Recovery after major shoulder repair

[fittofattofit]

22nd April

Legs

Squats 10 x 132lb, 176lb and 198lb
5 x 220lb
4 sets of 5 x 110kg(242lb)

squats felt easy - really good position and driving thru the legs
Probably should stick at 242 but mu aim is to get to 300+ for reps this year

BB calf raises 5 sets of 20 x 110kg(242lbs)

Leg extensions 5 sets of 7 x 65kg(143lbs)

SLDL(toes raised) 5 sets of 6 x 90kg(198lbs)

RC exercises

60 minutes
Legs feel good - I love squatting!!

[fittofattofit]

23rd April

Upper body

EZ bar curls 5 sets of 10 x 30kg (66lbs)
Seated rows 2 sets of 10 x 50kg (110lbs)
3 sets of 10 x 52.5kg (115lbs)

BB Bench 3 sets of 10 x 30kg (66lbs)
3 sets of 10 x 40kg (88lbs)

Push-ups on rack bar 3 x 10
Push-ups from ground 1 x 10

RC exercises

About 50 minutes

Good MMC with the rows. Really pulled thru' the lats and 'squeezed' the scaps
Push-ups focussed on chest. Shoulders felt good

[fittofattofit]

April 24th

Deads!!

Deadlifts 10 x 60kg (132lbs)
10 x 100kg (220lbs)
3 x 140kg (308lbs)
1 x 150kg (330lbs)
5 sets of 5 x 130kg (286lbs) using straps - felt easy

BOBB rows 5 sets of 10 x 70kg (154lbs)

Incline (low) DB bench 5 sets of 10 x 17.5kg (39lbs)

RC exercises

Roman chair sit-ups

60 minutes all up
Deads felt good. 150kg felt good, but didn't want to try 160kg yet. No problems with the shoulder tho'! Used straps on the 130kg for reps and could easily have got a few more reps in, but I'll save that for next time.

[fittofattofit]

April 25th

RPM/spin
50 minutes - intense - quads are toasted!!

[fittofattofit]

10 weeks today post-op
26th April
172lbs

Chest and arms

BB Bench 2 sets of 10 x bar
1 set of 10 x 40kg (88lb)
5 sets of 8 x 50kg (110lb)

EZ bar curl 5 sets of 8 x 35kg (77lb)

DB low incline bench 5 sets of 10 x 17.5kg (39lb)

Tricep v-bar push-down 5 sets of 8 x 110lbs

RC exercises

Swiss ball crunchies 3 x 20

About 70 minutes (did lots of light weight RC work)

Benching was strict and slow to protect my shoulder, but the 50kg BB felt heavy.
My triceps have lost a lot of strength and mass. I'll need to focus on them.
Curls - I could feel the long head of the biceps straining at my Left shoulder if I let the bar swing a bit - had to keep the form very strict and tight to avoid that.
Good pump tho'

Picture from a week ago. Left shoulder movement is still restricted, but getting some size back

[fittofattofit]

10 weeks + 1 day post-op
April 27th

Deads/Rows/Chest

Deadlifts 10 x 60kg (132lbs)
10 x 100kg (220lbs)
5 x 130kg (286lbs)
4, 3, 3, 3 x 140kg (308lbs)

BOBB rows
5 sets of 10 x 70kg (154lbs)

Pushups
5 x 10

RC exercises

50 minutes

Deads felt really heavy today - form was good tho' but I want my volume to be higher
Rows felt light but I want to focus on 'squeezing' the lats
Pushups felt good - really focussed on bracing the upper body and using the chest

[fittofattofit]

April 28th

Personal training session

Bike 1.6km
close grip pulldowns 3 sets of 15 x 140lbs
Dumbbell squats 3 sets of 12 x 20kg(44lbs) each
Dumbbell curls 5 sets of 12 x 10kg (22lbs) each
Triceps extensions rope 5 sets of 12 x 120lbs
Single leg press 3 sets of 12 x 180lb each leg
pushup from bar 4 sets of 12

done as 3 circuits
35 minutes.
Felt 'puffed' and pumped!

[fittofattofit]

April 29th.
171lbs

Chest

BB bench
2 sets of 10 x bar
1 set of 10 x 40kg (88lb)
4 sets of 8 x 50kg (110lb)

DB low incline bench
5 sets of 12 x 17.5kg (39lb) dumbbells

Pushups from bar
5 x 10 really focussed. Could feel these in the pecs afterwards

RC exercises

50 minutes
Felt tired today, and noticed the limitation of my left shoulder in the benching - it takes quite a while to eventually get the bar to the chest - I wouldn't be able to take a lot of weight at full stretch without risk of injury. I always benched through a full range of movement and laughed at people who barely move the bar, and now I look like one of those!

