Upper body strength without lifting- Advice please

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okgal247
okgal247 Posts: 68 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
My loved, who has been on this incredible journey of beginning and maintaining a healthy lifestyle, has just been told by her doctor that because of certain medical reasons she can no longer lift anything greater than 7 lbs.

She is not on this site, and probably will never be- she doesn't even own a computer- so I wanted to try and dig to find some information for her. She's also not the most "exercise savvy" either- but she got herself off this path that would probably have caused her an early death, so she's doing something right.

I'm wondering what exercises I can share with her so that she can maintain the fitness level that she's been working on (get me right, she's has been doing more of the cardio route, some weight machines, and building upper body strength).

My biggest fear is that this blow to her life-style will cause her to become depressed or feel defeated. No one wants to see a loved one go through that.

I was thinking that a gradual increase push-up routine might be a good place to start. Does anyone agree? Does anyone have any other ideas.

I truly appreciate any and all advice- this is something that's very important to me. I don't want to see regression.

THANK YOU!

Replies

  • MyOwnSunshine
    MyOwnSunshine Posts: 1,312 Member
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    If her doctor has limited her to a weight limit of less than 7 pounds, I don't think anyone would be able to responsibly prescribe a strength routine without knowing the details of her medical issues.

    My advice would be to have her doctor order a physical therapy consult so they can create a fitness routine that will not cause further damage.

    Internet strangers with no knowledge of your partner's medical condition will not be able to give safe advice.
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
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    If her doctor has limited her to a weight limit of less than 7 pounds, I don't think anyone would be able to responsibly prescribe a strength routine without knowing the details of her medical issues.

    My advice would be to have her doctor order a physical therapy consult so they can create a fitness routine that will not cause further damage.

    Internet strangers with no knowledge of your partner's medical condition will not be able to give safe advice.

    ^^^ all of this
  • okgal247
    okgal247 Posts: 68 Member
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    Completely fair enough- I just didn't know if there were some exercises that people knew of that would be able to maintain upper body strength without lifting.

    Thanks :)
  • jimmmer
    jimmmer Posts: 3,515 Member
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    You are aware that executing a push up requires pushing more than 7lbs of weight, right?

    Seems a completely random amount of weight to forbid someone to move. For instance, curling 7lb is completely different to bench pressing 7lb which is in turn totally different than overhead pressing 7lbs.

    So I think that the doctors advice is either a) poor b) poorly understood or c) fictional

    More detail. Specifics. Then we can talk turkey.
  • okgal247
    okgal247 Posts: 68 Member
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    You are aware that executing a push up requires pushing more than 7lbs of weight, right?

    Seems a completely random amount of weight to forbid someone to move. For instance, curling 7lb is completely different to bench pressing 7lb which is in turn totally different than overhead pressing 7lbs.

    So I think that the doctors advice is either a) poor b) poorly understood or c) fictional

    More detail. Specifics. Then we can talk turkey.

    As far as the push-ups, I was thinking wall- and I thought that their might be a different between push/lift. If there isn't- my mistake.

    Doc's advice was word-for-word. (I'm not sure what you mean by fictional- that I'm lying.)

    Uterine fibroids, ruptured ovarian cyst, and an increased endometrial lining (for age)- but I don't believe that has anything to do with that 'recommendation,' personally.
  • okgal247
    okgal247 Posts: 68 Member
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    If her doctor has limited her to a weight limit of less than 7 pounds, I don't think anyone would be able to responsibly prescribe a strength routine without knowing the details of her medical issues.

    My advice would be to have her doctor order a physical therapy consult so they can create a fitness routine that will not cause further damage.

    Internet strangers with no knowledge of your partner's medical condition will not be able to give safe advice.

