When you can't lift more than 30lbs...

Vune

Doctor's orders. I have other people's organ's inside me and stuff, so it's not something I take lightly.

So, I'm up late with an unhappy stomach, stuffed with guac, and I've been pondering how to increase weight/force when working the upper body. Lower body is easy. If I need to squat with more force, I jump. Once I can do a push-up (legs straight and everything--some day...), I can push off the ground. What about the back? Is there a way to increase the challenge on my back muscles? To make things trickier, I also have one weakened wrist from a prior surgery. I'm not sure I'm asking this correctly...

bonjour24

maybe look into doing some bridges- they're good for your back, hips and gluts. you lie on your back, bend your legs (feet flat on the floor) and push up your pelvis. i've got to the point now where i lift a leg up too. 2 sets each side for 15 reps or so.
also, try doing sit ups on a big yoga ball thingy- they really work your stomach muscles.

Vune

Awesome, thanks! I need to make a reminder sheet to do bridges regularly. Back bends also have that added benefit of opening up the heart/chest.

pennydreadful270

I can't figure how jumping out of a squat is ok- a pretty strenuous excercise, using lots of core muscles- while picking up 15kg - the weight of a toddler- is totally out of the question. How odd. What are they worried about? *just curious*

Lupercalia

If it's appropriate for you, you might look into a body weight strength building program such as You Are Your Own Gym, by Mark Lauren. There's an app for that one as well. Another body weight program is Convict Conditioning.

Vune

I can't figure how jumping out of a squat is ok- a pretty strenuous excercise, using lots of core muscles- while picking up 15kg - the weight of a toddler- is totally out of the question. How odd. What are they worried about? *just curious*

I don't exactly have "permission" to jump. I merely have a list of "don'ts," and lifting over 30 lbs is somewhere in there with cleaning the litter box and skipping my meds. Good thought. Maybe I should ask. I figured there's a difference in the intensity of using one's abdominals for lifting as opposed to balance and stabilization. Core strength has always been second nature to me with my history of classical singing and various styles of dance. I'm mostly curious to figure out of there's more I could be doing within my needs and concerns.

The big surgery was a kidney transplant. It's been 99% perfect, but I don't want to risk anything there. I had a dialysis fistula in my wrist, which has left it extra delicate. My feet are also a mess from different injuries, surgeries, and conditions, but I'm doing my best to work with what I have!

Vune

If it's appropriate for you, you might look into a body weight strength building program such as You Are Your Own Gym, by Mark Lauren. There's an app for that one as well. Another body weight program is Convict Conditioning.

Went and bookmarked these. Thanks! Convict Conditioning seems to focus a lot of the bridge, so I'll have to check and see if the library has this.

bonjour24

my physio had me doing a bunch of exercises to strengthen my back and hips. i do donkey kicks with a bar on my back, bridges, planks, clams, lunges, squats, bridges, etc, as my cool down. i also do weight training now (but started off using my own body weight for stuff- but i weigh a lot!). have you thought about doing the 30 day shred? you use weights and pick how heavy you want them, but it focuses on all over stuff. you may just have to modify press ups and that kind of thing to make it suit what you can do.

EvgeniZyntx

Talk. To. Your. Doctor.


Why would a recent patient of major surgery ask random strangers for information on a delicate recovery situation when a long list of limited behaviors has been outlined?

Why?

Talk to your doctor until you are satisfied that you have sufficient info.

n3ver3nder

Talk. To. Your. Doctor.


Why would a recent patient of major surgery ask random strangers for information on a delicate recovery situation when a long list of limited behaviors has been outlined?

Why?

Talk to your doctor until you are satisfied that you have sufficient info.

Because many doctors will have not being sued as a major concern, and as such will err massively on the side of caution when OK-ing physical activity for certain conditions. Also the only model of exercise a lot of GP's are taught is when they cover rehab in school. As they don't have a complete working knowledge of exercise, it's good to see if you can find a second opinion. You wouldn't go to your strength coach for medical advice, so what makes you think your doctor can provide the best strength training advice?

What OP might want to do, rather than asking randoms on a message board, is find specific people in similar situations and compare notes.

Vune

Talk. To. Your. Doctor.


Why would a recent patient of major surgery ask random strangers for information on a delicate recovery situation when a long list of limited behaviors has been outlined?

