Recomp fail...

Raegold

So I’ve determined that my body type is not meant to gain muscle easily... or even with difficulty. I tried doing Strong Curves and I ended up hurting myself. My PT told me I have hypermobile ligaments, plus I have never been a muscular person, even in high school on the tennis team. Is it reasonable to say, I can’t (because of body type and current life with two small children) gain significant muscle mass? Even despite the injury, I don’t know if I got much out of the program, I don’t think it functionally helped me. I think I was better off doing my pilates and regular strength program that was more of a functional mix of exercises plus some cardio.

It’s kind of a bummer bc I like the idea of a recomp, but I don’t think it’s going to happen for me. I think I could try to maintain plus do my usual workouts, and gain some strength but not like volume or weight, if that makes sense

rileysowner

Recomp progress is measured over months. You don't say how long you did this, but injury happens even without "hypermobile ligaments". In terms of lifting, form is vital to avoiding injury. Slowing progression in weights until one has their lifting form spot on is often necessary. What exercise specifically did you injure yourself doing? Again, remember muscle, especially in a recomp, does not build easily. It is a slow process at the best of times. Patience is vital.

stanmann571

Without knowing the degree of your Hypermobility, my advice is somewhat limited, obviously also, you're female and I'm male, but here goes.

However, I am myself Hypermobile, so when doing loaded exercises it's important to stay within the "working range" for a given exercise.

IOW, going ATG on squats is not a good idea for you(with a bar) You'll need to learn and stay within the appropriate ROM for a given exercise. Where most people need to "get lower" you'll need to stop shorter.

You certainly can gain muscle and strength, but you will be more prone to injury from "full ROM".

If the PT is a sport PT, work with him/her to build up your strength and identify your Safe ROM where your muscles are being stressed but your ligaments/joints aren't being hyperextended.

Spliner1969

As the above posters mentioned, recomp takes a really really long time. I was never athletic in my younger years, never really had much muscle at all. I spent a bit over a year after I lost my weight in recomp and even then only managed to build small amounts of muscle. I was able to reduce my overall fat percentage, but the muscle gain was not a lot at all. Now that I've spent a second year or so at or slightly above maintenance, with periods of bulking at about 5-10% over maintenance calories I am finally starting to see some gain. I have an advantage though, I am a man. Women have a tougher time gaining muscle (or so I've heard). My guess is that if you still want to try, spend at least a year trying recomp before giving up. Then if you really want to see gains in muscle you need to be willing to gain some weight back. That's why a lot of people gain then cut then gain then cut in cycles. Food for thought.

Packerjohn

stanmann571 wrote: »

Without knowing the degree of your Hypermobility, my advice is somewhat limited, obviously also, you're female and I'm male, but here goes.

However, I am myself Hypermobile, so when doing loaded exercises it's important to stay within the "working range" for a given exercise.

IOW, going ATG on squats is not a good idea for you(with a bar) You'll need to learn and stay within the appropriate ROM for a given exercise. Where most people need to "get lower" you'll need to stop shorter.

You certainly can gain muscle and strength, but you will be more prone to injury from "full ROM".

If the PT is a sport PT, work with him/her to build up your strength and identify your Safe ROM where your muscles are being stressed but your ligaments/joints aren't being hyperextended.

100% agree. Just to confirm, you and the OP are talking about a physical therapist, not a personal trainer when saying PT? IMO, if someone is hypermobile they should be working with a therapist for initial diagnosis and clearance for various movements. If after they consult with a therapist and would want to work with a trainer, fine but the professionals should have a consult to make sure the trainer knows what is appropriate.

stanmann571

Packerjohn wrote: »

stanmann571 wrote: »

Without knowing the degree of your Hypermobility, my advice is somewhat limited, obviously also, you're female and I'm male, but here goes.

However, I am myself Hypermobile, so when doing loaded exercises it's important to stay within the "working range" for a given exercise.

IOW, going ATG on squats is not a good idea for you(with a bar) You'll need to learn and stay within the appropriate ROM for a given exercise. Where most people need to "get lower" you'll need to stop shorter.