    ^^^ all of this

    I'll talk to her about getting her a PT consult. That's a really good idea... (you'd think that after working in that field for almost 3 years, I would have thought of that!) When I see patients, PT is almost always my first thought, haha, but I guess it's different when you can't be as objective... Thank you, again.
  • jimmmer
    jimmmer Posts: 3,515 Member
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    Basically, you're pushing against the wall. This is going to be providing a resistance that the muscles overcome. That's all lifting and moving weights is after all, overcoming resistance. In this regard a push up is strength exercise (until it's too easy for you i.e. stops providing adequate resistance).

    Basically, the strain of exertion in overcoming the resistance is what you're being warned off. As such, 7lbs is a random amount, as I mentioned, because in different planes of movement and whether you are pushing or pulling, your exertion to overcome the resistance provided by 7lbs could range from non-existent to maximum.

    You really need to have her assessed by a professional PT, who will actually monitor how she responds to the demands of various exercises. Regular doctors are notoriously bad when faced with someone who has the desire to keep training.

    I was told I would never lift a weight again and would require a complete shoulder reconstruction by a couple of different doctors. But they had no real understanding of Iron or, apparently, of my shoulder. YMMV
  • okgal247
    okgal247 Posts: 68 Member
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    Basically, you're pushing against the wall. This is going to be providing a resistance that the muscles overcome. That's all lifting and moving weights is after all, overcoming resistance. In this regard a push up is strength exercise (until it's too easy for you i.e. stops providing adequate resistance).

    Basically, the strain of exertion in overcoming the resistance is what you're being warned off. As such, 7lbs is a random amount, as I mentioned, because in different planes of movement and whether you are pushing or pulling, your exertion to overcome the resistance provided by 7lbs could range from non-existent to maximum.

    You really need to have her assessed by a professional PT, who will actually monitor how she responds to the demands of various exercises. Regular doctors are notoriously bad when faced with someone who has the desire to keep training.

    I was told I would never lift a weight again and would require a complete shoulder reconstruction by a couple of different doctors. But they had no real understanding of Iron or, apparently, of my shoulder. YMMV

    Agreed. I think getting her into physical therapy will be a good start. Thank again. (And I do believe that you're right in that "7" could have been a completely contrived number by the doc... who knows. In all seriousness 90% of my grocery bags are heavier than 7 lbs!)

    Appreciate your time.
  • okgal247
    okgal247 Posts: 68 Member
    Options
    My loved one, who has been on this incredible journey of beginning and maintaining a healthy lifestyle, has just been told by her doctor that because of certain medical reasons she can no longer lift anything greater than 7 lbs.

    She is not on this site, and probably will never be- she doesn't even own a computer- so I wanted to try and dig to find some information for her. She's also not the most "exercise savvy" either- but she got herself off this path that would probably have caused her an early death, so she's doing something right.

    I'm wondering what exercises I can share with her so that she can maintain the fitness level that she's been working on (get me right, she's has been doing more of the cardio route, some weight machines, and building upper body strength).

    My biggest fear is that this blow to her life-style will cause her to become depressed or feel defeated. No one wants to see a loved one go through that.

    I was thinking that a gradual increase push-up routine might be a good place to start. Does anyone agree? Does anyone have any other ideas.

    I truly appreciate any and all advice- this is something that's very important to me. I don't want to see regression.

    THANK YOU!
  • cafeaulait7
    cafeaulait7 Posts: 2,459 Member
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    I have an upper back/neck problem and can't lift heavy amounts, but I've gotten around that by knowing exactly where my bad spots are :) So I do believe that the doc probably said 7 lbs. I still can't lift 7 lbs over shoulder level with certain muscles without triggering a stupid flare-up (nerve pain, so no good at all). I lift way more than 7 lbs, though. It all depends on the muscles used, etc.

    A physio is the way to go; I agree. I think y'all might want to look into yoga and run it by the physio. Pushups may be too much, but downward dog, for instance, might be just the right level. There are a ton of moves to choose from, and it can be made easier or more challenging. My pain docs were thrilled to see me keep up with my yoga, even in the worst of my pain. I had to modify moves, but that's common in yoga, so it works very well :)

    Good luck!

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