How do you cope with not being able to lift?
I'm curious how some of you guys deal with the frustration of not being able to lift due to injury?
I recently hurt my back by falling out of my work truck (it's a tractor trailer so about 4 feet up) and landed on my back. I started feeling pain instantly and called my supervisor, and reported it etc.
So after 4 different doctors, I finally get approval for an MRI on my back, being it's been 5 weeks now. My doctor who I am seeing now originally said it was 2 bulging discs and a pinched nerve, and said about 2 months total, which I can live with. But the MRI results showed differently than he thought. Not only did I have 2 bulging discs, and a pinched nerve, but I also have 3 herniated discs and one extruding disc, as well as disc degenerative syndrome (basically arthritis of the spine). Now he wants me to see a neurologist for the pinched nerve being my one leg is numb from the hip down, to check for further nerve damage.
I asked the Dr. what he thought recovery time would be, and basically without a definitive answer he said 3 to 4 months on the short side, but up to a year potentially, all depending on how I respond to treatments. This was devastating news for me, because not only can I not workout for god knows how long, but my job is crazy busy during the summer, and workers comp pays a max of 810 a week in my state, which is no where near what I make in the summer.
So my question to my eroids brothers, is how do you guys cope with the loss of lifting? Work is work, and even if I like my job, it's not a passion and a lifestyle for me like lifting is. I can't wrap my mind around missing this much time, so maybe you guys can help me see the light at the end of a seemingly dark and endless tunnel that I just began walking down. Thanks in advance.
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I don't cope, i would say do everything you can to whats positive for your lifestyle even if it is just reading or doing only basic rehab exercises.
I don't know/recall your current situation (wife, kids, work, etc) but when I'm out of commission I shift my energy towards those things. Maybe catch a movie with the wife, set up an extra daddy/daughter or daddy/son play date. Look into your career and how you can make a few extra bucks or get ahead a little bit. Basically think about everything you put off or don't do as much as you'd like to because you're at the gym training. A little break from the gym is very beneficial and we can all use one sometimes. Just do something you enjoy when you'd normally be heading to the gym....you'll be back at it sooner then you think. Get well and be safe
I'm married w 2 kids, my wife works as a personal trainer, so the good thing about me being home is I can watch the kids so she can work more. I do enjoy the extra time w the kids so that's a plus, and I get to take my oldest to and from school everyday, which I like. So I try to fill my time staying busy just kind of hard with the kids, being they are 2 and 4, there's not too much to do esp w snow still (live in North east). I know I'll get back, it's just frustrating but I'll stay positive and just keep calm, and heal on!
As a fellow parent, you know how fast time flies. You will be back before you know it. Assuming you have mature muscle, it really does have memory. My strength has doubled in three weeks, just hoping the size returns too. Good luck.
I think I'd be walking round like an angry bear, ready to bite someone's head off! I'd definitely find it hard to be optimistic about your predicament, i genuinely feel for you. To be out of it for upto a year would feel like forever.
I've not been able to do any leg work for the last 8 weeks and that's bad enough, fortunately I'm having surgery next so this little episode of bs will be over soon.
I wish a speedy recovery!!!
Yea it sucks, I'm exactly 5 weeks since my last workout and it feels like forever. I am trying to stay positive hut it's definitely a trying situation, and is wearing on me mentally. Thanks for the well wishes man
Honestly? I sulk like a child that can't get their own way.
It's part of the game we play. Rest up, heal well and wish you a speedy recovery.
Ha that is honesty and quite frankly that's how I fell right now. It sucks losing all this time, but rest and PT is all I can do so it must be done.
You'll get it back mate, muscle memory is a great thing. I've been in surgery so many times now, (10 or 11 I think), and been told no more lifting big weight at least 4 or 5 times. I'm still here, bit older and a few more grey hairs but we push through it. We're an odd bunch of people, it's what we do, we push through pain all the time.
That's all man, just gotta stay focused on the long term and keep my head up. I know it's harder right now because it's the early stages of the injury, but I like to think I'm pretty tough mentally and my wife is very supportive so just got win that mental fight.
I tore my labrum and and was out for around 4-6 months and yeah I lost size but man when you come back you blow up. Obviously didn't cycle right away but when I did it's like I never even got injured. You'll be alright in the long haul bud.
I just hope there's no long term issues from the back. Like Drop-set said down below, I worry about not being able to do deads or squats or lift the way I like to, which is heavy, 3x6-8 sets. I will start at a 4x15-20 with super light weights and see where it goes from there, just gotta be patient til I get the ok
In 2002 I blew a disc at L4/5 and had to have surgery. i was out of the gym for 4 months or so going off memory. i became so neurotic that I always wore long sleeves etc, and didn't look in the mirror much. Once I was back in the gym, I did a dbol-test-Eq cycle and blew up. All that time off made my body like a new lifter.
Fast forward to january 2015. I blew the same disc again. i was so fucked up I could barely walk and had a hard time pissing. They actually rushed me into surgery because they were scared of nerve damage. I am week three in the gym now. I have only done arms on machines, low weight, high reps. I am not really supposed to do anything for another week, but I am going to take it slow. I plan on a dbol-deca-test cycle in May...
Oddly enough, I didn't really see the atrophy set in until about week 6, then I went soft and started getting a fat abdomen. Very frustrating.
The only positive is you blow up when you hit the gym again. I saw some fucking tool load up 315 on the bar today for dead lifts. He was bending over at the waist and standing all crooked. then he would drop the weight and snap a pic. He will be getting back surgery someday.
PS, i cannot squat or do deads ever again. Just work around it once you're back. My next stop is fusion, so i am trying to be smart.
That's rough, I'm really hoping they don't talk surgery because aside from lifting, it would make my regular job nearly impossible to go back to. At least I'm in the union so I would always have some form of work, and comp would cover the difference in lost pay. But I could care less about the money honestly, i would rather go back and work my job and have my full strength then anything. I was a skinny dude, a serious ectomorph so for me if I'm stagnant like this I just lose weight, no fat gaining or anything. I'm 5 weeks in roughly and I have maintained about 225 still so I feel ok there. I really can't wait to get back, shitty thing is I was going to be starting a huge cycle that I have some of the best gear on this site for. I'll just have to suck it up and wait, shitty but what can ya do
It's tough bro. I fucksd up both shoulders last winter so I went in there and hit calves and legs 3 times a week. An just thought about lifting, planned diets cycles watched youtube vids of lifting. It sucked. Is there amyrhinf you can go do? You don't need heavy weight to build muscle you could use lighter weights but higher rep ranges 15-25 etc and hit some bodyparte if that's possivle. I know how it is man I was going crazy
See its a workers comp injury so I can't even step foot in a gym. They monitor that stuff at my job and more than a few guys have been caught so I couldn't even risk it, but truthfully I have a hard time picking my daughter up and she's all of 25 pounds. I have an excersize routine that the dr has me doing mostly body weight core stuff so I do get some activity, but not enough to see gains, just probably enough to maintain.
Funny you said that, I actually got a notebook and planned out my diet, and outlined a new lifting routine. I am assuming that when I am cleared to lift again, it'll be at a lighter weight, so I avlctually outlined a new training split...and YouTube videos are all I have been watching lol we r on the same page there bro
haha, i was watching youtube lifting vids too.