You certainly can gain muscle and strength, but you will be more prone to injury from "full ROM".

If the PT is a sport PT, work with him/her to build up your strength and identify your Safe ROM where your muscles are being stressed but your ligaments/joints aren't being hyperextended.

100% agree. Just to confirm, you and the OP are talking about a physical therapist, not a personal trainer when saying PT? IMO, if someone is hypermobile they should be working with a therapist for initial diagnosis and clearance for various movements. If after they consult with a therapist and would want to work with a trainer, fine but the professionals should have a consult to make sure the trainer knows what is appropriate.

I am. I've had some very negative interactions with therapeutic PTs and nothing but positive with Sport PTs.

There appears to be a mindset and perspective issues regarding what degree of function qualifies as "graduated"

And I know I'm painting with a broad brush and YMMV

For the therapeutic PTs I have interected with, graduated means walking across the room/standing up straight. For a Sport PT, graduated means, back in the game at the previous level of function.

Raegold

Hmm. Well I guess maybe I need to cut to where I want to be, and then try maintenance/recomp again. I’m not sure if I can manage the consistency required for real muscle gain right now. For example, everyone in my house has been taking turns being sick for over a month, so I haven’t been to the gym consistently in over a month. But it is what it is with little kids in school.

stanmann571

Raegold wrote: »

Hmm. Well I guess maybe I need to cut to where I want to be, and then try maintenance/recomp again. I’m not sure if I can manage the consistency required for real muscle gain right now. For example, everyone in my house has been taking turns being sick for over a month, so I haven’t been to the gym consistently in over a month. But it is what it is with little kids in school.

It may be easier to start with a Bodyweight/yoga type program that can be done anywhere or in smaller chunks throughout the day.

That will also help you with learning the cues your body gives regarding how much is too much and how far is too far.

Lean59man

Instead of worrying about muscle mass gain, focus on strength gains in the rep range of your choice.

For example, if you like the rep range of 8-12 (good for muscle mass), then focus on upping your strength on your exercises in this range.

Use weight training in your program. If you get stronger in the range of 8-12 you will get more muscular.

When you get 2 (or 3) sets of 12 reps, then add more weight to the bar. Don't go below 8 reps. Work back up to 12 reps sets, then add more weight.

usmcmp

Whether you have kids or not has nothing to do with you being able to gain muscle.

As to whether you can gain "significant muscle mass" you're going to have to realize that women in ideal circumstances (progressive lifting routine, adequate protein, and calorie surplus) gain about 1 pound of lean mass per month. So in recomp you'll gain maybe half of that. That's 6 pounds of muscle in a year, which is really only noticeable if you are already super lean. Keep that in mind because recomp isn't a short term goal, it's something you might want to say will naturally happen over years if you keep at resistance training.

Need2Exerc1se

Raegold wrote: »

So I’ve determined that my body type is not meant to gain muscle easily... or even with difficulty. I tried doing Strong Curves and I ended up hurting myself. My PT told me I have hypermobile ligaments, plus I have never been a muscular person, even in high school on the tennis team. Is it reasonable to say, I can’t (because of body type and current life with two small children) gain significant muscle mass? Even despite the injury, I don’t know if I got much out of the program, I don’t think it functionally helped me. I think I was better off doing my pilates and regular strength program that was more of a functional mix of exercises plus some cardio.

It’s kind of a bummer bc I like the idea of a recomp, but I don’t think it’s going to happen for me. I think I could try to maintain plus do my usual workouts, and gain some strength but not like volume or weight, if that makes sense

Why can't you recomp with pilates or a "regular strength program"?

LisaTcan

I am hypermoblie and have had multiple joint injuries and surgeries. I'm actually currently being evaluated for Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. Despite this I have been able to recomp and gain some muscle, it just took a long time. As @stanmann571 said I just have to be careful and not use by "full ROM". I found long-distance cycling great for building muscle in my lower body and stronger legs helps stabilize my knee joints.

From what I've heard from other hypermobile people you have to be more careful and you likely will never be able to "lift heavy". I really want to do barbell squats, but I can't seem to be able to lift more than 85lbs without losing form, my knees just can't handle it.