Two weeks out and have ???
Hello,
I'm new to this board and have some questions.
1. How long after surgery did you start weight training?
2. Do you do any ab work? (I'm still a little sore when I get up)
3. If you were lifting before surgery, what % of your max did you start at after surgery?
4. How long are your workouts with just weights. (I do cardio every morning right now, but want to start weight training again soon.
Thanks for any and all help.
Jesus 
Hi Jesus! 
Welcome! We have a great board here! I am Valerie, Earl's wife. I knew he would jump on and give you some great advice. He has been lifting for over 30 years now and is my biggest inspiration right now too!
I had my surgery 7/10/2003. I had only been powerlifting about 2 years before that so I am still in my infancy with it. It has been really hard for me to be as consistent as I want to be, mainly because I have two teenage daughters (one that keeps me running constantly with cheerleading) and I am trying to help my 18 year old mentally ill son learn to cope with life. So, I don't have the luxury of getting 2 workouts in a day or 4 total a week. That's the ultimate goal right now.
I mainly walked after surgery. My recovery was a lot slower than yours, to be honest the first 2 weeks were pure hell, 2-4 were better then it was constant up hill improvement. I started walking mostly, then just doing light weights, high reps.
I gave it a good 6 weeks before starting anything intensive because you are still healing wounds internally and over doing it too much too early can cause you to develop scar tissue on the inside of your abdomen. (Adhesions). Plus, depending on your surgical wound type, you have a higher risk of hernia with an open scar as well.
Earl got *****ed at a lot from me because I thought he was doing too much too soon, but he knows his body better than most, and has done really well. Pain is an indicator. Listen to it! I wouldn't worry about the % so much as I would just getting the exercise in. Right now, there isn't much data on muscle building after gastric bypass so Earl and I are kind of exploring new territory. I have found that my muscles are coming back, and the nice thing, is without the fat I can actually see some definition now. That is way cool!
So, keep on doing what you are doing, the fact that you are moving your body to burn calories is the best thing you can do. And be sure to get plenty of protein in. The muscle needs it to rebuild.
Take care, hope you keep posting. We have a great forum here. I love these guys like they were family. I just wished we lived closer so we could hang out!
Take Care,
Valerie Curry, RN
Lap RNY 07/10/2003
268/172/145
Welcome! We have a great board here! I am Valerie, Earl's wife. I knew he would jump on and give you some great advice. He has been lifting for over 30 years now and is my biggest inspiration right now too!
I had my surgery 7/10/2003. I had only been powerlifting about 2 years before that so I am still in my infancy with it. It has been really hard for me to be as consistent as I want to be, mainly because I have two teenage daughters (one that keeps me running constantly with cheerleading) and I am trying to help my 18 year old mentally ill son learn to cope with life. So, I don't have the luxury of getting 2 workouts in a day or 4 total a week. That's the ultimate goal right now.
I mainly walked after surgery. My recovery was a lot slower than yours, to be honest the first 2 weeks were pure hell, 2-4 were better then it was constant up hill improvement. I started walking mostly, then just doing light weights, high reps.
I gave it a good 6 weeks before starting anything intensive because you are still healing wounds internally and over doing it too much too early can cause you to develop scar tissue on the inside of your abdomen. (Adhesions). Plus, depending on your surgical wound type, you have a higher risk of hernia with an open scar as well.
Earl got *****ed at a lot from me because I thought he was doing too much too soon, but he knows his body better than most, and has done really well. Pain is an indicator. Listen to it! I wouldn't worry about the % so much as I would just getting the exercise in. Right now, there isn't much data on muscle building after gastric bypass so Earl and I are kind of exploring new territory. I have found that my muscles are coming back, and the nice thing, is without the fat I can actually see some definition now. That is way cool!
So, keep on doing what you are doing, the fact that you are moving your body to burn calories is the best thing you can do. And be sure to get plenty of protein in. The muscle needs it to rebuild.
Take care, hope you keep posting. We have a great forum here. I love these guys like they were family. I just wished we lived closer so we could hang out!
Take Care,
Valerie Curry, RN
Lap RNY 07/10/2003
268/172/145
You are welcome! We will keep you informed, promise! 
Sometimes maybe too informed! 
I think the exercising before surgery is a big help. I know Earl's recovery was a lot better than mine. I also believe men typically do better than women. I am still trying to figure this one out. And since they do so well, I think we need to find a way for them to give birth instead of us...
Take care and come back! 
Sometimes maybe too informed!
I think the exercising before surgery is a big help. I know Earl's recovery was a lot better than mine. I also believe men typically do better than women. I am still trying to figure this one out. And since they do so well, I think we need to find a way for them to give birth instead of us...
Take care and come back! Most Active
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