching.

workouts still looking solid bud. nice job on the DLs too.

Subbed. I look forward to following your progress as I begin mine (need all the motivation I can get). Keep it up!:)

how long are you at the gym with all those 10x10 lifts and then cardio??

hey didi you experience a lot of aching during rehab? i am about seven weeks out and my shoulder is aching a lot.

[QUOTE=Vindicate;461149841]how long are you at the gym with all those 10x10 lifts and then cardio??[/QUOTE]

About 2 hours.

[QUOTE=pvdude;462525711]hey didi you experience a lot of aching during rehab? i am about seven weeks out and my shoulder is aching a lot.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, that's normal. My shoulder hurt for a while. Especially after PT.

what kind of excercises did you do when you first started rehabing to get your strenght and stability back?

Hey everyone, figured I would post an update.

EXTREMELY busy, as usual, but still managing to get the the gym. Currently in a hotel being put up by my work far away from home. Recently I have been working 12 - 16 hour days, and snowboarding whenever I can. I was just at the US Burton Open all weekend for free with a media pass, so that was pretty kick ass.

No specific workouts (no logbook here with me) but here are some updates:

Flat bench is slowly progressing. Have some pain, but it doesn't feel like it is going to **** up my shoudler... just "normal" post surgery pain. I remember my last bench set:

Warm up: 135x 15
Warm up: 155x 12
set 1: 205 x 10
set 2: 225 x 10
Set 3 245 x 8

Not bad. Also have been doing incline bench. I notice I have less pain with a closer grip. I am hoping my chest strength comed back as quickly as by lower back did (deadlfits still going well).

Still at 225 10 x 10 squats working on form, almost ready to start adding weight.

I am most likely going to go on a 3 month hardcore cut program starting in the first few weeks of april. Part of this log is to LOSE THE WEIGHT / FAT I gained while being an inactive slob post surgery. I have had to stop my running, because I am too heavy currently (235 lbs) and it is KILLING my knees. My ideal weight is around 215lbs, and I intend to get back well below that before I put on any more mass/muscle. The excess weight I have is doing bad things to my joints/body all around, so I am going to focus a whole hell of a lot on cardio/diet/weight loss beginning in a few weeks.

My strength is comming back, but I havent done anything to combat my weight gain, so that will be my next priority.

I have slowly been transitioning from a 10x10 style workout to more heavy weight with pyrmind sets as my shoudler improves. However, I think that if I take 2 - 3 months and focus entirely on shoudler rehab and weight loss, it will do me better in the long run (and give my shoulder more time to heal before I really hit the weights hard).

Will post my workouts when I get back from this job I am on. Probably sometime this weekend or early next week.


STAY STRONG!

[QUOTE=Coppatop;467434581]Recently I have been working 12 - 16 hour days, and snowboarding whenever I can. I was just at the US Burton Open all weekend for free with a media pass, so that was pretty kick ass.[/quote]

That's pretty sweet gig. Do you work in film?
I'm a huge skier

[QUOTE=Coppatop;467434581]
Flat bench is slowly progressing. Have some pain, but it doesn't feel like it is going to
I notice I have less pain with a closer grip. I am hoping my chest strength comed back as quickly as by lower back did (deadlfits still going well).
[/QUOTE]

closer grip = exactly
sweet spot for me has been slightly closer grip than normal

good luck on the cut

Hey guys. Checking in, going to get you all up to speed here.

Nwsker, I am a photographer. I do concert photography generally. Check out my website here: [url]http://www.coppatopphotos.com[/url]

Here is the month of march:

[B]WEEK 8
Tuesday 3/2/10[/B]----------------------------------
NOTES:Still going up steadily. Floor press 10 x 10 @ 70lbs felt tough for once. Flys are not going up, but pretty much everything else is.

