Back to the gym

Good Morning folks, how are y'all doing?

Well, its been almost a month since I got out of the hospital. I'm still in a flare but life is getting improving. I'm able to eat real food again, able to go to school, work, move around, and (more or less) things seem to be in some degree of control.

Well, between the serious lack of activity, the 70 mg of prednisone a day, humaira, and the other meds, I lost a lot of weight....and started putting weight back on. I've been walking my neighborhood a bit to move around but I really want to get back to the gym. I want to start doing cardio and working myself back into my old strength training routine. I am a bit nervous though, I am not sure how serious physical activity will react.

So to those who work out regularly or workout during a flare up, what was it like getting back into your routine? Was it a success? Are there any activities I should avoid, or any that I should really stress? (I feel like squats are either going to be the best or worst decision I have ever made). I used to drink a pre-work out and a protein shake before/after my workouts. How has that reacted with your UC?

(I am a 22 year old male).

Thanks all for the advice and discussion;

-Mars

i am gentle with myself during flares because i lose a lot of weight and have no strength anymore. i start with walking and climbing stares. basic functional movements like twisting and squats. i do most of my workouts in a seated position with soup cans or resistance bands. as i get stronger, i challenge my body more. definitely do what you can and progress accordingly.

pilates ALWAYS bothers my gut during flares and is too much emphasis on the core i have noticed. i can't do 2 minutes of pilates without running to the bathroom.

i drink a whey shake daily regardless of flares and physical activity so i've had no problems with those. my preworkout is usually coffee if i need to poop.

I had a month out of the gym earlier this year and right now have been out of the gym for almost two weeks due to flaring but am feeling good enough the last few days that today I am going to go back in and get back to my routine.

First off, are you still on prednisone? I continued to lift throughout all my prednisone trips but one thing you should know is that pred is catabolic and it wears down your ligaments. So if still on prednisone, take it somewhat easier, you are much more easily injured when on it even if you are feeling great. Also, since it is catabolic, you aren't going to see much in the gains department while on it either. It is basically an anti-gain drug imo.

Secondly, when I was out of the gym for a month earlier this year, when I went back I knew I had to obviously lift way lighter than I was before. On squats, for instance, I just did some warm up sets with the bar then worked my way up to 135. Even squatting this light, my legs were sore for about 5 days afterwards, which, in turn, made me not go back in to the gym for a few days. If you want to squat, I'd suggest maybe just doing the bar for a few sets or goblet squats with a kettle bell to get you legs used to the movement again before jumping up in weight. I also waited awhile before I started deadlifting again since it uses similar muscles as the squat and when I resumed that I also started really light(135) and worked my way back up.

Bench press and other upper body lifts didn't leave me too sore but I also dropped the weight with those significantly and even did less sets then I was normally doing. But eventually worked my way back up. Your strength does come back quite quickly especially if you are eating right/enough.

So overall I say, yeah, get back to it. But start slow/light. Also, as far as protein drinks, just drink one from a good company that isn't loaded with a lot of garbage. I use Optimal Nutrition Whey. Pre-workouts, I wouldn't mess with.

I'm still in a flare and go to the gym regularly. I've actually been the heaviest and am lifting the most weight I've ever lifted at this point. However, what seems to still bother me more than others is ab exercises.

As far as protein shakes, I can't tell a positive or negative change drinking or not drinking it.

ushippedyourpants? said...
We all know that each of us experience flares differently. just curious bull101, what are yours like ? When I am flaring, I can barely pick up my own toothbrush, so the thought of picking up a stack of weights is ridiculous for me. Plus, my gym has only a one holer upstairs, and a two holer down. When I'm flaring, urgency doesn't allow much time to get there, let alone wait !

I think flares range so much in severity even within each individual person.

I'm technically still flaring right now but it has vastly subsided from what I was going through last week.

Last week there was no way I could go to the gym, I could barely leave the house or do anything else except rush to my bathroom in pain every 20 minutes or so. Today I went to the gym and was fine. It felt amazing to get back in there actually.

Also, when on prednisone I think you are still technically flaring too, but it is temporarily taking care of the problem where you can go on with your normal day to day life.

There are risks (mentioned) and their are benefits (feeling good about yourself after workouts, and addressing your weight gain that's bothering you). Only you can judge whether you're ready. Generally, most try not to let uc rule their lives and not limit their actions (when realistic). So, I would encourage you to try unless you're pooping 8-10 times or more a day.

I went to the gym while flaring, worried about accidents but, fortunately, didn't have any. If I felt anything unusual in my gut, I went to the bathroom and sat down on the toilet as a precaution. Sometimes it wasn't anything (a false alarm) and other times I did go. You become accustomed or hyper-tuned into your gut and to gurgles, motions, muscle movements, and anything that could be a warning sign when flaring. I flared for a full year, and had to live during it. For me, car rides were the worst. I once had to park in the grass when exiting the highway off ramp after the gym. I ran down to a culvert, just out of sight and pooped lol. UC is one hell of a disease... I had many close calls where a small wooded area saved me lol.

I did some light cardio and weights, no personal records set. It was more about getting out there, sweating a bit, and feeling good that I was able to exercise.