What to do when your body betrays you?

[Eager Muscle]

[COLOR="Yellow"]11/9/10 AND 9/4/12 UPDATES: SCROLL DOWN TO SEE MY MORE RECENTLY UPLOADED PROGRESS AND BEFORE/AFTER PHOTOS.[/COLOR]

I've given advice in the past...now Eager Muscle needs help!

Lots of us have been sidelined from working out due to work, injury or illness. I figure some group sharing might be healing, inspirational and motivational for many on this forum in similar situations. I could certainly use the inspiration and motivation!

Consider this a shout out to all my hunky Evolution Forum brethren who've had to deal with dialing it back or pushing forward even harder to overcome adversity which curtails their workouts. Share your stories! Here's mine:

When I was just 7 months into natural bodybuilding and making great progress and feeling good about myself (see my pics on www.bigmuscle.com, user #31703, user name "Eager Muscle) I was "smote" with a rare and incurable form of lymphoma. After my initial treatment recovery I would relapse shortly after regaining momentum at the gym. After several increasingly invasive treatments I've been in remission for 3 years and returned to the gym in January '09.

The good news is that I've since stayed cancer free and to all outward appearances look very youthful and healthy. The bad news is that not only am I older and having trouble doing what I used to, but there's some residual damage from the cancer treatments which have made me more prone to injury. Basically, in January I made great strides but after approximately seven weeks of lifting I tore muscles in my bicep and shoulder and sustained a foot fracture, so all lifting, swimming and cardio have been halted to this point.

The good news? I plan on returning to the gym soon. The bad news? Now I'm in a funk. My podiatrist has advised me that given a fracture of the cuboid bone I need to quit the treadmill and even less load bearing cardio machines like ellipticals if I want full function of my foot when I'm older. My orthopedist says unless I undergo somewhat needless elective surgery I need to avoid heavy overhead lifts.

So outside of getting second doctor's opinions I'm at a crossroads. Where to go from here? Looking forward to your collective feedback.

[nj.]

You already said you did some swimming. For cardio that's fairly easy on your foot, you could maybe spend more time on that, instead of running. Swimming is really effective, after all (also for muscle building!)

[Lifter51]

Hi Eager.
First I need to say i love the quote - Faces fall, but a bicep's forever! Secretly something that I'm working on.

Happy to hear that you are doing well and recovered - from the major problems.

I've had a few set backs also - nothing quite so life theatening. What's life without a blast of radiation? I won't bore you with my medical history. It's been a few years now and I'm back in the gym 40# heavier. It's not all muscle but I'm working on it. When I returned to the gym the doctors told me to stick with cardio a few days per week. I've always wanted to be bigger so I started very slow growth with lots of set backs.

I think the key is listening to your body and a positive attitude. I was always happy to curl or bench an additional 2.5# plate.

Worrying about treadmill over elliptical is pointless. Any cardio will do.
Besides you want to be a bodybuilder not a distance runner.

Grow Large - David

[Mdlftr]

Hello Eager,

I agree with all the sentiments expressed here.

1. Appreciate what you have NOW (Don't focus on woulda coulda shoulda)
2. Decide what you WANT
3. Spend some time thinking about HOW you can get there.

My own personal bit of medical history to back this up:

About 10 years ago I had surgery for a ruptured disc.

After the operation, the surgeon said to me, "You're all fine now. [Thanks to me, "God's gift to medicine" You don't need post-operative physical therapy. [They ALL say that] If you insist on exercising, NEVER do squats again, never lift anything past your shoulders and try to avoid strenuous activity."

O.k.

**AHem!**

With my usual aplomb, I ignored just about everything he said. I INSISTED on PT. Turned out to be a great experience, since it introduced me to the concept of "core strength" and "training legs".

I have, in years since, continued lifting through various set backs (job changes, bad colds, family crises, etc. ) and hired trainers. Some trainers were o.k. (if you were planning to be a calesthenics instructor) and a few were GREAT. The ones I use now, at a bbing gym in the big city, are terrific. They "specialize" in working with clients with multiple aches and pains (aka "mature lifters") and they also specialize in "muscular hypertrophy"! (Getting big muscles!) It's great!

Even though it took me the better part of a year to get past the rehabilitative aspects of the training- to "work around" my lower back, my stiff knee, my tight hamstrings, my unbalanced shoulders, etc., etc. I can honestly say, [until the latest set back] that I'd never felt better!

I can promise you that I will be back in the gym soon, hopefully my mid-June.

I'll be thinking about you, and all the other "creaking but still moving" guys out there!

You go, guy! Good luck!