[B]
Floor Press[/B]
10 x 10 70lbs

[B]Flys[/B]
1 150lbs x 10
2 160lbs x 8
3 170lbs x 6
4 180lbs x 4

[B]Cable X-Over[/B]
3 x 10 55lbs

[B]Triceps Press Down[/B] (seated)
10 x 10 105lbs

[B]Reverse 1 armed Triceps Pull Down[/B]
1 40 x 10
2 45 x 10
3 50 x 8

[B]Drawbakcs[/B]
1 17.5lbs x 12
2 20lbs x 10
3 22.5lbs x 8

+Shoulder PT


[B]Wednesday 3/3/10[/B]----------------------------------
NOTES: Slowly but steadily going up. Shrugs went well. Added overhead shrugs, which i LOVE. They work out the center of the traps, and the core. They are an AMAZING exercise which I suggest everyone give a try. [url]http://www.tmuscle.com/free_online_article/exercises/exercise_of_the_week_the_overhead_shrug[/url]

[B]
DB shrugs[/B]
10 x 10 105lbs

[B]Overhead Shrugs[/B]
5 x 20 155lbs

[B]Reverse Flys[/B]
10 x 10 70lbs

[B]seated row[/B]
5 x 10 160lbs

[B]Scapula Pullbacks[/B]
1 95 x 20
2 105 x 20
3 115 x 20
4 125 x 20

[B]Face Pulls[/B]
1 45 x 12
2 50 x 10
3 55 x 8
4 60 x 8


[B] THURSDAY 3/4/10[/B]----------------------------------
NOTES: Mixing things up a bit this week. Focused more directly on the shoulders. Did shoulders/ /bi's today. Arnold Presses felt pretty good.

[B]
Arnold Press[/B]
10 x 10 30lbs

[B]Shoulder Pull Down[/B] (with lat bar)
1 100lbs x 15
2 110lbs x 12
3 125lbs x 12
4 140lbs x 12

[B]DB Raises[/B] (45 degrees outward)
3 x 10 22.5

[B]Leaning Preacher Curl[/B]
1 80lbs x 10
2 90lbs x 8
3 100lbs x 6
4 110lbs x 4

[B] Drag Curls[/B]
1 60lbs x 12
2 60lbs x 10
3 65lbs x 8
4 65lbs x 8

[B]Hammer Curls[/B]
3 x 10 70lbs

[B] THURSDAY 3/5/10[/B]----------------------------------
NOTES: I missed monday this week, so I endedup squeezing in squats and deadlifts today. it was ROUGH. Still squatting 225 10 x 10 for FORM, but almost ready to start adding weight. Deadlifts went very well, but i think I may have tweeked my back :-x

[B]
Deadlifts[/B]
Warmup: 225 x 10
1 335 x 5
2 385 x 5
3 405 x 5
4 435 x 3

[B]Squats[/B] (again, focused on form)
10 x 10 225

[B]Lat pull Downs[/B]
10 x 10 115lbs

[B]Pendlay Rows[/B]
5 x 10 175lbs



Ok, so I lied about getting caught up to the end of march. Hopefully I will get that monday or tuesday. Something just came up, gotta run!

hey

maybe I missed it when I was reading about your injury, but what type of tear to your labrum did you have? Did you doctor say surgery was the only option? I'm only saying this because I had discomfort in my shoulder for years on and off and my doctor says its most likely a labral tear and I am awaiting results of an arthogram. I'm trying to establish my options because not lifting for 6 months post op is IMPOSSIBLE for me to do without going insane haha, I do not know what I would do with myself.

btw Were you cleared ~six months from surgery?

Good luck though, I wish the best for you man! It's these kind of stories that encourage me to just get stronger than ever after I recover!

[QUOTE=Coppatop;437612801]
Let me give you some background on myself. Currently, I am 24 years old, and I have been lifting since I was about 13 years old. I have been seriously lifting since I was about 17. I have never really hurt myself before while lifting, just some minor strains and pulls that required nothing more than taking a couple of weeks off of lifting, and stretching out more. The longest time I have gone without lifting before this injury was about 2 months.

