TMPHBITEU
Insight #2: EVERY NOVICE WHO STARTS THIS PROGRAM FROM A SEDENTARY STATE IS SIGNIFICANTLY WEAKENED. Other than your ROM issues, you are a novice like any other novice. But you wish to be treated as a patient. I am not a doctor, although I play one on the internet. Doctors get paid better than I do, but I'll be happy to schedule you for an office visit here in WF. Bring cash.Originally Posted by EDSweakling
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I would suggest doing what my grandfather always called "Dummy up, you moron. . " (said in jest) Don't make it difficult. Do what the program says - every day. If you absolutely can not do 10 and 5 lb increments, then do 5 and 2.5. Don't change stuff though. Do the program exactly and do a little more each time. You are going to be sore, you may have a little injury here in there. Nothing that is going to kill you other than doing nothing...
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Almost everything you've said in this thread has been focused on negativity, your weakness, your failures, and your inability to do things.
Maybe you should reflect on that? This is what Rip is calling you out on, in his smooth and charming manner.
Yes, you have a problem. But allowing it to define your identity and narrow your focus down to your failures is probably not the way to do things.
Who gives a shit what other people in the gym think? I felt awkward at first too, being skinny and weak. But I did it anyway.
Anyone actually paying attention to you struggling against your weakness (rather than fucking themselves with their eyes in the mirror while working their pump) will probably be inclined to help you out, rather than trying to take a dump in your mouth.
Believe it or not, most people go to the gym because they want to improve themselves, and approve of other people doing the same thing.
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I have EDS, stretchy rubber like skin, extraordinary flexibility in my joints, seem to bruise easy.... I've been lifting off and on since a teenager. Had a fusion to correct a spondylolisthesis in my lower back at 19 and was lifting again within a year. Have suffered numerous dislocations and tears, minor breaks due to almost 15 years of MMA related activity. Last september I was squatting over 400 lbs & deadlifting over 440 lbs and I'm not a big guy, maybe 6 feet & would probably weigh 150 lbs had I never touched a weight. I'm 46 years old now. Recovery takes longer....lower back is always stiff now it seems....old injuries become an inconvenience when lifting....but that's life and ya suck it up if you wanna do the things you enjoy.
My dad thinks I've put way to much mileage on my body....as do most doctors I've seen. But here's something to think about, my wife works in a retirement home, just about every patient or client if you will, there is sore, crippled, sick and just dying.....lets face it, it's the last stop. I figure if we're all gonna end up there or in a similar situation anyway, may as well do the things you enjoy. None of us are getting out of this alive.
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Have you read Brian Jones' story (the article on the front page of this very website)? Maybe you should read it for some additional perspective before posting further.
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I read the story and it is quite inspirational, although his circumstance and mine are just a little different. That does not take away from his accomplishment, nor am I trying to say I have it as hard as him, just that the situations are different.
All of you are right I was being quite negative, I didn't mean to come across that way. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't doing anything that would be overly detrimental to my already weakened - more than a sedentary novice, and more than "normal" no matter how much I build up - connective tissues. Rip is right, he is not a doctor, and with EDS each patient is very specific and different in nature and it was dumb of me to expect much more out of him than the simple "give the program a go, you haven't even tried it." There are a lot of parts in the book that talk about muscle tears and other injuries to connective tissues in otherwise healthy people. Norwester, like you, I've never let it really get in the way of things I do, but things like contact sports and especially fighting have been out of the question for a long time for me, I simply bruise far far too easily. I remember falling on my hip on a miniramp in middle/highschool when I skateboarded.. within about 30 mins it was swollen to shit and I had to limp home and I wasnt able to walk for a few days after.. nevermind the bruising which was horrific, all from a simple accident most other dudes just get up and dont even think twice about.. its just my life experience that causes me to question and second guess certain things. I have similar feelings to you about our end place, so may as well do the things we enjoy, and I'd rather not put myself in a wheelchair to avoid one later so to speak.
Anyway, I've determined that bench pressing is not something I am going to be able to do on par with the program - each time I increase the weight I end up with a seriously bad pain in my left shoulder from the back that seems to travel down my tricep. I assume this is due to my form breaking down and the smaller muscles not being able to support my shoulder as well when the weight gets heavier.. all other lifts I am a-okay. So I'm going to keep that light and just focus on perfect form while focusing more on the press - i did some searching and have seen that rip reccomends it for a lot of shoulder rehab and so on.. Im thinking its some form of impingement but I can't be sure, I'm definitely not a doctor. Anyway, both shoudlers have been dislocated before so they're not perfect to say the least. I'm rereading the bench chapter and going from there.. any modifications other than what I have mentioned would be nice to know.
Again I realize I came off as really negative, I just want to do what is safest for myself.. it was primarily the benching issues that led me here, and well, I want to do the program, but I know I cannot do 'the program' if I am not able to increase the bench in the same fashion..
TMPHBITEU
And with your history, you'd be a fool to not be very cautious. If the bench causes problems, leave the damn thing out of the program and just press more, like I do. The point of the discussion earlier was that you were telling us that the program wouldn't work for you when you hadn't even tried it properly. Be careful, but have some balls about you too. You'll be fine.
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Thanks Mark. Like I said I didn't really mean to come across that way but I see how I ended up doing so. I definitely have some balls about me, definitely not trying to pussyfoot anything.
When you say you press more, does that mean you just press 3x a week instead? I can bench with lighter weights pain free and do a lot more reps obviously, but my chest never gets sore or tired like all my other muscles do on other lifts, even my front deltoids dont seem to get sore. I feel like those muscles can push more but its whatever muscles are stabilizing the shoulder that get beaten up when I try to push heavier. Reread the chapter and my form is pretty spot on. The pain was so bad I was unable to actually unrack the bar, and right now external rotation hurts like hell and when I raise my arms up in the air from the sides. But with my eds, often some joints just feel off and Ill get odd pains, this just seems worse than "normal."
TMPHBITEU
Just press 3x/week, taking a light day if you need to.
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