[fittofattofit]

April 30th

Legs

BB Squat
1 set of 10 x 60kg (132lbs)
1 set of 6 x 90kg (198lbs)
1 set of 6 x 100kg (220lbs)
5 sets of 5 x 110kg (242lbs)
1 set of 8 x 100kg (220lbs)

BB calf raises
5 sets of 15 x 120kg (264lbs)

leg extensions
4 sets of 8 x 65kg (143lbs)

40 minutes

Slept in a little, so had a quick workout - felt pumped though and lifting was good and I felt more aerobically fit than I have for a long time.
I didn't have time for SLDLs but might catch up tomorrow.
I will try to increase the volume, and maybe go up on reps rather than weight atm.

[fittofattofit]

1st May

upper body

low incline DB press
5 sets of 10 x 20kg (44lbs) each

[b]EZ bar curl[b]
5 sets of 8 x 35kg (77lbs)

triceps v-bar extension
10, 10, 8, 8, 6 x 120lbs

push-ups from bar
10, 8, 8, 7, 6

RC exercises
db lat raises
db ant raises
ext rotation ( lying down - dumbbells)

roman chair situps
3 x 20

EZ bar curls to failure

70 minutes
Pumped!!

[fittofattofit]

May 2nd

RPM/spin class

60 minutes

+RC exercises 10 minutes
Legs trashed again - aerobic fitness is getting much better!

[fittofattofit]

11 weeks post-op
May 3rd.
173lbs

Deads!!

Deadlifts 10 x 60kg (132lbs)
5 x 100kg (220lbs)
5, 6 x 130kg (286lbs)
4, 3, 3, 3, 3 x 140kg (308lbs) felt easy on the back, but needed more grip

BOBB rows 5 sets of 10 x 70kg (154lbs)

Lat pull downs strict
10 x 50kg (110lbs)
5 sets of 8 x 60kg (132lbs)

RC exercises

swiss ball crunchies 3 x 20

65 minutes

Shoulders are feeling really good, and if anything, are starting to look like one of my best bodyparts!
Chest is still lagging (and tris are still smaller than before) tho' because of the restricted pushing

[fittofattofit]

4th May

Chest/rows

low incline DB press
2 sets of 10 x 20kg (44lbs) each
5 sets of 10 x 22.5kg (50lbs) each

Seated rows
5 sets of 10 x 55kg (110lbs)

BB bench press
10, 10 x bar
10, 10, 8, 8, 8 x 50kg (110lbs)

push-ups from bar (ground level)
10, 8, 8, 7, 6

RC exercises
db lat raises
db ant raises
ext rotation ( lying down - dumbbells)

pull-ups 4, 3, 3 x BW

60 minutes
One of the girls in the gym showed us a video of her belly-dancing.
That is hard core! My abs would have cramped after 30 seconds! Great core exercise tho'!

[fittofattofit]

May 5th

Personal training session

5 mins on bike ( 1 mile)
then 3 circuits of:

close grip pulldowns 12 x 120, 140, 160 lbs
cable lunge and rows 12 x 140, 160, 160 lbs each leg
DB bench on Swiss ball 12 x 33, 40, 40 each
single leg press 12 x 180, 180, 200 each leg
lunge and curl from bench 12 x 22, 22, 22 db each side
overhead rope tri ext (on ball) 12 x 100, 120, 130

30 minutes
felt flogged this time!!

[fittofattofit]

6th May

upper body

low incline DB press
1 set of 10 x 15kg (33lbs)
1 set of 10 x 20kg (44lbs)
5 sets of 10 x 25kg (55lbs) each

EZ bar curl
5 sets of 8 x 35kg (77lbs)

push-ups from bar
10, 10, 25

RC exercises
db lat raises 4 sets of 10 x 5kg (11lb)
db ant raises 4 sets of 10 x 5kg (11lb)
ext rotation ( lying down - dumbbells)

pull-ups 8, 7, 6, 5

60 minutes
All felt good. Shoulders still in good health and starting to feel some effect on the chest. 55lbs dumbbells felt good, but 60+ might put pressure on my shoulder, so I'll stick at 55s for a week or so.
Pull-ups felt easy as well - I'd like to up the reps on these but can't afford to lose form
External rotation still needs a huge amount of work!

