Exercise-Hernia question

Hey guys, I'm nearly a year out and doing great.  I have avoided focusing on exercises targeting my gut somewhat out of concern about losing too fast there and creating a potential hernia as fat turns to muscle around the surgically repaired portions.  (since often the original connection has a lot of fat in it." At this point my weight training has focused on chest, arms, shoulders, and legs and things are coming along very well.  Does anyone know if starting a more signiificant regimen focused on the mid region would increas or decreases a hernia risk?  Or since I am now a year out that things are much less likely? Any experience there? Thanks Greg

 

 

I think a year out your chances of surgery hernia are pretty low, particularly if you start sensible.  That is, start with unweighted crunches and leg lifts, high-rep stuff, at leasat until you become so strong you do like 100 crunches.  No jerking movements, flex and squeeze.  It's the quick heavy lift that causes hernias most of the time.  That is, picking up that UPS box on your porch as you run in out of the cold is probably the bigger risk.  So even if you add weights later, focus on keeping it controled and slow.  If you carefully strengthen all of the muscles in that region, you will reduce your long-term risk of hernia, which are often caused by one (vulnerable) muscle trying to overcompensate for the lack of support from surrounding muscles. I do want to address a myth the words "losing too fast there" suggests you might subscribe to.  Repeated studies suggest that spot-training an area does not lead to faster fat loss in that area.  That is, regardless of the cause, we lose our fat generally over our entire bodies, with some variation based on genetic preprogramming (maybe from 250 to 230 my body takes more from my back, from 230 to 200 more from my belly, etc.).  So adding muscle in the abs will not cause belly fat to go away, except in as much as the extra metabolic cost of supporting the muscle will make you lose a couple pounds of fat spread out over your entire body. The reason spot training sometimes appears to work is that a bigger muscle shows through the fat better, making you assume you must have lost fat.  In reality, building up your abs could actually increase your waist size, if your overall body fat doesn't drop significantly.  Lots of guys never do high-weighted ab exercises for this reason, to achieve tone on a tapered waist rather than "blocky" abs like a lineman.  Since I'm a long way from the lean V-shape territory, I do do weighted abs sometimes, on the theory that if my abs become so big they hurt my appearance, that's a problem I can deal with easily at that time (it's easy to lose muscle...).

Thanks Ardberg, I don't have any illusions of a vshape, just trying to do something to lose the pear shape that still exists.

 

Greg, Hernias happen.  With significant or massive weight loss there is a void left in your abdominal area.  There is little to nothing that can be done to lower the risk of internal hernia. I've seen (internal not sports hernias) on a wide-range of folks:  those who exercise, those who don't, those who exercise but don't lift weights, those who lift weights. At nearly two years out I gave birth to (2) bouncing baby hernias - one big one and one smaller one - both internal hernias.  Surgeons are getting much better now at suturing those areas where internal hernias are more susceptible, thus lowering the risk.  However, just as the gallbladder often falls victim as a "side effect" to massive weight loss, the internal hernia is rather common place too.  Proper form, not overdoing, following proper safety rules in the gym will help you avoid sports hernias, but does not necessarily help you avoid the internal hernia. My advice - set your goals with what you want to accomplish physically.  Focus on total body with a balance of cardio and weight / resistance training.  If you want to build muscle in certain areas:  arm, chest, back, etc -  put a greater focus on that part of your exercise regimen.  Just know regardless of what you do - hernias and gallbladder often need to be addressed for WLS post-ops.  If there's an upside - the surgery to address both is minimally invasive, is typically done on an outpatient basis (surgery in the morning, home in the afternoon), and recovery time is minimal, with very little pain that's easily managed. So, I guess what I'm saying is - don't avoid physical activities because of something that may or may not happen.  You know for a fact if you do not work the abs, you won't develop your abs...so it goes with any other part of the body.  Weight loss cannot be targeted - toning and building of lean muscle can.  Be smart, set your goals and go for it.  If you get an internal hernia, address it quickly and then get back to your routine.  Best wishes! Cards Fan loseSMART!  loseSTRONG!

Thanks CF.  My primary goal is to play in the annual Thanksgiving football game that my friends have been playing in for 25 years.  I'm looking forward to that.  This was more esoteric.  Just trying to tone up what I can in the midsection.  Nothing heavy, just basic crunches and such.  It's the only area I really haven't worked out other than a few leg lifts every once in a while.  That is the primary area of fat left and I was hoping to do some toning or challenging to help with losing that fat. 

Yo studly dude type with the cool shades,.....I'd recommend starting light and working up.  Maybe laying between two parked Hyundais, head under one end and feet under the other, and do some situps or leg lifts.  One end will have the extra weight and the other will help hold that end down.  Move up to intermediates and eventually 4x4s as you advance to the more intense stuff.  I also find pushing parked city busses uphill gets the blood going and gets me some of the attention I so crave.  Sometimes it even comes with a free evenings accommodations and a meal at the expense of the local taxpayers. Or you could just use steriods and HGH.  I hear theres a lot more of it available now that major sports are cracking down on their retiring athletes. Or you could just blow this whole post off as a sad attempt at humor, as it was intended. Just felt you could handle the poke. 

Laughing out loud Joe, thanks.

Hey there guys,  I am new here and just starting process for WLS approval.  It is cool to find this forum, it seems there is so much out there geared toward the ladies. Now on to my question... I was very into weightlifting and more specifically powerlifting.  I saw where someone said that the risk of hernia decreases with time so does that mean that I will eventually be able to start the heavy lifting again?  I didn't do any Olympic style clean and jerk stuff, mainly squats and deadlifts which are  slow and deliberate lifts.  What do you think? Thanks again for the help, I am always open to tips and suggestions as I go through this process.   Feel free to add as friend and check out my profile posts.