Recovery after major shoulder repair

[Mark42]

Thanks. I seem to have stabilised at a weight of around 167lbs, so 8 lbs down since the operation
I know I've lost an inch off my right arm and lots more off my left. I've also lost a lot of thickness from my back and lats, pretty much as expected.
I see the physio therapist today for the first time, for 45 mins, so looking forward to that.

Trained legs again!
Day 29 post-op

Leg Press 5 x 150kg/330lb (+sled) x 20 reps
Leg press calf raises 5 x 150kg (+sled) x 20 reps
Leg extensions 5 x 65kg/132lb x 10
Seated leg curls 5 x 50kg x 10,10,8,8,8
Roman chair sit-ups 3 x 15

About 55 minutes

Good job on the Legs again. I think 8 pounds loss in the grand scheme is nothing too much to be concerned about (I know it's not me in that position). You'll soon make gains once you're back to 100%, no problems.

[fittofattofit]

Good job on the Legs again. I think 8 pounds loss in the grand scheme is nothing too much to be concerned about (I know it's not me in that position). You'll soon make gains once you're back to 100%, no problems.

Thanks. Saw the P/T yesterday. Mobility is pretty good, but he says 4 more weeks of mobility work, then start on the therabands for RC strength, then slowly add resistance training. He said 9-12 months before back to full training and then 'from now on I think you'll be spending more time cycling than in the gym!'
I didn't want to say "bullsh.." to his face.
I intend to be bigger, stronger and leaner than before in 12 months time, but i didn't want to disillusion him!

[robertfah]

Thanks. Saw the P/T yesterday. Mobility is pretty good, but he says 4 more weeks of mobility work, then start on the therabands for RC strength, then slowly add resistance training. He said 9-12 months before back to full training and then 'from now on I think you'll be spending more time cycling than in the gym!'
I didn't want to say "bullsh.." to his face.
I intend to be bigger, stronger and leaner than before in 12 months time, but i didn't want to disillusion him!

Great attitude.....the mind is powerful.....think outside the box and great things can happen.

[stayfit2008]

Very Inspiring

[Mark42]

He said 9-12 months before back to full training and then 'from now on I think you'll be spending more time cycling than in the gym!'
I didn't want to say "bullsh.." to his face.
I intend to be bigger, stronger and leaner than before in 12 months time, but i didn't want to disillusion him!

Great attitude mate, that's the way for sure.

[fittofattofit]

Great attitude mate, that's the way for sure.

Thanks!

Day 31 post op. 18th March

One armed deadlift 6 x 8 x 100lb db
DB curl R arm 5 x 12 x 27.5lb
DB curl L arm 5 x 12 x 11lb (took the arm out of the sling but made absolutely sure I didn't stress the shoulder
Swiss ball crunchies 3 x 15
+ my RC exercises as per physio

[Incognito00]

Thanks!

Day 31 post op. 18th March

One armed deadlift 6 x 8 x 100lb db
DB curl R arm 5 x 12 x 27.5lb
DB curl L arm 5 x 12 x 11lb (took the arm out of the sling but made absolutely sure I didn't stress the shoulder
Swiss ball crunchies 3 x 15
+ my RC exercises as per physio

You have some great dedication, keep it up!

[fittofattofit]

You have some great dedication, keep it up!

Thanks. I appreciate the comment. Looking great in the avi!

[Mark42]

Thanks!

Day 31 post op. 18th March

One armed deadlift 6 x 8 x 100lb db
DB curl R arm 5 x 12 x 27.5lb
DB curl L arm 5 x 12 x 11lb (took the arm out of the sling but made absolutely sure I didn't stress the shoulder
Swiss ball crunchies 3 x 15
+ my RC exercises as per physio

Great to see some upper body work only 1 month post op. Shows true dedication & mettle!

[robertfah]

Great to see some upper body work only 1 month post op. Shows true dedication & mettle!

I agree.....keep at it, just don't injure that shoulder in the process.

Great work.

[fittofattofit]

Great to see some upper body work only 1 month post op. Shows true dedication & mettle!

I agree.....keep at it, just don't injure that shoulder in the process.

Great work.

Thanks. Like most of us, if you've been at it for a long time, it becomes part of your lifestyle.
I'm otherwise very busy and have a couple of stressful, responsible jobs as well as a teenage family, so my time in the gym is the only time I really take for myself! It's my down time! I'm intent on training around my injury, but I definitely don't want to do any damage, so I will 'listen' to my shoulder and keep everything upperbody (apart from the daeds!) light and focussed.