Mdlftr

[Eager Muscle]

Thanks for the replies, they're just what I need to lift me out of my malaise. Particularly MDlifter's reponse, it's right on point.

I'll get back there, slowly but surely!

[Mdlftr]

Eager,

What goes around, comes around. I figure that by sharing our stories, we can help each other over the rough spots!

Good luck and good lifting!

Mdlftr

[Eager Muscle]

Figured I'd give you guys a quick update; I'm progressing well, getting bigger, thicker, stronger and more muscular. Movie star handsome to boot but even though I'm finally looking the part I still can't get any mutual muscle action going (que sera sera). Also still can't figure out how to post photos here. However, you can see updated photos as of 11/03/10 at www.bigmuscle.com, user #31703, user name "Eager Muscle."

[Mdlftr]

Eager,
I checked out your pics in BigMuscle - great progress! Your arms, in particular, are noticeably bigger. Also, your thighs, calves and butt are definitely a source of size and growth for you. Your chest is deeper and you look broader. Excellent work!

As an internet-friend (feel free to take this as intended without malice or sniping) might I suggest that you also try some exercises to target your outer deltoid head and lats? For outer delts, try dumbbell side raises. For lats, try a straight-armed pulldown using the lat bar for sets of 15 reps with a lighter weight that allows you to keep good form while really toasting the muscle- it really hits the lats! I'm using those exercises myself, and my trainer notes that I'm getting wider (because my lats are growing (!)) and thicker and bigger in the chest and butt (among other places!) due to pec flyes, incline bb presses on the Smith machine, and weighted lunges!

Keep up the good work! Remember, all of us "walking wounded" are right there with you in the gym (in spirit around the country if not in the same location).

Best,

Mdlftr

[niko777]

Hi! This thread is very inspirationnal. During last summer, I went to the gym 4-5 times a week, I lifted heavy weights and was proud of my strength and my appearance. I was close to getting 17" biceps (one of my objectives) and I kept getting bigger and bigger, at my heaviest I was 195 lbs at 5'11. Then, the bitch came. And that bitch is named MONONUCLEOSIS.

It may not sound too bad at first, but mononucleosis destroyed me. It's been around 4 months since I completely stopped training, so I pretty much lost everything I had gained during summer. I got so sick I lost about 20 pounds, pretty much all of muscle! My arms were 16,7" and are now back at about 15". There were days where I couldn't eat cuz I would throw up everything, and other days where I couldn't get up from my bed. Even taking the subway was too much and I had to miss some classes (yeah, believe it or not, I continued going to school anyways and got decent grades, lol.). Oh, and those four months I didn't go to the gym couldn't be refunded (I had an annual membership...), so I lost about 175 bucks on top of that.

And as if it was not enough, I started losing hair (consequence of the mono, said my doctor) and getting painful pimples (the mono again). Nothing dramatic, since it's supposed to grow back eventually, but I feel like a monster right now, lol. I'm lighter but I got a little fat, I lost muscle, I lost some thickness on my hair and I have pimples. I HATE IT!

But you see, this thread is inspirationnal cuz you got through worse things than me and you are back on your feet. I wish you all the best, man. And for my mental sanity, I keep my faith in muscle memory, lol!

Take care,

Niko777

[curleemat]

I don't know if adoration is motivational, but I looked at your pics from 11/3/10 and I was impressed. Whatever you are doing seems to be working. I am sorry to hear about your health issues, but am very glad things are working out for the moment. *knock on computer screen glass instead of wood*.
Best of luck to you in future endeavors!

Curtis

[MAZIVKAROLY]

Recently turned 65; a true milestone in western culture. However, nearly five years ago, I was diagnosed with chronic diffuse ulcerative colitis. This is a condition brought on by stress (in short, brought on by my wife of 24 yrs.' death, followed in less than 6 mos., the sudden death of my lifelong closest friend of 40 + yrs; this, added to a full load of post graduate courses, instructing five 1/2 days weekly college freshmen and substitute teaching when possible, with a commute of 1 hr. each direction for the graduate work).
I resolved to fight this and thanks to a friend from my home town, found a completely natural solution (namely, aloe vera juice) that corrected this condition within 3 weeks.
I continue to work out 2-3 times weekly, with a combination of machine and free weights along with aerobics (wide variety of) both before and after weight training. I am grateful for making this decision and continuing to pursue regular fitness activities at an age of what qualifies me as a legal "senior citizen." I feel more alive and alert now and much wiser than I ever was as a teenager or twenty or thirty something. Keep on keepin' on my friend. You are doing what does come naturally. Keep those muscle memories alive and well.

[Eager Muscle]

Men, thanks so much for your personal stories and advice, I feel so much stronger from just having heard from you that I feel I should respond to you each in turn.

