weight scale

[Bill Glasheen]

Good lord you are tiny, IJ! I'm advancing on 100 pounds over you at a similar height.

I once read that men don't hit their strength peak until age 30. ? I've been going up in weight a LOT since college, and I'm not fat.

If we fed the boy, had him lift weights, and had him get regular sleep hours, we might be able to fill that frame of his. Alas the tall ectomorph intern and engineer is more than a stereotype.

The good news is that said individuals tend not to get the middle-aged spread which is the curse of most of the population. While their peers are suffering from the cruel effects of gravity on a slowing metabolism, these ectomorphs tend finally to fill out their frames. This is of course assuming they eat right and exercise.

I've found the 25th high school reunions to be quite the shocking revelation. Those "untouchable" girls that we lusted over in high school because they matured so quickly? And the studly high school jocks that they chased? It seems Mother Nature has a sense of humor. The nerds indeed get their revenge in the end - particularly those who are smart enough to live wisely.

We humans come in all sizes and shapes.

- Bill

[IJ]

I don't think I'm going to gain a lot of weight unless I'm staring at protein shakes all day, and that's just not my style. Right now, unable to do ~10 pushups with chronic shoulder problems: 168. Back in Boston, doing reps with 150#: 168. Muscling up isn't a goal of mine fitness-wise... back at jiujitsu, many were convinced I was 200# because I was heavy in top positions and seemed strong. I like to pat myself on the back and call that technique. But I'm focused on my arbitrary exercise bike goals, stretching, eating well while still enjoying myself, and rehabbing my shoulder for the moment--no choice. If I were gym-ready, maaaaybe I'd want to gain 15 pounds, but my long term focus is set on health and that means skinny veiny me is preferred to anything but competely lean muscle gain.

[Bill Glasheen]

In addition to managing the stress, Ian, I'd like to recommend some dumbbell work for you. The more you stay away from machines and gadgets and the more you do open chain exercises with many potential degrees of freedom of motion, the more you immunize those shoulders against all those injuries. The dumbbells are particularly good at helping you out here as they require the use of stabilizers muscles which tend not to get exercised in machines and yet tend to be the muscles you hurt when doing an athletic activity.

Oh and did I mention that "muscling up" is eminently preferable to injuring a shoulder and having to rehab it? Indeed injury prevention is probably the number one reason why I still pump iron.

Keep racking up those injuries. Over time you'll do one of two things. Either you'll learn to train outside the dojo/mat or you'll decide one day that you're "too old" to be doing that stuff.

But I wouldn't know about that. I'm only in my fifties...

- Bill

P.S. Start out with slow, controlled dumbbell raises to front, side, and back. Hold horizontal for a 2-count before going down. Once you've gotten the shoulders stronger, then you can get on with the traditional extensor/flexor motions at various angles.

[IJ]

I don't do machines, Bill... I had and used my dumbbells. I'm not a ( )weakling either... this latest shoulder injury is an AC strain. These are ligaments holding my clavicle to my shoulder blade at that divot at the far end of the clavicle, and they were injured by falling hard on my side sending force into the shoulder and tempting my clavicle to slip off the joint and move laterally. There aren't any muscles that pull the shoulder away from the centerline so I doubt that being muscley would have added much besides some padding. I agree that muscles stabilize joints and padding doesn't hurt, but I'm not ready to commit to completely altering my diet and personal time to add to what I was doing... exhausting 90+ minute workouts 3-4 times a week isn't so bad. I WAS doing quite a lot of rotator cuff strengthening barbell and band exercises before this unrelated but ipsilateral setback .

[Bill Glasheen]

Ian

I am intimately familiar with the injury. (a.k.a. shoulder separation) I first learned aikido while training on a concrete floor with a shag carpet over it. Need I say more?

You should be 100% in no time. Good luck.

- Bill

[IJ]

Yikes Bill. I was heartened to hear that Paul Haydu had a 3rd degree tear with his collar bone sticking up in the air that eventually knitted itself back together. Shows me complete recovery is possible, and I certainly didn't get that degree of injury. Previously all I had to go on was a quick pubmed search which showed AC injuries were still bothering many recipients years out, which, I guess, still remains the highest quality info I have, on the other hand, everyone knows we tend to go on experience and recommendations first.

The key thing is getting better BJJ partners!

[Bill Glasheen]

IJ

I researched the injury when I got it. If the separation isn't complete, chances are really good that you'll heal 100%. You may have a scar tissue lump there right at the acromioclavicular joint, but over time it goes away.'

I've seen a lot of those injuries in aikido where the mats weren't so good.

An AC injury is considered one of the more painful injuries you can get. Within 2 minutes after I got mine, I promptly puked. However they usually heal completely. Even if you get a complete separation with damage to the joint, they can do creative things with it. I've seen where they just cut the end of the collar bone off, and let things float. But you don't want to go there. The original equipment works better.

The front, lateral, and back raises with the dumbbells (as mentioned above) is the early rehab exercise I did. Within half a year, I was lifting like I never had the injury.

Bill

[MikeK]

Bill, What about the good old barbell shoulder press, any badness in that movement? I've been back doing it for a few months but now I have a pain in the front of the shoulder, though it is getting better.

[IJ]

I'd claim I was tough but the fact is mine must not be that bad. I knew something had happened right off, wasn't just a pain signal but a warning something was wrong. It was hard to get the uniform off to check for symmetry, but now usual movements are unlimited although the joint isn't sure about pushups yet. Inadvertant whacks from forgetful spousal equivalents were impressively unpleasant. Oh well, beats being my friend who has now twice torn his achilles in half.