[fittofattofit]

Day 32 post-op. Friday 19th March. 167lbs

Legs

Technogym leg press 5 x 20 x 90, 100, 110, 120, 130
Calf extensions on the technogym leg press 5 x 15 x 120
Leg extension 5 x 10 x 132
Seated leg curl was broken
Roman Chair situps 3 x 18
RC exercises

The technogym leg press was great. (The numbers don't really mean much, but it tells you how much energy you are generating at the max on your lift - around 375kw).
20 x 130 was hard, with a good strong contraction throughout the range. Great on the back as well compared with the seated 45 degree leg press which always upsets my SI joint. This machine is in the 'wellness' area which you pay extra to access, altho' the trainers are so keen to see me working thru' this injury that they're going to let me use it until I can squat with a barbell!

[robertfah]

Day 32 post-op. Friday 19th March. 167lbs

Legs

Technogym leg press 5 x 20 x 90, 100, 110, 120, 130
Calf extensions on the technogym leg press 5 x 15 x 120
Leg extension 5 x 10 x 132
Seated leg curl was broken
Roman Chair situps 3 x 18
RC exercises

The technogym leg press was great. (The numbers don't really mean much, but it tells you how much energy you are generating at the max on your lift - around 375kw).
20 x 130 was hard, with a good strong contraction throughout the range. Great on the back as well compared with the seated 45 degree leg press which always upsets my SI joint. This machine is in the 'wellness' area which you pay extra to access, altho' the trainers are so keen to see me working thru' this injury that they're going to let me use it until I can squat with a barbell!

Technogym huh? Sounds pretty neat....At the gym I go to, all the cardio machines have USB ports that you can plug your USB stick into and it will download your numbers (cals burns, miles, rate, etc.) to your stick. Then you can run it at home and keep track of all your things....pretty neat stuff.

Got a ? for you, how long did it take you to get to being as lean as you are? and do you find that it's a struggle to stay lean or just the opposite?

[fittofattofit]

Technogym huh? Sounds pretty neat....At the gym I go to, all the cardio machines have USB ports that you can plug your USB stick into and it will download your numbers (cals burns, miles, rate, etc.) to your stick. Then you can run it at home and keep track of all your things....pretty neat stuff.

Got a ? for you, how long did it take you to get to being as lean as you are? and do you find that it's a struggle to stay lean or just the opposite?

I dropped from about 196lb to 176lb over around a year. I didn't really cut, but changed the way I ate - basically cut out most evening carbs (I train in the morning) and just generally avoided foods that weren't 'clean'. It was pretty easy and I don't feel that I was ever dieting.
Dieting is hard when you work irregular hours and you have a family - I try to eat meals with my family whenever I can - so I have to eat what everyone else eats (good healthy food generally, but not micromanaged). I can stay where I am without much trouble, but I feel that I will have to count calories a bit more and actually 'diet' to drop below 10% (which is what I want to do when my training is back on track)

[fittofattofit]

Day 34 post-op - 5 weeks tomorrow. Sunday 21st March

RPM/spin class (I know : cardio = muscle burning!!, but I really up the resistance on the bike so my legs are trashed at the end)

60 mins
followed by RC work
Roman chair sit-ups 3 x 15

The trouble for me will be getting the ROM in external rotation for my shoulder - I can barely rotate my arm away at all! I'll have to work on this before I do any strengthening work.

[Mark42]

I dropped from about 196lb to 176lb over around a year. I didn't really cut, but changed the way I ate - basically cut out most evening carbs (I train in the morning) and just generally avoided foods that weren't 'clean'. It was pretty easy and I don't feel that I was ever dieting.
Dieting is hard when you work irregular hours and you have a family - I try to eat meals with my family whenever I can - so I have to eat what everyone else eats (good healthy food generally, but not micromanaged). I can stay where I am without much trouble, but I feel that I will have to count calories a bit more and actually 'diet' to drop below 10% (which is what I want to do when my training is back on track)

Your drop from 196lb to 176lb in a year spared your muscle & just dropped fat which is the main objective FTW.

[fittofattofit]

Your drop from 196lb to 176lb in a year spared your muscle & just dropped fat which is the main objective FTW.

Thanks. I lost a little bit of strength, so probably some muscle loss, but most of it was fat, and I feel (and look) so much better for it - you do get a distorted body image when you just keep bulking!

5 weeks post-op. 22nd March.

One arm deadlift 6 x 8 x 100lbs
RC exercises
DB curl 5 x 10 x 27.5lbs R arm
3 x 15 x 11lbs , 2 x 12 x 16lbs L arm
Tricep extn (pulley) 5 x 10 x 50lbs R arm
5 x 10 x 30lbs L arm
Roman chair hyper-extension 3 x 12

Took the sling off and did some triceps work.
My external rotation is really poor, barely 5 - 10 degrees - need to get to 90 degrees.

