My scheduled workout for today was weights -- yes, weights. I know that I need to take it easy, but that doesn't mean that I can't lift weights.
I wasn't sure exactly what routine I would do, but I knew that whatever workout I did, I would start off slow and see how much strength I could take. At first I thought I'd just do general exercises to warm up my muscles - a few sets/reps for each main muscle group - some bicep curls, shoulder presses, dead rows etc. etc. What I really wanted to do though was get back into my
New Rules of Lifting for Women routine. I had just barely started Phase 2 ... but would I be able to do it? I'm sure all this self-doubt and apprehension is not good for me. In any case, I thought what the hell, let me go for it.
I did a mild cardio warm-up and then got straight into it.
Phase 2: Workout A
| | Pre-Surgery | Today |
| Front squat with push press | KG 15 | KG 10 |
| Step up (4 steps) | KG 8 | KG 4 |
| Dumbbell 1-point row | KG 5 | KG 4 |
| Split lunge; rear foot elevated | KG 5/KG 10 | KG 10 |
| Push ups (10) | bw | against the wall |
| Plank (60 sec) | bw | Modified |
| Cable horizontal wood chops | KG 13 | KG 5 (plate only no cable) |
First of all, the whole workout was not bad at all. I can definitely add more weight to my squat/press, dumbbell rows, and lunges. I did, however, have to make a few modifications to some of the exercises. First of all, the step - I started with just one step, perhaps next time I'll try two, but I'm definitely not up to 4 steps yet. Sadly, I could not do regular push ups. I tried one, but felt a lot of strain in my lower abdomen so I stopped. I know it's not the same, but I did them against the wall ... I know I'll slowly build my strength for this. The same thing went for the plank pose. I had to do a modified version - so I was on my knees and I only held the position 30 seconds at a time, and even that was quite tough. I guess it's understandable given the surgery; it was kind of hard not to get frustrated, but I just moved on. For the cable wood chops, I didn't use the cable. After doing that bit of core work I didn't want to over strain and have too much resistance pulling on my abs, so I just held a 5 kg plate and did the same motion as I normally would have done ...
So, I did it! I am back into the weight routine. It felt so good lifting weights. I missed it way more than cardio!
Tomorrow will definitely be a rest day for me, and then I'll do cardio on Thursday. Slowly but surely I am getting back into my groove.
I'm so proud of you that you balanced a great effort with wise patience... Doing modified pushups and plank poses is A FAR GREATER SUCCESS than letting the mind's fear/frustration push you to getting hurt... You're doing great, keep listening to that body! :)
ReplyDeleteRY
Great job getting back to the weights! Take it easy, and don't worry too much about the modified ones - you'll be back to normal strength in a bit! Just remember, it may take a little longer than you'd like, but it WILL come back. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Ryan and Kris!
ReplyDeleteI'm trying to get back into it ... it's tough, but I feel so much better now that I've started. I guess it's all about stepping up to the challenge again!
Hey, I am SO impressed! That's so good! That's hardly different at all from pre-surgery. You should be really proud of yourself. All that work you did beforehand really paid off!!
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