returning to free weights after injury

Hi everyone,

It has been some time since I visited the forum. I miss all of you and your inspiring comments and questions!

I had to stop lifting about 6 months ago because of knots and severe pain in my rhomboids and traps...still having issues but clearly my body is suffering. I try to work bis and tris but my back is underdeveloped now. I'm scared to start back again in earnest for fear of exacerbating the problem....

I go to monthly deep tissue massage and use naproxen sodium for muscle relief.

Does anyone have suggestions on what to do? I realize you aren't doctors (or maybe some of you are!) but if you've experienced this I would love to hear how you handled it. I miss Cathe terribly!

Thanks very much.
 
What kind of knots do you have? Do you mean knots caused by tension, or something else like a medical disorder? If it's tension, you might try some sort of yoga or stretching routine. It might help release the muscle tension while also strengthening them a bit.
 
reply to Shannon re: shoulder knots

Hi Shannon,

Thanks for your post. I do vinyasa flow yoga 2 times per week right now which does seem to help. I think the knots are a combination of tension plus overtraining at one point (and my form may have been less than perfect...which I"m sure it was).

Does this help at all?
Thanks again.
 
I'd suggest getting back into doing full-body workouts 2 times a week for 2-3 weeks, then up it to 3 times a week.

Go LIGHT on the weights (maybe even using no added weights for some leg work, like squats and lunges)...you may have to put your ego aside for this (I find that I have to right now, as I'm just getting back into regular weight work, after taking pretty much the whole summer off of any formal weight work). Start by using weights that would allow you to do 2-3 more reps than you finish with. Don't go to failure. And focus on perfect form (help your body develop muscle memory for the perfect form while using the light weights, then it will be more automatic as you progress to heavier weights).

When doing upper body work especially, be sure to keep your shoulder blades back and down (scapular retraction), which can keep you from shrugging your shoulders (which can cause trap tension), and will also keep your shoulder in better/safer allignment.

Put longer breaks between sets as you feel you need (as Cathe says "a rest, not a vacation"), and make sure your muscles are ready for the next set before continuing (some of Cathe's workouts have a rather rushed feeling between sets, IMO, like the Pyramids, and I will let Cathe and crew continue into the next set while I recover a bit more, then back-chapter to catch up). Do some dynamic movements during this time (especially for the upper back and shoulders) to help keep the areas loose (but no long static stretches, which could impede your performance).

Some exercises to choose from that you might find helpful (if any don't feel good, don't do them!):

1) shoulder rolls : up, back, down, forward (I usually do them in this 'backward' direction, because it also seems to help open the front of the body more. If I do any in the 'foward' direction--up, forward, back, down--I always do fewer than I do backward, and finish with some backward ones. I don't want to do anything to encourage forward rolling of the shoudlers or a 'closed' front of the body). Repeat for a count of 8-10.

2) front-and-back claps (not their official name, I'm sure!): clap your hands in front of you at shoulder height, then behind you, as high as you can (progressing to as close to shoulder height as possible). Keep the movement loose, and don't shrug your shoulders while doing it.

3) shoulder swings : swing your arms up in front of you, so at the end of the move, you look like you're about to bow down to someone and say "I'm not worthy!". Hold in the upper position for a beat or two, then let arms swing down for 2-3 swings, then repeat.

4) "pot stirrers": bend over and let one arm hang. Make circles with the hanging arm, first in one direction, then the other (clockwise/counterclockwise). Keep the movement loose.

5) chest and shoulder opener: reach your arms above you, as in 3, then bring your arms down, leading with elbows (the arms will be in a goalpost formation) and opening the chest and front shoulder area as you stretch the elbows back and down.

6) shrugs: shrug your shoulders, then press them down to release the tension. You are creating tension here, only as a prelude to the release.

(Some of these ideas --3, 4, 5--come from Tony Horton workouts: I find he has some very effective moves for loosening the shoulder area. 2 is from a kettlebell workout by Steve Cotter).

HTH!
 
I think Kathryn gave some good information.

I've had a lot of tension issues in my neck and shoulders. I find that shoulder weight work is a big problem when I'm having a bad day. I've learned that on those days, I really have to be careful... but also that some weight work actually helps, since it works the muscles differently than they've been worked all day.

What seems to work best for me is to stay with a medium or slightly heavy weight, but really pay attention to what my body says. I do not work to failure, and I take stretch breaks in between exercises so my muscles don't stay tight. The minute I feel any discomfort (and I know you know what I'm talking about!), I stop and stretch.

Oh, and another thing: I don't ever do band work for my shoulders. It's a disaster waiting to happen. Too much constant tension on the muscles, and it always makes matters worse.

Those are just my experiences. You'll just sort of have to play with it and see what works best. Start out slow and just do a few reps of a few exercises. See how it feels. Do you have bad DOMS the next day, or are you okay? Take it easy!!
 

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