[fittofattofit]

5 weeks 1 day post-op. 23rd March

Legs

Seated leg press (technogym) 6 sets of 20 (at 90, 100, 110, 120, 130, 140)
calf extension on leg press 5 sets of 15 x 120
Leg extensions 5 x 10 x 132lbs
Seated leg curls 5 x 8 x 110lbs
RC exercises

60 minutes

[robertfah]

5 weeks 1 day post-op. 23rd March

Legs

Seated leg press (technogym) 6 sets of 20 (at 90, 100, 110, 120, 130, 140)
calf extension on leg press 5 sets of 15 x 120
Leg extensions 5 x 10 x 132lbs
Seated leg curls 5 x 8 x 110lbs
RC exercises

60 minutes

Legs are gonna look crazy in a few months if you keep this up......how's the shoulder feeling? Any post-op side effects?

[fittofattofit]

Legs are gonna look crazy in a few months if you keep this up......how's the shoulder feeling? Any post-op side effects?

My quads are thickening and getting more shape - it's a bit harder grow my hammies tho' .
Shoulder is feeling 'tight' - as tho' it's scarred inside - aching at the end of the day or after my RC exercises. It took about four weeks to feel 'normal' - presumably for the body to heal itself, replace blood loss etc. I feel good in myself now! Thanks for asking!

[chickeneater]

good job fit! keep up the good work. You still have a very muscular physique. Just think how fast you'll blow back up once you can hit the presses again.

You'll find that you can do chins in a way that work your lower chest, and rowing machines will mass up those medial delts quite nicely while you wait. You s/b fine for this summer.

[fittofattofit]

good job fit! keep up the good work. You still have a very muscular physique. Just think how fast you'll blow back up once you can hit the presses again.

You'll find that you can do chins in a way that work your lower chest, and rowing machines will mass up those medial delts quite nicely while you wait. You s/b fine for this summer.

Thanks - looking forward to chins and rows. Saw my orthopaedic surgeon today - he's happy with my mobility at this stage and wants me to start strength work with the therabands. Used the red theraband for external rotation today and it was hard work!

25th March
Trained today - did some deadlifts!

Barbell Deadlifts 5 sets of 10 x 132lbs
DB curls R arm 5 sets of 10 x 27.5lbs
DB curls L arm 5 sets of 15 x 16.5lbs
Rope Triceps ext. R arm 5 sets of 10 x 50lbs
Rope Triceps ext. L arm 5 sets of 15 x 30lbs
RC exercises

I was careful not to strain the shoulder. Shoulder felt a bit sore later on in the day tho', so I'll give it a rest for a while. Could feel the deads in my traps and lower back (I love deadlifting!)

[Mark42]

Thanks - looking forward to chins and rows. Saw my orthopaedic surgeon today - he's happy with my mobility at this stage and wants me to start strength work with the therabands. Used the red theraband for external rotation today and it was hard work!

25th March
Trained today - did some deadlifts!

Barbell Deadlifts 5 sets of 10 x 132lbs
DB curls R arm 5 sets of 10 x 27.5lbs
DB curls L arm 5 sets of 15 x 16.5lbs
Rope Triceps ext. R arm 5 sets of 10 x 50lbs
Rope Triceps ext. L arm 5 sets of 15 x 30lbs
RC exercises

I was careful not to strain the shoulder. Shoulder felt a bit sore later on in the day tho', so I'll give it a rest for a while. Could feel the deads in my traps and lower back (I love deadlifting!)

Good job old mate. Glad the recovery is progressing.

[fittofattofit]

Good job old mate. Glad the recovery is progressing.

Thanks. Getting my 'mojo' back!

26th March. Trained legs!

Seated leg press (technogym) 5 sets of 20 (at 100, 110, 120, 130, 140)
calf extension on leg press 2 sets of 20, 3 sets of 15 x 120
Seated leg press (technogym) 1 sets of 10 at 150 (easy)
Leg extensions 5 x 8 x 143lbs (increase 11lbs)
Seated leg curls 5 x 8 x 110lbs (will increase next time)
RC exercises
Roman chair sit-ups 3 x 15

60 minutes

[fittofattofit]

28th March. 6 weeks tomorrow since the op. Weight stable at 168lbs

RPM / spin class
60 mins
This is a really good mix of resistance, cardio and HIIT training - always soaked in sweat afterwards and my quads especially get trashed

Followed by RC exercises in the gym, about 15 mins

[fittofattofit]

6 weeks post-op. 29th March.