NJ, belated thanks for the advice, my cardio-of-choice remains swimming even though my foot has long healed and has given me no problems whatsoever (knock on wood).

Lifter51 (David), I'm overdue in thanking you for your witty helpful post. Hope you've managed to stick with your workouts and hit new personal bests.

Mdlftr, thanks for the personal interest and concise advice. All feedback, even negative, is greatly appreciated since it's tough maintaining an objective body image in a hardcore gym chockful of competitive bodybuilders (www.bevfrancis.com) despite what the mirror, photos and the way my clothes now fit reveal. These past several months (excepting my traps given a neck injury) I've been focusing on developing what I perceive to be my weak spots, i.e. legs (nascent teardrop in my quads, hammie bicep, glutes (substituting the buttblaster as well as leg presses and free weight squats for lunges) and outer calves), lats (formerly non-existent, now meatier with a decided v-taper thanks to lots of pulldowns and chins), rhomboids (courtesy cable, machine and dumbell rows at various angles), low back (using machine and hyperextensions in lieu of deadlifts for now), abs, obliques and apollo's belt (hopefully to be revealed during a cut), delts (training front, side and rear in that order but should probably start out when I'm strongest with lateral side raises), biceps PEAK (barbell preacher curls squeezing the bis while limiting my upper range of motion) and forearms (never worked directly until last month and they're exploding!). Given continued concerns about balancing and stability, excepting squats, rows and curls I've avoided free weights (with the intent of incorporating more to INCREASE my stability), I've lacked the stamina to lift and do cardio the same day (I just lap swim twice weekly) and the discipline to dial in my diet (I sucuumb to late night carb cravings) so I've been engaging in what I consider to be a "clean bulk" - my weight has stabilized in the 187-192lb range for the past six months while whittling another 2 inches off my waist and veins have begun snaking down my biceps, forearms and calves. While I've managed to do well despite my circumstances I know there's lots more to learn and I'm completely open to mentoring.

niko777, no doubt about it, you're a BEAST. There's no doubt you'll bounce back bigger and better than ever in record time. Hey, if my hair and complexion can come back so can yours. You're getting me stoked just thinking about it.

curleematt, adoration IS motivating, a man can never get too much validation. Thanks so much for your good wishes!

MAZIVKAROLY, so sorry to hear about your recent tragedies. I know a few people with ulcerative colitis and I'll pass on the aloe vera juice tip. Any man that can perform cardio before AND after lifting gets my respect.

Everyone, keep those motivating and inspiring stories coming!

[Slevin]

It's a tough decision to make. You certainly don't want to live out your golden years using a cane or worse a wheelchair. I have a medical background and I suggest you get a second opinion from a physician who specializes in sports and athletic medicine.

Yes, not subjecting your ankle and upper body to strenuous weights will ensure you will be ambling along in your golden years. But but that same logic not walking across the street will ensure you don't get hit by cars!

You have to decide what is the appropriate amount of risk to be taking. You may want to focus on things you can do to prevent orthopedic injury including support for your ankles and upper body. I don't see any reason you need to stop going to the gym. Exercise promotes recovery as much as it requires recovery. With the proper amount of rest and diet you can be going to the gym at 85.

[Eager Muscle]

Thanks Slevin! Not sure if you read all the posts but I'm out of my funk, completely healed and progressing very cautiously to ensure I stay that way! Now that I finally figured out how to post links to my pics here are some, dating to about the time of my initial post to a couple days ago. Total weight loss to date these past 12 months - 70lbs, with 10 more to go.

[COLOR="Yellow"]3/22/10:[/COLOR]
http://i55.tinypic.com/rk8q50.jpg
http://i55.tinypic.com/2462zo8.jpg

[COLOR="Yellow"]4/12/10:[/COLOR]
http://i34.tinypic.com/w9cffp.jpg

[COLOR="Yellow"]11/3/10:[/COLOR]
http://i54.tinypic.com/nbowvs.jpg
http://i56.tinypic.com/2hfruon.jpg
http://i55.tinypic.com/35b5evm.jpg
http://i52.tinypic.com/2h7q7pz.jpg
http://i52.tinypic.com/2jdlx93.jpg
http://i52.tinypic.com/15e9ru8.jpg
http://i54.tinypic.com/309h2j5.jpg
http://i51.tinypic.com/4se2rs.jpg

[COLOR="Yellow"]BEFORE & AFTERS - 2 YEARS OF PROGRESS:[/COLOR]
Crab: http://i51.tinypic.com/9s9cw9.jpg
Front double bis: http://i52.tinypic.com/1zdaiqs.jpg
Rear double bis: http://i53.tinypic.com/20aq5qf.jpg
Rear lat spread: http://i52.tinypic.com/2yo2zgk.jpg
Quad: http://i56.tinypic.com/nbwtjr.jpg
Side chest: http://i54.tinypic.com/2wnwhf5.jpg

[Zap]

I am amazed by your looks and size. It's hard to beleive you had any type of body-wrecking illness, especially lymphoma. Looks like we've got another Lance Armstrong here - just a buffer one.

