Starting Over

Alright everyone,

I'm hoping I can get some guidance with programming a beginner routine to get me back on track. I have let myself go over the last 2-3 years after accruing a few injuries have not only crushed my physical fortitude but also my mental. I've finally woke up and realized I need to get back work if I want to change things. Currently, my primary focus will be on getting my weight back down to reasonable. Secondary will be doing what I can to increase my strength and mobility while either rehabbing my injuries or putting minimal strain on them. I'm not trying to go fast, just not backwards. 

Before: I was 145lbs 5'5" and had decent strength. I had worked my way up to straddle levers, a decent deadlift weight of 450, handstand pushup, etc. If you need more information, let me know and I'll do my best to answer.

Now: I weigh 228lbs and feel like garbage. My flexibility, mobility, strength, and energy level have all plummeted sharply. Essentially I'm starting completely over. Let me know if any of you need or would like any particular benchmarks.

Existing injuries or issues I have:

• Ulnar nerve subluxation (Right Arm): Essentialy, my nerve pops out of its groove at the elbow and glides over bone anytime I bend my elbow. No of the doctors I went to were quite sure what caused this and the only option I was presented with for rehab was surgery. Which I do not have the money for at this time. So this issue isn't going anywhere any time soon and I'll have to plan around it. I don't need to be superman, just need to be healthier than I am now.
• Ganglion Cyst (Left Wrist): There is a cyst on the radial side of my inner wrist (where the thumb portion of the palm meets the wrist). This injury appeared after I sprained my wrist about a year ago. I have recently discovered massage is helping to reduce the size and feel this injury will take care of itself once I get back to eating healthy.
• Limited range of motion in my calves and ankles.
• Poor muscle fiber quality in my right hamstring. I can "feel" the muscle weakness when I stretch it, like the muscle is shortened from a previous tear.

Alright, the first order of business in my mind is getting my nutrition back on point. Most of my weight gain has come from "comfort eating" fast food. Carb addiction was my vice of choice, sugar mostly. It frankly makes me sick to think about it and obviously my body isn't going to have what it needs to properly heal itself until I detox to get rid of the garbage. I'm no stranger to eating healthy and balancing my nutrition. I just haven't exercised my discipline to do what I know is right. That's changing tonight. Just got back from the store with some of my old time favorites: Sweet potatoes, broccoli, grass fed chicken, water, protein shake mix, and almond milk. 

Regarding my schedule, it's flexible. I can commit to training everyday if I need to. I was thinking of a 4 day split for heavy workloads and the rest of the days could be dedicated to light rehab, cardio, and mobility work.

What I have:

Access to Foundation 1-4

Access to Handstand 1

Access to a doorway pull-up bar

Foam roller

Little spiky pressure ball to roll out knots

A few stretchy strength bands

Ironmind hand grippers: 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5

 

Any input or suggestions are appreciated. Thanks

 

 

It seems to me you want to lose some weight. I would really recommend you the Thrive course. Because with food and working out the consistency part is the most important and Thrive helps out a lot with that. I would suggest you to start slowly, 2 or 3 times per week. Let go of your ego and test everything from the beginning. You can use parallettes or push up handles to avoid the wrist problem. Don't know about the elbow, you will have to try and find out which are the exercises that are causing you problems and avoid them for now. For rehab work you can try some rice bucket circles and ulnar nerve flossing exercises -

 

Wish you best of luck with your training!

Thanks

20 hours ago, Casey Hale said:

That's changing tonight.

Hi Casey, 

I like your resolve. I want to acknowledge your courage for posting where you’re coming from. "Waking up" is probably the hardest step and you already did that! Of course, get your nutrition and training in order, but most important, your MIND. Be crystal clear about what you want and go for it SS (slow & steady). Try not to indulge in feeling “like garbage” because you’re not garbage and you’re certainly not your feelings, unless you believe so. I joke about my big ass, grandma arms, or whatever is temporarily getting in the way, but don't give it power. Never lose sight of the bigger picture, your why(s), and what really matters. I have mild unlar nerve sublaxation too and a few more injuries that are now sprinkled around this blog. 

You’ve done it before and you can do it again. You have everything you need within your reach. Hope to see you around the blog. Here's one of my fav quotes from one of my mentors. Best wishes (I don’t believe in luck).