2005 Plan - Help?

[RyBearATL]

Hi folks!

I'm hoping someone can make some suggestions. Heres a bit about my situation. I'm recovering from some injuries (lower back mystery soft tissue injury, shoulder partial separation) that have healed as much as they're going to. I'm ready to start some rigorous training again in January & be in shape for the spring.

Because of all these injuries I've become exceptionally inflexible. I walk around and can feel the tension in my body where I've adapted to doing things in a way that avoid placing stress on the right-lower back, where the ST injury is.

I've just started some yoga classes at my gym and already can feel a difference. (This stuff genuinely is great!) I think for health reasons I'm going to build my training around the yoga, rather than around the formal strength training with weights, at least for the next 3-6 monts to see how things go.

So, my goals are this:
1. Improve overall flexibility and strength.
2. Drop about 20# of fat/get bodyfat down to about 10% or less. (1 lb/weekish)
3. Put on about 10-20# of muscle this year.

The plan:
1. Yoga 3x/week, about 1hr sessions.
2. Weight training
3. Cardio (at home - eliptical machine) (Catch up on DS9 DVD's while at it! <G>)
4. Resume a decent eating habit. (No bread, etc - done it before, but gone off during the holidays).
5. Keep a log of activity so I don't lose track, and start taking weight daily again. (Ouch!)

The problem:
I think that the yoga and weight training will interfere with each other unless I do them right. Any suggestions? I normally would do a 2-on 1-off type of weight training, short intense sessions.

Specifically, should I do weights the same day as the yoga, just do yoga after? I figure this would avoid the negative effect of tensing the muscles after I've just spent all that time stretching them. Plus, the yoga classes have a great cooldown at the end & I don't want to mess with that.

Cardio: I have an eliptical machine at home. Is it true that over 30 min in a session doesn't really do anything useful for you?

Input appreciated.

And, here's a pic of me last summer before I managed to get these injuries. I'm feel like I'm far off from this shape now, but hope to be there again in about 3 months if I can get the diet under control!

Thanks,
-R

[glammaman2000]

sorry to hear about your injuries.yoga AFTER training is a very good idea.your muscles are more warmed up then.i've noticed shoulder stretching can decrease shoulder strength(i think muscle tension can actually form a"platform"for the lift)but stretching will help everywhere else&speed muscle healing as you get back into training.i had always heard that cardio didn't START to burn calories under 40mins.i'm also a big fan of glucosamine-csa for joint/tendon problems.the liquid tastes awful;but it's cheaper&works better.&KEEP TELLING YOURSELF!:losing the gut will take some stress off of your lower back!good luck!keep us posted!

[brent]

Ry,
I'm sorry to hear about your injury. I'm not stranger to going backwards this Fall, as you're well aware if you've followed the forum lately. However, my suggestions are as follows:
1. Yoga is great, but I'm thinking you only need to do it a couple times a week. Could you do 2 classes a week, each after a lighter/shorter weights workout. Then maybe once a week you could go and just do a yoga class. That would give you 3 yoga sessions a week, plus leave you enough time & energy for weight training as well.
2. I believe that even 25 minutes of aerobics is aerobics is beneficial. therefore, I think 30 minutes is sufficient, but I wonder if you couldn't eventually extend that to 44 minutes (isn't that the length of a DS9 episode?) You could even start at 20 minutes for your first week.
3. I'm afraid that radical diet changes (i.e. the total elimination of bread) will be hard to maintain long term. Maybe you should allow some carbs in the mornings, especially before a workout, and become more spartan at night when you won't be burning that free energy. If you crave bread, but want to watch your diet, focus in on whole wheat products, they have less carbs, more nutrients, more fiber, and less flavor (sorry about the last item ).
4. Stretch every day. Just because it isn't a yoga day, doesn't mean you can't do some stretching at home.
5. Don't worry about getting back in shape. Worry doesn't help you one bit, action does. Trust that muscle memory, and your great genetics will help you.
Take care, Brent.

[brent]

6. Don't worry about weighing yourself. No matter how I've been eating, or how much I've been exercising, or not, weighing myself is always a joy... What I do is tell myself it's muscle when the weight goes up, and fat loss when it goes down. Who cares about reality anyways?

[ethernet_jock]

What I do is tell myself it's muscle when the weight goes up, and fat loss when it goes down. Who cares about reality anyways?

So true... when it comes to asthetics and impressing others - it's all about perception really, isn't it?

I haven't gained a single pound or 1/4" of muscle thickness (nor have I gained any fat, thank goodness) in the last 3-4 months of on again/off again training but yet somehow the "notice" factor of friends, co-workers, relatives, and even my wife has gone up about 3 or 4 notches in that time. It's almost as if they needed a little extra time to notice and catch-up.

[RyBearATL]

Brent, EJ, GM - thanks for the advice!

I don't plan to be radical on the diet - my motto is "rational, not radical". Eating out, I've become asssertive in a friendly way ("...and I'd like three french fries with that. Yes, spinach and just three fries.") at places I frequent. They can make it happen. <G>

RE: Weight, (EJ) yeah, it's funny. I think I'm mostly off on composition, but IDK. I have one of those scales that tells you your bodyfat too, but I haven't used it long enough to know if I believe it. I'll see this time how that goes.

RE: Supplements. I forgot completely about glucosamine/chondritin! I'll order some along with the protein. (Online is so much damn cheaper!)
-R

[ottomun6]

Ry,
I had a lower back injury (from squatting) that pinched my cyatic nerve several years ago. I managed to continue training by "engineering" my movements, that is, I made a concious effort to think what my disks would be feeling if I put weight on them. I lightened up on the poundages and did things like shrugs or shoulder presses only with my back pressed into a vertical backrest (like the pec dec).
I concentrated on the muscle throughout the movement. As a result, my form improved and I actually got bigger traps and shoulders than when I was "hefting" the weight up.
My cyatic nerve pain subsided after I did several sets of reverse situps. My reasoning was that the pain was due to the nerve being slightly out of place and if I could build up the muscles around it, that it might force it back into place.
I can't claim to be a sports doctor, but I was a bit of a geek way back in my high school physiology class. I hope you have talked to a sports doctor about your training plans, it would be very informative for you if they describe the mechanics of your exercises.
P.S. I guess those trees will be breathing a sigh of relief now that you won't be ripping them out of the ground.

[glammaman2000]

GENTLE hanging work&stretching.after you've lost some weight:inverted work(headstands,etc)

[RyBearATL]

Originally Posted by ottomun6

P.S. I guess those trees will be breathing a sigh of relief now that you won't be ripping them out of the ground.

I'll give the trees about 6 months. After all, right now they're naked, and come another 8 weeks they'll be shivering. <G> I figure I should be in shape to handle them then.

Thanks for the encouragement!
-R