a bit of frustration at my new body

drewschwartz
on 7/25/07 12:02 am - South Plainfield, NJ
Heres a little background first to explain what I am referring to. In High School and College (3 years) I played center for our various football teams.  I was a center throught all of my flag football leagues also.  The company I work for has an intermural flag team that plays against other teams in the area (Northern NJ).  I have been the center for 4 years sofar.  Before my surgery on 5/16 of this year, I was 346 and a force.  I usually had no problems (ever really) being able to block anyone, and I was always the anchor of the line. Anyhoo, fast forward to now, and the fact that I weighed in yesterday at 262 (Down 84 sofar), we had our first scrimage yesterday.  I was hiking the ball easier than ever, I was able to bend down more and keep my center of gravity straight (Something I was a bit worried about).  But then I came to a realization.  I got rushed by everyone, and I blocked no one.  I was so slow off of the ball, it was criminal.  People that I would normally have knocked down last year I was struggling to keep away.  It was quite disheartening.  By the way, did I mention that I was a co captain of the team also?  We lost in the quarterfinals of the playoffs the past two years, last year we were undefeated thru the regular season too. So I now need to step up my gym regiment, but I know I cant possibly gain muscle while still losing weight, but how can I gain more speed and explosiveness?  Thats my biggest problem I think.
GoingMobile
on 7/25/07 12:15 am - San Dimas, CA
maybe its time to move to tight end or the other side of the ball. A D lineman or middle linebacker. You'll need to get your quickness back.
(deactivated member)
on 7/25/07 12:55 am - MO
Drew, you are not going to be as intimidating a force as before because of your weight.  So change to Running back and in the words of Ms. Jenny, 'Run Forest Run!' BobM.
drewschwartz
on 7/25/07 1:48 am - South Plainfield, NJ
Only problem, is that I am the only person that was able to actually snap the ball corrrectly, the rest of the team are pretty poor linemen.  lol. And the worst (best for life though) part is that I am just getting smaller.  Right now, I am at the weight I was in college, and I am still almost 50 or so away from finishing my weight loss.
wjoegreen
on 7/25/07 3:05 am - Colonial Heights, VA
1.  If the other lineman are pretty poor,  you aren't going to fix that blocking by yourself, I played HS offensive and defensive tackle in the 70s. 2.  You can gain muscle  whhile losing weight.  It will slow your weight loss because you'll be gainin mass during the fat storage loss but both can happen at the same time.  You'll need to increase your protein intake to 200+ gms and probably get on some creatine and or glutimine with aminos. 3.  And of course an appropriate workout regime. 4.  With your background,...you know the work you have to put in to get the gains. Go get'em killer!!! Joe 
Gerald W.
on 7/25/07 4:45 am - Del Rio, TX
Drew, We had our surgeries within a couple of weeks of each other and weighed exactly the same! I'm at 258 at present.I don't play any longer but I do coach HS football in Texas. My surgeon told me to increase my protein when I indicated to him that I planned to start lifting again in the August. If you played in the line before especially in College think of the Quick feet drills, the tire or ladder drills ect. Good Luck
drewschwartz
on 7/25/07 4:07 am - South Plainfield, NJ
Its funny, the soreness makes me feel old at 34.  lol. I barely am getting like 60-70 grams of protein a day, theres no way I could do that yet.  I guess I will see where I get down to before I really start to get back up again. Its all about walking and running then, which would be nice. I cant wait to actually be able to run for more than like 5 minutes.  Its been YEARS, and yesterday I was able to run a bit, with almost no shortness of breath.  Its amazing what 84 lbs removed can do, ehh?
HePaid4That
on 7/25/07 6:41 am
Drew, add some protein shakes back into your diet.  You can get the protein up there.  Champion Nutrition Pure Whey.  Two scoops. 40 grams of protein in 8-10 oz.  Goes down pretty easy.  I find I can build muscle pretty quickly because of the protein...It will slow the weight loss though. I'm now at my high school playing weight - played center, guard or tackle depending on the year.  Going to need to lift and feet drills to stay at center.  I would look for a new position and focus on losing the weight.  Train someone else to play center.  You have 9-12 months to get this weight off before your body slows down.  I know you love playing center but it's not the life/death decision of not getting to where you need to be healthwise. Have fun playing though.  At 42 I'm trying just to get ready for the Thanksgiving game I haven't played in for 20 years. Blessings, Greg
Doug Such
on 7/25/07 4:15 am - Northern, CA
Hey Drew, A little encouragement from a former center: Joe's right--you can gain muscle while losing weight. Also, as you amp up your gym routine, you can pick up speed and explosive power, so if you stay at center, you should be able "pop" guys pretty efficiently. I was worried for a time about the loss of bulk, but have been weight training post-op and have discovered that my old bulk was pretty much just bulk. The new bod is actually stronger--and stamina counts for a lot. Hope this helps.

Doug

If we're treading on thin ice we might as well dance.--Jesse Winchester

John White
on 7/25/07 8:19 am - CA
You could wear an 90 lb fat suit. :-) I know you're frustrated, but I'm a bit puzzled.  If you do regular, targeted weight training while adding low-carb protein shakes to your diet, you'll gain strength. You clearly need to do some technique and quickness training as well, and you might think about getting some coaching for that.  Before you were able to get by on size while possibly being lazy about technique.  Technique and quickness can make up for a lot.
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