[fittofattofit]

May 7th

Legs

BB Squat
1 set of 10 x 60kg (132lbs)
1 set of 6 x 90kg (198lbs)
1 set of 6 x 100kg (220lbs)
5 sets of 5 x 110kg (242lbs)

BB calf raises
5 sets of 15 x 120kg (264lbs)

leg extensions
5 sets of 8 x 65kg (143lbs)

SLDL
5 sets of 5 x 100kg (220lbs)

RC exercises

swiss ball crunchies 2 x 20

60 minutes

Squats felt good - core was really tight - might try a set of 264s next time
Leg extensions were good - could go up on weight or volume there.
Started cramping after the crunchies tho' !
Leg strength is really coming along

[fittofattofit]

May 9th

RPM/spin class

60 minutes

+RC exercises 10 minutes
DB lateral raises 3 sets of 20 x 5kg (11lbs)
DB front raises 3 sets of 10 x 5kg (11lbs)
lying down ext rotation
BB Bench 3 sets of 10 x 50kg (110lbs)

Shoulder felt good
Legs are trashed

Some pics (iphone)
I think my back is balancing out and my shoulders are evening out.
I have put on a few pounds because I didn't want to limit my recovery by not eating enough, but from now I will start to cut out a few daily calories for a while





My lats are thickening, but I still lack the triceps mass that I had preop ( my tris seemed to take most of my benching load beforehand)
Anyone out there with some constructive comments?

[fittofattofit]

12 weeks post-op!
May 10th.
174lbs

Deads/Rows

Deadlifts 10 x 60kg (132lbs)
5 x 100kg (220lbs)
6 x 130kg (286lbs) Easy Could have done 8-10 but wanted to try a max
2 x 150kg (330lbs) PR Easy on the back, but grip was slipping
1 x 160kg (352lbs) =PR
3, 3, 3, 3, 3 x 140kg (308lbs) felt easy on the back, but needed more grip

[b]BOBB rows[/] 5 sets of 6 x 80kg (176lbs)

Close grip V-bar Lat pull downs
5 sets of 10 x 55kg (110lbs)

RC exercises

swiss ball crunchies 3 x 20

65 minutes

Deads felt good - good form and I've got more lifts in me, but my grip lets me down
Can feel my lats and my glutes now tho', so I've had a good workout.
Also, I see the physio and then the surgeon later today!

[fittofattofit]

I saw the physio and surgeon today, and they are both very happy with my progress.

The surgeon asked what I was doing at the gym - I told him that I'd started squatting with a bar - I was about to tell him that I was repping 120kg, when he said "just the bar I hope!"
I thought at that stage that I'd better not tell him about the deadlifts!!!

He said that I should expect full external rotation flexibility to take maybe 6 more months, so that's what will limit my return to 100% (I really want to come back better than I was, so lets say 110%)

My back and traps have definitely thickened tho'

[fittofattofit]

11th May

Chest/rows

BB bench press
10 x bar
10 x 50kg (110lbs)
5, 5, 5, 5, 7 x 60kg (132lbs)

low incline DB press
10 x 22.5kg (50lbs) each
5 sets of 8 x 25kg (55lbs) each

Seated rows
5 sets of 10 x 62.5kg (137.5lbs)

push-ups from bar (ground level)
10, 8, 8, 7, 6

swiss ball crunchies 3 x 20

50 minutes

Benching felt good - position was tight and the benching was easy. No shoulder strain!
I will try to get to an easy 10 reps at 132, and then up the weight - no point in stressing the RC

[fittofattofit]

May 12th

Personal training session

5 minutes on bike - high resistance ( 1.3 mile)
then 3 circuits of:

wide grip pulldowns 12 x 130, 160, 160 lbs
cable lunge and rows 12 x 160, 160, 160 lbs each leg
DB bench on Swiss ball 12 x (20kg)44, 44, 44 each
single leg press 12 x 200, 200, 200 each leg
lunge and curl from bench 12 x 22, 22, 22 db each side
overhead rope tri ext (on ball) 12 x 150, 150, 130

30 minutes
I can really feel my quads and lats now!!

[LEX-UA]

Saw you in another section and read original post about shoulder repair. I'd like to see how this goes - so, subbed.

[fittofattofit]

Thanks for dropping in!!