Last MAY, I noticed that when I did pullups or pull downs, I had a sharp stabbing pain in my back. I worked around it for a few weeks, but It did not get better. I went to my doctor, and he said it was probably a pulled muscle, and to get some physical therapy. After a couple of months of no improvement, I got an MRI scan of my shoulder, and it turned out I had a torn labrum this whole time. I was told to stop lifting immediately, that was in July, 2009.

At this point, I was the strongest and most in shape I had ever been in my entire life. I was about 215lbs, benching 410ish, deadlifting 515 and climbing steadily, and squatting close to 500. I was very close to reaching several life-time lifting goals I had set for myself, and was planning on working on finally getting down to 10% bodyfat. I also had a lot of things going for me outside of the lifting life, unfortunately, my torn labrum, and surgery that followed sidelined all of that and more.

I made the mistake while recovering from surgery of falling into depression, and pretty much doing nothing but drinking whisky, eating pain killers, playing video games, and eating like crap. I did however, do physical therapy exercises at LEAST 2 hours a day, every day, which helped my shoulder immensely. Because of this bender, I have gained a good amount of fat, lost a lot of strength, and generally got myself into a rut.

Well, time to kick all those bad habits! I am working again, and recently my doctor cleared me to lift again (yay!) although only with about 40% (max) of the weight I was using, and I still cannot do many of the lifts I would normally do. For example, no lifts where my elbows drop below/behind my body, nothing straight up over the head, no nosebreakers, no upright rows, no raises straight out to the side, etc etc, you get the idea.

My whole lifting life, I have been a pseudo power lifter. I love deadlfits, squats, and bench, and i tend to focus and build around those, and my primary goal when lifting is for STRENGTH! I wouldn't say I am a pure power lifter, because I often go on cuts to try to keep my fat/weight down as well.

Since I can only do very light weight, I have decided to do volume training (10 sets of 10) which i have never done before. I also want to lose weight (I gained essentially 15 - 20 lbs of FAT on my whisky and perccocet bender) which disgusts me, so I figure volume training will be conducive to that.

Here is my workout plan:

-- focus on nutrition (will post more on that later)
--Monday: Chest and Triceps + abs + cardio
--Tuesday: Lower/mid back + cardio
--Wednesday: Physical Therapy + food shopping
--Thursday: Upper back + shoulders + abs + cardio
--Friday: Les + Biceps + cardio
--Saturday: Long run

Immediately after I finish my workouts (before the cardio) I drink a protein shake with 25g of Waxy Maise (a quick digesting carb) in it. I then stretch for 20-30 minutes before I do cardio. This gives time for the protein to feed my muscles. My cardio varries from biking, running, walking, and HIIT. Depending on what I do, it lasts from 20 - 45 minutes.

My goal is plain and simple: Get back to where I was before I got hurt. ~215lbs, 15% bodyfat, bench 410, squat 490ish, dead lift 515ish. I don't care how long it takes, but I will get there. I know I will need to pace myself, as I am still not fully recovered yet. My doctor told me the hardest part will be pacing myself.

I will probably only update this once or twice a week. I have a day job as an environmental chemist, then pretty much immediately after that, I go to the gym, which gives me just enough time to workout, make dinner, and shower before I get to my night job as a concert photographer (check out my website, If anyone has any suggestions for my training, extra lifts I can do, or advice from others who have torn labrums, it would be much appreciated. Thanks![/QUOTE]

Im looking at the exact same injury you had and waiting to go into surgery now. I'm certainly not as strong as you are (holy ****) but I'm wondering if you can EVER do those lifts that your doctor told you to avoid again (upright rows, overhead press etc.) or does he expect you to avoid them forever? I'm really into hang cleans and push press right now so I'd like to find out if Ill ever be able to those again, thanks a lot man.

And I didn't look at how old this thread was, sorry about that

crazy that i posted in this thread.....then tore my labrum last october


surgery in march and i golfed for the first time this year today.

Still havent lifted a real weight since october though :*(


Also, the doctors are not joking when they say 6 month recovery....my shoulder still hurts all the time and is bad feeling, terrible range of motion