Though the title confused me. You can't exactly say your body betrayed you, if it did, you'd probably still be laying in a bed somewhere wasting away. It looks like you owe your body and its muscles an apology.

[Eager Muscle]

Originally Posted by Zap

I am amazed by your looks and size. It's hard to beleive you had any type of body-wrecking illness, especially lymphoma. Looks like we've got another Lance Armstrong here - just a buffer one.

Though the title confused me. You can't exactly say your body betrayed you, if it did, you'd probably still be laying in a bed somewhere wasting away. It looks like you owe your body and its muscles an apology.

Thanks Zap! Yes, I was a bit of a mythbuster - sometimes still even mistaken for being 20 years younger, even fat with chemo weight! - looking the way I did with an incurable lymphoma, but looking healthy wasn't always an advantage - in fact, more than once minding my own business curbing my dogs in Manhattan I'd be knocked to the ground by joggers wearing Lance Armstrong Livestrong bracelets! But yes, the bod betrayed me - years of post chemo fatigue, propensity towards brittle bones and various injuries, and more-stubborn-than-ever bodyfat. But I'll apologize to it anyway - for ignoring its screams of protest and taking it back to levels it didn't want to go to! Now keep your fingers crossed for me so that I avoid doing anything stupid to injure myself while trying to take it up a couple more levels these next six months!

[bbgonnabe]

Originally Posted by Eager Muscle

Thanks Slevin! Not sure if you read all the posts but I'm out of my funk, completely healed and progressing very cautiously to ensure I stay that way! Now that I finally figured out how to post links to my pics here are some, dating to about the time of my initial post to a couple days ago. Total weight loss to date these past 12 months - 70lbs, with 10 more to go.

[COLOR="Yellow"]3/22/10:[/COLOR]
http://i55.tinypic.com/rk8q50.jpg
http://i55.tinypic.com/2462zo8.jpg

[COLOR="Yellow"]4/12/10:[/COLOR]
http://i34.tinypic.com/w9cffp.jpg

[COLOR="Yellow"]11/3/10:[/COLOR]
http://i54.tinypic.com/nbowvs.jpg
http://i56.tinypic.com/2hfruon.jpg
http://i55.tinypic.com/35b5evm.jpg
http://i52.tinypic.com/2h7q7pz.jpg
http://i52.tinypic.com/2jdlx93.jpg
http://i52.tinypic.com/15e9ru8.jpg
http://i54.tinypic.com/309h2j5.jpg
http://i51.tinypic.com/4se2rs.jpg

[COLOR="Yellow"]BEFORE & AFTERS - 2 YEARS OF PROGRESS:[/COLOR]
Crab: http://i51.tinypic.com/9s9cw9.jpg
Front double bis: http://i52.tinypic.com/1zdaiqs.jpg
Rear double bis: http://i53.tinypic.com/20aq5qf.jpg
Rear lat spread: http://i52.tinypic.com/2yo2zgk.jpg
Quad: http://i56.tinypic.com/nbwtjr.jpg
Side chest: http://i54.tinypic.com/2wnwhf5.jpg

Wow!!! In the after photos, I am most impressed by your lat spread!!! Great pecs and guns as evidenced in your side chest pose.

Craig

[Eager Muscle]

My body's FINALLY cooperating - making steady progress. Click the links to see two updates from March 2012:

Wheels: http://i43.tinypic.com/akhmph.jpg
Side chest (relaxed): http://i43.tinypic.com/6zlk08.jpg

[Eager Muscle]

Not sure which you'd be more disinclined to believe - me doing splits or wearing socks with sandals.
Click the link below for a September 2012 update:

http://i49.tinypic.com/2dcix5i.jpg

[EQQUS]

thanks, I'll keep working myself too!

[nnnrg]

Wow. Thanks for the inspiration! (Is the lymphoma still staying quiescent? Have they come up with a cure by now?)

[Eager Muscle]

No cure; I'm just happy that for now I take only one step back for every two steps forward!

[Mac]

Hey Eager Muscle,

I just wanted to say that I am deeply inspired by your story. Thanks for all the progress pics. I hope you will continue to share your story and progress in pics on here.

Sincerely,

Mac