Upper body

Deadlifts 5 sets x 10 x 132lbs
BB rows 5 sets x 10 x bar only (44lbs)
DB curls R arm 5 sets x 10 x 27.5lbs
DB curls L arm 5 sets x 15 x 16.5lbs
V bar triceps pushdown 5 sets x 10 x 60lbs
RC exercises
Roman chair sit ups 2 x 20

60 mins

First time with BB rows - strict and slow - felt good. No problems with shoulder.
Triceps pushdowns felt good - strict and isolated
Going strict and concentrating on form was actually surprisingly hard despite the light weights, esp. with the BB rows. I intend to really focus on form and pulling with the lats (rather than on the weight shifted) as I build up on this exercise. I've always either injured my shoulders or elbows in the past doing rows, so correcting my form should be a plus out of this recovery

[robertfah]

6 weeks post-op. 29th March.

Upper body

Deadlifts 5 sets x 10 x 132lbs
BB rows 5 sets x 10 x bar only (44lbs)
DB curls R arm 5 sets x 10 x 27.5lbs
DB curls L arm 5 sets x 15 x 16.5lbs
V bar triceps pushdown 5 sets x 10 x 60lbs
RC exercises
Roman chair sit ups 2 x 20

60 mins

First time with BB rows - strict and slow - felt good. No problems with shoulder.
Triceps pushdowns felt good - strict and isolated
Going strict and concentrating on form was actually surprisingly hard despite the light weights, esp. with the BB rows. I intend to really focus on form and pulling with the lats (rather than on the weight shifted) as I build up on this exercise. I've always either injured my shoulders or elbows in the past doing rows, so correcting my form should be a plus out of this recovery

Looks like your way ahead of schedule....awesome work. That's good that you are taking this time to work on form. Too many times you see people in the gym just throwing weight around and acting bigger than they really are.....as you've stated, it's harder to use good form and lots of weight, unless you have good form.

Do you find doing ab work helps reduce (or maintain) your stomach area? I've heard so many things from "Abs are made in the kitchen, I never work abs (and these guys are ripped)" to "I do 50 situps a night and I have the 6 pack to prove it", and everything in between........just curious.

[fittofattofit]

Looks like your way ahead of schedule....awesome work. That's good that you are taking this time to work on form. Too many times you see people in the gym just throwing weight around and acting bigger than they really are.....as you've stated, it's harder to use good form and lots of weight, unless you have good form.

Do you find doing ab work helps reduce (or maintain) your stomach area? I've heard so many things from "Abs are made in the kitchen, I never work abs (and these guys are ripped)" to "I do 50 situps a night and I have the 6 pack to prove it", and everything in between........just curious.

Maintaining a strong core with strong abs is important for keeping your 'tummy tight'. I think that the best thing for abs is the 'core stability work' that you do with any heavy lifting when standing, ie. deadlifting, squats, BB curls. I used to wear a belt , but don't anymore, and I find that my core strength is so much better and I have less back pain than I used to - wearing a belt tends to take away the focus on maintaining core strength and correct core activation. I do about 3 sets of 15-20 situps, 3 to 4 x per week, and keep them slow and concentrated, and normally would do a few sets of weighted pulley 'twists' (for want of a better description) once a week, but I don't really treat my abs as a separate body part - I probably should do a little more!!

[fittofattofit]

30th March

Legs

Seated leg press (technogym) 5 sets of 20 (100, 110, 120, 130, 140)
Calf raises on leg press 5 sets (120 x 20, 20, 15, 15, 15)
Leg extensions 4 sets x 10 x 143
Seated leg curls 5 sets x 10, 10, 8, 8, 6 x 110
RC exercises
Swiss ball situps 3 x 20

60 mins

[davidkap]

hey, i know im not over 35 but still wanted to make a post.

way too go man, your a true optimist, even though you suffered this injury im confident you will make a great recovery.

i have had some problems with my RC (i was doing a 5x5 program at 225 for bench, that day i decided to push that 6th rep, and my RC tore) anyway that's nothing compared to your injury, but i wanted to tell that this thread is a source of inspiration to me too keep going and not let setbacks stand in the way of my goal.

btw still look great for losing that much muscle, i know how it feels, my meniscus in my right knee is torn as well (doing squats) and now my right quad is atrophied.
(not going to be able to work legs for quite a while, at least until i get surgery) but when i see what you have been through, and you keep going..... pure motivation is all i can say.

i wish you the best of luck in your recovery and your training. I am sure, once you are healed, you will be stronger, and bigger then ever.