Why?

Talk to your doctor until you are satisfied that you have sufficient info.

Who said recent? I had the transplant 12 years ago. I was seeking modifications to increase the intensity of body weight exercises, particularly for my back. My curiosity stemmed from frequently reading the recommendation of heavy lifting here. I figured it's not for everyone, since, y'know, I kind of exist, so someone should know alternatives. And it's 5am and my stomach is rejecting my homemade guacamole, so I figured this was as good a time as any to make the inquiry. Don't worry. My brain works where my body fails.

If I had said, "I need to lift heavy and eat a ton of protein even though I have a kidney transplant because that's the best way to lose weight! How heavy should I start." that would have been a crazy and stupid question. Asking for modifications of body weight exercises is probably a better question for a fitness forum than my nephrologist.

By the by, when the surgeon was examining me prior to surgery, he commented on my abdominal strength! If I wasn't so darn smart and fit, I might not have been milling about the transplant unit, pouring juice for other patients the next day.

But thank you for your concern. Having transplant surgery isn't so scary, but keeping it is something I work for daily.

Vune

What OP might want to do, rather than asking randoms on a message board, is find specific people in similar situations and compare notes.

True. Luckily, this forum has a diverse group of people, so I figured I'd get a nice variety of responses. Maybe I should have titled this: Kidney Girl Seeks Body Weight Modifications. And hopefully the responses I get can help others, too.

neandermagnon

Doctor's orders. I have other people's organ's inside me and stuff, so it's not something I take lightly.

Ask to be referred to a physio, tell the physio what you want to achieve, follow the exercise program recommended by your physio.

People on an internet forum are not qualified to advise what exercise someone with medical issues should be doing. Some kinds of exercises may not involve lifting a dumbbell or barbell that weighs over 30lb, but will be putting the same amount of strain on your body as doing that would.

nz_deevaa

I still think this is a question for a Doctor or a Physio.

Maybe in the 12yrs since surgery some of your limitations have changed?

neandermagnon

What OP might want to do, rather than asking randoms on a message board, is find specific people in similar situations and compare notes.

True. Luckily, this forum has a diverse group of people, so I figured I'd get a nice variety of responses. Maybe I should have titled this: Kidney Girl Seeks Body Weight Modifications. And hopefully the responses I get can help others, too.

body weight exercises are not much different to weight training, i.e. they'll possibly put more strain on your body than lifting a 30+lb barbell will, hence see a physio and get advice from someone who's qualified. Even someone else who's had various transplants is not necessarily going to be in the same situation as you, medically speaking, so advice for them may not be safe for you. Additionally, with a good physio you may find you can do a lot more than you think, because physios know more about this kind of thing than other doctors, and you may be able to build up your strength to the point where you can exceed doctors expectations of you. But you need advice from qualified people to do that.

neandermagnon

I still think this is a question for a Doctor or a Physio.

Maybe in the 12yrs since surgery some of your limitations have changed?

^^^ and this too

EvgeniZyntx

Talk. To. Your. Doctor.


Why would a recent patient of major surgery ask random strangers for information on a delicate recovery situation when a long list of limited behaviors has been outlined?

Why?

Talk to your doctor until you are satisfied that you have sufficient info.

Who said recent? I had the transplant 12 years ago. I was seeking modifications to increase the intensity of body weight exercises, particularly for my back. My curiosity stemmed from frequently reading the recommendation of heavy lifting here. I figured it's not for everyone, since, y'know, I kind of exist, so someone should know alternatives. And it's 5am and my stomach is rejecting my homemade guacamole, so I figured this was as good a time as any to make the inquiry. Don't worry. My brain works where my body fails.

If I had said, "I need to lift heavy and eat a ton of protein even though I have a kidney transplant because that's the best way to lose weight! How heavy should I start." that would have been a crazy and stupid question. Asking for modifications of body weight exercises is probably a better question for a fitness forum than my nephrologist.

By the by, when the surgeon was examining me prior to surgery, he commented on my abdominal strength! If I wasn't so darn smart and fit, I might not have been milling about the transplant unit, pouring juice for other patients the next day.

But thank you for your concern. Having transplant surgery isn't so scary, but keeping it is something I work for daily.

