Lifting after a hamstring injury

tiggs862017
tiggs862017 Posts: 15 Member
edited 7:16AM in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
Hey everyone,
My name is Tighler and I'm 30 years old. I'm 4'11" and have always had problems gaining. I used to lift in highschool, but never did it after graduation.
Recently stress caused me to lose like 7lbs in 7 days! :o I was shocked, and knew that I needed to do something. I started keeping a food diary with a goal of 2150 calories a day, and lifting. I have gained 5 lbs. back in 3 weeks. It was going great! A little muscle soreness at first, but I expected that.

Then I forgot about ergonomics. Was it while I has at the gym doing squats with 70 lbs at 3 sets of 10? No. Was it while I was lifting a 50 pound case of laundry detergent at work? No.
It happened when I quickly, and incorrectly bent over to pick up my 20lb Boston Terrier, to prevent her from barking at the UPS guy. Stupid. :( Sharpest pain ever in the back of my thigh.

Well, it's been a week ago today, and I want to start lifting again. Being out has been torturous.
Should I start with a lower weight? Also, I've been researching the benefits of creatine. It seems like it'd be a good idea for me to add this to my protein shakes. Should I train every other day or every day with one day rest? Focusing on different body parts each day? I'm posting a beginning progress photo in hopes of having something to compare to.
I hope to define my abs, legs, and arms more. Any advice and encouragement is beyond welcome.
Thanks for reading!zjp7o3r7z0ne.jpg

Replies

  • richardhartzenberg
    richardhartzenberg Posts: 1 Member
    Creatine is a must, I use kre-alkaline now instead though.

    Rotate each day, Push - Pull - Legs. Take a rest day when you need one and then pick up where you left off. Push, Pull whatever.
  • edickson76
    edickson76 Posts: 107 Member
    edited May 2017
    One week is a very short amount of time for a hamstring injury. From Lyle McDonald:

    "Most people try to return to training too quickly, before the injury is fully healed and they often do nothing but re-injure it again, losing even more training time. Years ago, my mentor gave me a valuable rule that I follow to this day both in my own training and that of trainees in the case of injury:

    Wait until you think the injury is healed, then wait another week."

    He has a whole article on this, but I couldn't find it; so link to a Q&A on the subject of returning to the weight room:
    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/training/returning-to-training-after-a-layoff-qa.html/

    As far as the lifting program goes, if you can get results with a beginner program, then do that until you stop seeing results.
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    richardhartzenberg wrote: »
    Creatine is a must, I use kre-alkaline now instead though.

    Rotate each day, Push - Pull - Legs. Take a rest day when you need one and then pick up where you left off. Push, Pull whatever.

    creatine are not a must. http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10551286/supplements-yes-or-no/p1
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    I had a hamstring injury this year, it has taken about 4 months for it to heal,I still have some pain and my range of motion is not what it was before the injury,. I had to stop lifting heavy because of it. I do bodyweight exercises and some cardio.. when I pulled mine I heard a loud pop then a sudden wave of nausea hit. take some time off,and wait for it to heal. see a dr and see if they can gauge if its torn or pulled before you go lifting again. you dont want to make the injury worse than it may be. I still have to be careful though as to not re injure myself.
  • mom23mangos
    mom23mangos Posts: 3,069 Member
    Any time I've had an injury, it's taken me 2-3 months to completely heal. I tried to go back after a month with one injury and ended up making it a lot worse. Listen to your body. You can concentrate on upper body in the meantime. Also see a PT if you have access.

    When you do start back, definitely start with lower weight. Maybe try to avoid direct hamstring exercises.
  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
    edited May 2017
    Lifting with a hamstring injury can and actually will promote healing in most cases that aren't extreme. This doesn't mean someone should try to lift without the knowledge of proper technique, purpose, and recovery along with the understanding of what injury they do in fact have.

    It's the same process as building muscles. Stimulating, recovery, and adaptation will cause the muscle to heal regardless if the muscle tear was intentional or not.

    It will also reduce scar tissue which in many injuries is part of the reasons of the injury reoccurring.

    The weight should be heavy but not enough to break good form just like normal training.

    The problem lies in many people is they don't use good form and are not following a proven program that uses correct stress, recovery, and adaptation.

    At the very least you should remain active walking or light riding stationary bike to help with blood flow. Anything that doesn't make the pain/injury worse.


  • tiggs862017
    tiggs862017 Posts: 15 Member
    Chieflrg wrote: »
    Lifting with a hamstring injury can and actually will promote healing in most cases that aren't extreme. This doesn't mean someone should try to lift without the knowledge of proper technique, purpose, and recovery along with the understanding of what injury they do in fact have.

    It's the same process as building muscles. Stimulating, recovery, and adaptation will cause the muscle to heal regardless if the muscle tear was intentional or not.

    It will also reduce scar tissue which in many injuries is part of the reasons of the injury reoccurring.

    The weight should be heavy but not enough to break good form just like normal training.

    The problem lies in many people is they don't use good form and are not following a proven program that uses correct stress, recovery, and adaptation.

    At the very least you should remain active walking or light riding stationary bike to help with blood flow. Anything that doesn't make the pain/injury worse.

    Thank you so much for this insight. My injury seemed to be very mild. I've been doing light stretching l, and returned to training 1 week after it happened with a much lower weight than before and keeping ergonomics in mind. ;)

    However I wasn't able to take time off from work, and my job is very physical, I think staying active has helped tremendously. I did take it easy at work the first few nights, but the pain is no longer there. I will continue to train with a lower weight probably for another month though. Good thing legs are only twice a week for me. And thanks again!
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