[fittofattofit]

13th May

Deads/Bis

Deadlifts
10 x 60kg (132lbs)
8 x 100kg (220lbs)
5 x 130kg (286lbs)
3, 3, 3 x 140kg (308lbs) felt easy

EZ bar curl
5 sets of 8 x 35kg (77lbs) good sqeeze at the top

RC exercises
DB lateral raises 3 sets of 20 x 5kg (11lbs)
DB front raises 3 sets of 12 x 5kg (11lbs)
lying down ext rotation 5 sets of 15

pullups 8 x BW

50 minutes

[fittofattofit]

13th May

Deads/Bis

Deadlifts
10 x 60kg (132lbs)
8 x 100kg (220lbs)
5 x 130kg (286lbs)
3, 3, 3 x 140kg (308lbs) felt easy

EZ bar curl
5 sets of 8 x 35kg (77lbs) good sqeeze at the top

RC exercises
DB lateral raises 3 sets of 20 x 5kg (11lbs)
DB front raises 3 sets of 12 x 5kg (11lbs)
lying down ext rotation 5 sets of 15

pullups 8 x BW

50 minutes
Shoulders and back were looking big and pumped at the end

[fittofattofit]

May 14th

Legs

BB Squat
1 set of 10 x 60kg (132lbs)
1 set of 6 x 90kg (198lbs)
1 set of 6 x 100kg (220lbs)
5 sets of 5 x 110kg (242lbs)

BB calf raises
5 sets of 20 x 120kg (264lbs)

leg extensions
5 sets of 8 x 65kg (143lbs) getting easier. 10 x next time

SLDL
5 sets of 5 x 100kg (220lbs) pretty easy

RC exercises

pull-ups 8, 8 x BW

60 minutes

Squats felt heavier today - deadlifts yesterday tho'
Leg extensions were good.

[fittofattofit]

15th May
172lbs

Chest and arms

DB low incline bench
10 x 15kg (33lb)
10 x 20kg (44lb)
5 sets of 10 x 25kg (55lb)

BB Bench 2 sets of 10 x bar
1 set of 10 x 40kg (88lb)
5 sets of 6 x 60kg (132lb)

EZ bar curl
10, 10, 10, 8, 8 x 35kg (77lb) Really good squeeze and pump!!

pushups from bar
10, 8, 8, 7, 5

Seated rows
4 sets of 10 x 60kg (132lbs)
10 x 65kg (143lb) Good squeeze - form felt great!

RC exercises

Roman chair situps 3 x 12 BW + 10kg

70 minutes

Really good workout and really good pump

[fittofattofit]

May 16th
175lb

RPM/spin class

60 minutes

+RC exercises 15 minutes
DB lateral raises 4 sets of 20 x 5kg (11lbs)
DB front raises 4 sets of 10 x 5kg (11lbs)
lying down ext rotation 5 sets

swiss ball crunchies 3 x 20
pullups 8, 8 x BW

Weight is getting back to my pre-op level, but maybe 2% more bodyfat - probably 14% instead of 12%
Pizza, steak and beer the last two nights, so carbed up and retaining fluids as well
Target is to stay at around 176, but to slowly add mass and lose fat - 10% at 176 would be nice - that's about 8 lbs of muscle - maybe by the end of the year if my recovery holds up and I can start heavy chest training!

[fittofattofit]

13 weeks post-op!
May 17th.
174lbs

Deads/Rows

Deadlifts 10 x 60kg (132lbs)
6 x 100kg (220lbs)
6 x 130kg (286lbs)
3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3 x 140kg (308lbs) felt easy on the back, but need to work on my grip

BOBB rows 5 sets of 8 x 80kg (176lbs)

wide grip Lat pull downs
10 x 62.5kg (138lbs)
10 x 65kg (143lbs)
10 x 67.5kg (148lbs)
8, 7 x 70kg (154lbs)

RC exercises

swiss ball crunchies 3 x 20

65 minutes

A bit tired today. Would have liked sets of 5 for the 140kg, but the grip let me down.
Used straps for one set DOH - but prefer the mixed grip. Still, form felt good

[fittofattofit]

18th May

Chest/arms

low incline DB bench press
10 x 15kg (33lb) each
10 x 20kg (44lb) each
10 x 25kg (55lb) each
10, 10, 10, 8, 8 x 27.5kg (66lb) each

seated lat rows
10, 10, 10, 8, 8 x 70kg (154lb)

EZ bar curls
5 sets of 8 x 35kg (77lbs)

pushups from low bar 10, 10, 8, 8, 6

45 minutes
good pump