Why can't you lift more than 30 lbs now? Those are typically, post-op recovery restrictions. If you are following them 12 years afterwards ... You still need to talk to your doctor because a) they probably no longer make sense b) your doctor is best suited to recommend a therapist that can get you on a program that is designed for any limitations you should observe.

Vune

Thanks goodness I live in Romneycareland, so I don't have to be able to afford 50 zillion doctors. By physio, do you mean a physical therapist? I haven't seen one of those since before the transplant. I, of course, am still welcome to the free sharing of ideas, because knowledge is power. Learning about more body weight exercises for the back won't hurt me.

nz_deevaa

I had knee surgery last year. Post surgery I was told not to do some things for 6wks... one of them was squats.

I saw a physio and personal trainer, and I slowly went from no squats to squatting 100kg.

I understand that a kidney transplant is a bigger operation, but surely after such a long time your physical limitations/requirements have changed?

neandermagnon

Thanks goodness I live in Romneycareland, so I don't have to be able to afford 50 zillion doctors. By physio, do you mean a physical therapist? I haven't seen one of those since before the transplant. I, of course, am still welcome to the free sharing of ideas, because knowledge is power. Learning about more body weight exercises for the back won't hurt me.

physiotherapist is the British English term, I'm not so good at American English but I think physical therapist is the same thing

learning about bodyweight exercises may not hurt... but if you've been advised not to lift more than 30lb then you need to avoid all exercises that put a similar kind of strain on the body as lifting 30lb, do you know which bodyweight exercises will or won't do that?.... plus a lot of doctors give blanket statement advice like this, without properly clarifying which exercises are safe and which are not... seeing a physio may result in finding out you can do a lot more than you previously thought, while avoiding any exercises that could potentially harm you (as opposed to avoiding anything that involves pushing or pulling with a force of more than 136 Newtons - stating it that way shows that "don't lift more than 30lb" isn't very clear advice...)

Vune

I'm trying to think of specific times in the past few years when I have discussed weight restrictions with doctors. Because, I'm mostly just still awake and talking about this because I can't sleep. But I was stuck with new doctors every other year in Denver, and I have a brand new doctor here. Every one of them errs on the side of caution. Last time, my cousin came in the exam room with me, and we talked about cleaning the litter box, and she was surprised that I still can't after all these years. But immunosuppression is very different.

I have to shoot my nephrologist an email anyway. But it doesn't look like I'll be changing up my routine any time soon. I don't even have a PCP yet. The only reason I have a nephrologist is because it's big money out of the taxpayers pockets if I have to go on dialysis again.

And this is what happens when I don't sleep, but still take my muscle relaxer! I hope you guys had an entertaining time. Feel free to continue to arm me with knowledge that I can think about while I'm jogging in place and doing wall push ups.

pennydreadful270

I am totally guessing here - but avoiding lifting after surgery is usually to do with not tearing stitches out, followed by weak abdominals. It is understood that lifting put pressure on your core and that isn't good after abdominal surgery when you might cause a hernia on the operation site. But once you're all healed up inside and out, the risk is nearly gone.

Everything you are doing already sounds great though.

EvgeniZyntx

Several muscle relaxers are not safe for someone with kidney problems. When you send that email to your nephrologist you just might want to mention any drugs you are taking.

Vune

Several muscle relaxers are not safe for someone with kidney problems. When you send that email to your nephrologist you just might want to mention any drugs you are taking.

He knows my meds! Nothing is really "safe" for the kidneys because practically everything gets metabolized through them. That's why everything goes out of whack when they aren't working right. Speaking of meds, though, I (obviously still haven't gone to bed yet) found some info on medications I'm on and how they affect the tendons. So I'm glad I reached out tonight. Those side effect lists are so long that you're bound to miss something. Seek answers...get more questions.

onwarddownward

I got a lot of muscularity built up with only 16 lb free weights. Also, can you swim? That builds strong muscles without as much stress as lifting. They are not bulky muscles, but are very strong.

Vune

I got a lot of muscularity built up with only 16 lb free weights. Also, can you swim? That builds strong muscles without as much stress as lifting. They are not bulky muscles, but are very strong.

Genius! I totally have access to a pool, however small. The breaststroke kills my upper body in the good way.

onwarddownward

Ease into it. I'm just about at ten minutes of an hour workout doing the breaststroke. But that's up from four laps of it. I can't yet get the butterfly.