Need Help Getting Back Into the Groove

[melagras]

I had been in physical therapy for several months trying to get over positional vertigo and was instructed not to lift weights or do any yoga. I was able to do cardio that didn't involve lots of spins and turns. Now that I'm finished with PT, I can't seem to get back into the groove. Its not like I was a couch potato and then decided to go full tilt with workouts before all of this happened. I had been using Cathe's workouts since 2007 and before that I worked out at my local gym.

Lower body workouts aren't as much of a challenge as upper body. I am having a hard time with any overhead moves. If I do try them, I use 3 lb dumbbells and still have the worst DOMS I've ever had in my life. Even when I tried bicep curls, I could feel my neck and shoulders tense up.

Last week, I did Cathe's Cardio & Weights and something on the right side of my chest or top of my shoulder was strained because it hurt to take off my top. I was in pain. I was able to get it under control by taking three Advil, icing it and laying on my foam roller to stretch my chest out.

I never skip the warm up and cool down.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[hkim9877]

BPPV which is the abbreviation for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo does not go on for months. If you truly have Bppv the spinning sensation lasts only a few seconds or minutes, stops as soon as you reposition your head. Then may do it again another tim. It is treatable based on which canal the crystals are floating in. Posterior canal bppv is easily treated. Lateral canal is not as simple. It can recur but is not constant. If this is recurring despite the therapists positional treatments then Go back and follow up with your physician for further evaluation. As you may need to see an otolaryngologist or neurologist. Also verify if the therapist is certified as a vestibular therapist which is a physical therapist with additional training and certification for balance and dizziness disorders. The neck stiffness is expected in anyone feeling dizzy. Its your body trying to prevent you from moving your head to avoid onset of dizziness. Relax the neck, massage therapy weekly, warm compress and gentle stretching may help. I wish you well!

 

[melagras]

BPPV which is the abbreviation for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo does not go on for months. If you truly have Bppv the spinning sensation lasts only a few seconds or minutes, stops as soon as you reposition your head. Then may do it again another tim. It is treatable based on which canal the crystals are floating in. Posterior canal bppv is easily treated. Lateral canal is not as simple. It can recur but is not constant. If this is recurring despite the therapists positional treatments then Go back and follow up with your physician for further evaluation. As you may need to see an otolaryngologist or neurologist. Also verify if the therapist is certified as a vestibular therapist which is a physical therapist with additional training and certification for balance and dizziness disorders. The neck stiffness is expected in anyone feeling dizzy. Its your body trying to prevent you from moving your head to avoid onset of dizziness. Relax the neck, massage therapy weekly, warm compress and gentle stretching may help. I wish you well!

First, I know what BPPV is. That was my diagnosis back in July. It is gone. I haven't experienced any dizziness since December.

Second, as it was explained to me by my therapist (who is certified in vestibular therapy), my neck and shoulders tightening or ceasing up is caused by muscle memory from overdoing it with my workouts. She said the muscles could possibly "retrain" themselves if I laid off of weightlifting and gradually introduced upper body lifting back into my routine with very light weights.

Third, my problem is getting back into a workout routine that was brought to a halt while going through PT not BPPV.

 

[IslandRose]

Hi! I love Cardio and Weights, but it is not an easy workout. Maybe you need to start with something in the lines of Slide & Glide and work up to Cardio and Weights. I don't know which DVDs you own, but I think that you need to regain upper body strength. Maybe do low impact cardios and circuits with really light weights and do weight training and no cardio on alternate days. On those days you weight train make sure to go light with the weights for your upper body. If you own Xtrain, the 100 Rep Challenges for the upper body are something you can add after any workouts once or twice a week until you get your strength back. You can also use the same principle for the 100 Rep Challenges with other upper body exercises like the overhead press, overhead tricep extensions, etc. I think you should go slowly and add harder workouts little by little, in a couple of months (maybe weeks) you will get your groove back.

 

[melagras]

Hi! I love Cardio and Weights, but it is not an easy workout. Maybe you need to start with something in the lines of Slide & Glide and work up to Cardio and Weights. I don't know which DVDs you own, but I think that you need to regain upper body strength. Maybe do low impact cardios and circuits with really light weights and do weight training and no cardio on alternate days. On those days you weight train make sure to go light with the weights for your upper body. If you own Xtrain, the 100 Rep Challenges for the upper body are something you can add after any workouts once or twice a week until you get your strength back. You can also use the same principle for the 100 Rep Challenges with other upper body exercises like the overhead press, overhead tricep extensions, etc. I think you should go slowly and add harder workouts little by little, in a couple of months (maybe weeks) you will get your groove back.

