If weights are too heavy to bench...

After a car accident, an injury caused my chest muscles to atrophy.

Hard to believe, but even the lightest dumbbells were too heavy.

I resorted to taping some cds together to use as weights and this did the trick.

Cool story bro.

Thanks man. It was basically a form of physiotherapy but did the trick.

[QUOTE=drkstar00;1573339261]After a car accident, an injury caused my chest muscles to atrophy.

Hard to believe, but even the lightest dumbbells were too heavy.

I resorted to taping some cds together to use as weights and this did the trick.[/QUOTE]

[img]https://i.postimg.cc/Fs4hkC4K/Screenshot-2018-10-28-at-7-34-38-PM.png[/img]

And then it totally worked. Weight is weight. A roll of cds worked like a charm and the weight could be increased in small increments. The alternative was to use elastics to rebuild my chest.

But, did you live OP?

[QUOTE=BS57;1573349331]But, did you live OP?[/QUOTE]

I made it. Although I wouldn't have lifted cds at the gym.

I guess my overall point is that, if someone out there is stuck and unable to lift the bar or dumbbells, push ups and dips aren't the only other options. And in my case I wasn't able even to do those.

[QUOTE=drkstar00;1573349501]I made it. Although I wouldn't have lifted cds at the gym.

I guess my overall point is that, if someone out there is stuck and unable to lift the bar or dumbbells, push ups and dips aren't the only other options. And in my case I wasn't able even to do those.[/QUOTE]
you should have started with rolled quarters! you get 3 rolled quarters at 10 bucks a piece, you would be lifting some heavy change!!!!

Good for you man, don't give up and keep building it up, no-one else will.

I had a similar thing with a foot injury, ankle was so weak I couldn't move it against gravity so had to use a towel to assist the movement. Good as new now, maybe a different story in my old age.

Rolled quarters... Perfect!!!

[QUOTE=BenMcLeodNZ;1573367411]Good for you man, don't give up and keep building it up, no-one else will.

I had a similar thing with a foot injury, ankle was so weak I couldn't move it against gravity so had to use a towel to assist the movement. Good as new now, maybe a different story in my old age.[/QUOTE]

Thanks man!

Heavy weights are good for developing strength and targeting specific muscles. If you need power—for a bench press personal record, CrossFit, or to squat your body weight—you need to train with heavier weights. ... You simply don't need to do as many reps when you're lifting heavier weights.

I totally understand where the OP is coming from, after thoracic spinal cord surgery, I went from being able to bench 100 lb dumbbells a few years earlier before I had the neurological illness, to lifting soup cans and other random **** until I could bench 3 lb handles because I was so weakened, now I am on 70 lb dumbbells for reps on incline bench full rom touching chest at bottom, hoping to get to 85s by end of summer. When you have a health problem, sometimes even the light weights we take for granted are too heavy, and you have to improvise.

[QUOTE=ampire;1573698341]I totally understand where the OP is coming from, after thoracic spinal cord surgery, I went from being able to bench 100 lb dumbbells a few years earlier before I had the neurological illness, to lifting soup cans and other random **** until I could bench 3 lb handles because I was so weakened, now I am on 70 lb dumbbells for reps on incline bench full rom touching chest at bottom, hoping to get to 85s by end of summer. When you have a health problem, sometimes even the light weights we take for granted are too heavy, and you have to improvise.[/QUOTE]

Awesome to hear that it worked for you as well. Yeah, I couldn't even do a single rep with even the lightest dumbbells.

P.S. My right pec lifts Judas Priest while my left lifts Led Zeppelin. :P

[QUOTE=ampire;1573698341]I totally understand where the OP is coming from, after thoracic spinal cord surgery, I went from being able to bench 100 lb dumbbells a few years earlier before I had the neurological illness, to lifting soup cans and other random **** until I could bench 3 lb handles because I was so weakened, now I am on 70 lb dumbbells for reps on incline bench full rom touching chest at bottom, hoping to get to 85s by end of summer. When you have a health problem, sometimes even the light weights we take for granted are too heavy, and you have to improvise.[/QUOTE]

What was approx timeline or progressions on that bro? For interest/science.

[QUOTE=BenMcLeodNZ;1573730281]What was approx timeline or progressions on that bro? For interest/science.[/QUOTE]

Really long time.
2010 I was able to do 100 lb dumbbell pairs on flat bench and one arm dumbbell row, deadlift 405+, was doing lots of calisthenics such as pullups and handstands, was overall in very good shape, then I started having brutal pain in my upper back, shoulders, had to stop training in 2011. By 2012 it was all over my body including legs, had trouble walking and moving legs and sitting down. I did not have a good diagnosis until late 2013. Late 2013, I had the first lumbar spinal cord surgery that was supposed to decompress a related condition, helped with the legs a bit. However later in 2013 and on until 2016, things kept getting worse and I was barely able to move, still managed to drag myself to walk/limp about a mile a day every day I was able to. 2016 I had the thoracic spinal cord surgery which was extremely successful, was able to start walking nearly immediately postop, and began hiking a few miles a day every day about a week after I was discharged to begin conditioning my body again, 6 months after that in summer 2016, started doing light weights again starting with the weight of my arms and then soup cans which are like 1 lb each, had to start with really light stuff, moved to 5 and then 20 lb dumbbells that I had on hand and stayed at that until 2018. Tried heavier weights a few times but it caused some serious central nerve pain each time. During that time I continued to walk outside around 4 miles per day. In early 2018, I started doing concept 2 rowing and recumbent bicycle instead of hiking/walking. I was told by the surgeons that I shouldn't be limited on anything athletic except to avoid valsalva maneuver. As a result I train higher reps. In Summer 2018, I was finally able to start training moderately heavy again and no longer had the severe symptoms after each workout. Without having that limitation, I went from doing 40s for reps on incline bench in fall 2018 to 70s for reps on incline bench now that it is early 2019. Finally no longer have the extreme nerve pain issue with exercising, though it occasionally flares up on certain things that I am avoiding for the time being, such as pullups, I can do them but few minutes later extremely regret it, thankfully I can do lat pulldowns with no problems.

Overall, the only thing that has helped me is exercise and I don't think I would be anywhere close to where I am now if I hadn't been doing it all along.

[QUOTE=ampire;1573739081]Really long time.
2010 I was. . ..[/QUOTE]

Thanks for taking the time to share that man. That's a real battle you went through and inspiring that you have never given up. Hopefully other people will enjoy that too. Keep it up :-)