I own a variety of Cathe's cardio and weightlifting workouts as well as P90X, Power 90 Master Series, Power Half Hour, Hip Hop Abs, Rockin Body and Ultimate Yogi. The one set I don't have is the Low Impact Series. That is my next purchase.

I'm not sure I want to try any of the 100 Rep Challenges. That's 85 reps too many for me.

 

[firemedic]

You might even want to try starting with Travel Fit. After my shoulder surgery and couldn't move my shoulder for more than 2 months and was told to start easy, I started with Travel Fit. I even started with a less tension band and worked my way up. This really prepared my upper body for lighter weights. Then I did Total Body Trisets Upper body with lighter weights and gradually worked up to heavier. It's amazing how after not using certain muscles for a period of time, how long it takes to get back in. I also did a lot of stretching/yoga to help me get more upper body (shoulder) strenght back. Just take it slow and wish you the best of luck.

 

[RapidBreath]

What about high-stepping training not the advanced one but the easier one it's fairly easy to reduce the number of reps and reduce the weights, and it's not as intense in my opinion as cardio and weights, I don't know if you have a high step but it might be a place to start.

I am also trying to get back into work outs after a long period of illness, I hope you feel better soon.

 

[TCB309]

I had a knee injury years ago and went to PT for it. I was so frustrated at how long it took to be able to get back to where I was before the injury. Unfortunately it just takes time and a lot of self control to ease back into it. I can't tell you how many times I set myself back trying to go too far too fast.

I did find that after doing the video cool downs I had to do an extra 5 - 10 minutes of very targeted stretching to help my knee. I did the stretches the PT had me do at my appointments along with a few more that I found felt really good to the muscles around my knee.

I hope you feel better soon. It's not a fun process, especially for people that lack patience (I'm one of them). On the plus side, I still do the extra stretches out of habit and my knee has remained injury free. Good luck!

 

[melagras]

What about high-stepping training not the advanced one but the easier one it's fairly easy to reduce the number of reps and reduce the weights, and it's not as intense in my opinion as cardio and weights, I don't know if you have a high step but it might be a place to start.

I am also trying to get back into work outs after a long period of illness, I hope you feel better soon.

I do own the high step and a couple of the dvds that use it exclusively. I don't remember which ones at the moment.

Could it be that I'm not using proper form?

Taking a few months off really screws with your mind and body when you are trying to get back into a routine. I want to start where I left off weight-wise and I know that isn't possible but I can't tell my mind that.

 

[Justinef]

Just remember that if you take it easy to begin with, you'll be back to where you were much quicker than before. Regaining strength is a faster process than gaining it in the first place.

Best of luck

 

[2121]

Not to put you off on getting the low impact series, but I am currently doing a rotation of these. There is a lot of shoulder work and compound moves with shoulder work. Also, although it is low impact, it very fast moving. believe me, I am no expert, I am just going by what i am experiencing these past few weeks. lots off pushups, disc mountain climbers etc.

After I had recovered from a shoulder problem, I started with 1 pound weights. I did feel it the next day too. For me, one benefit of using extremely light weights is I can focus on performing each move with a the specific muscle targeted rather than using other muscles to force the move. I would say, use one pound weights. Also, it will not be forever, you will find yourself moving up slowly but surely.

One downside of working out at home is there is nobody to tell me if my form is bad. Sometimes I think about recording myself so i can see what i am doing full on. Of course I have never gotten around to doing this.

Good luck to you!

 

[aprilrain]

I agree with the last post about the lis having fast moves with lots of shoulder work. I injured my back a few years ago (not related to working out) and when I started working out again I found that lifting slow helped me focus on proper form. I did not lift as heavy as recommended when doing a slow and heavy rotation but I found that it was good to get some toning and more importantly to get used to working out again. I also found that resistance bands were helpful as well. Good luck and listen to your body.

 

[IslandRose]

Travel fit is a great suggestion. It is such a great workout and so underrated. The 100 rep challenges are not for everybody, but they do work. You don't have to do them for months, but if you are up for it, maybe do them for 2-3 weeks and see if you improve. When I was getting PT years ago for my back I lost tons of upper body strength and my therapist used a similar technique with really light weights and a gazillion reps to help me regain my strength again. I also have a mirrored closet in my chosen place to exercise, that helps me a lot with my form. You have gotten really good suggestions. I hope you find something that suits your taste.