Trick D

Some background:

Last summer I was at my biggest and strongest ever. I felt better than ever... then the unfortunate happened.... I have had two bad shoulders for years, basically because of heavy weight lifting and sports. Around the 1st of August i damaged both shoulders pretty bad. It was strange and not really sure how I did it. Because of this simple injury, I have been pretty much out of the gym since then... Back in February I started doing some simple bodyweight exercises to strengthen my body while testing my shoulders. I also started incooperated some rotator cuff exercises to strengthen them. They are still giving me problems, but I want to start training a bit harder to get my body in shape (it's pretty good now, just lost about 20 pounds from last years high).

I came up with the idea of doing some resistance exercises, along with bodyweight exercises and some weight training, to get myself back. I ended up buying Gold Gym's Lunge Bar.


This bar is a 24 inch or so bar attached to two rubber like tubes. PRetty self explanatory, but for instance, you stand on teh tube and you do a curl, or you can do shoulder presses, squats, lunges, etc...

Anyway, I am not too optimistic about this product, but having used something like this before in high school, i am hoping to at least make myself stronger, and be able to workout bodyparts that I cannot hit through bodyweight exercises alone. Also due to my schedule, getting to the gym is tough..


Anyway, I am going to start using this, starting today... to see how I like it, as I add it with my bodyweight/slight weighting routine. I will give you a report from time to time, and what exercises I like and do not like with it...


So far the benefit is cost... only 15 bucks at my local walmart. Wish me luck, and safety... don't want anymore injuries for a while.

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Trick D

Well... I decided to do some shoulders and biceps curls....


Both went pretty well.. believe it or not, I liked the frontal raises on shoulders better on this then with freeweights. The only problem with it is that it is made for women, and I still have a lot of strength. I had to widen my stance, and also wrap the tubes around the bar to increase tension... Overall it went pretty well. I did about 8 sets of biceps curls, and about 6 sets of shoulders. Went pretty well, and better than expected. For 15 bucks I am very satisfied thus far. Tomorrow and I going to see what leg exercises I can do with it, and probably do some abs...

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grim

Injuries suck, I have one bad shoulder, couldn't image 2 of them. Best of luck to you, hope you're able to get back into the game w/o any further injury

Trick D

I did some lunges and squats today. Due to the fact that my legs are extremely weak, my legs are hurting now... it is a neat little machine. I had to wrap the rubber around the bar a few times to increase tension, but I feel this will help me get into shape so I can get back into the gym and push some decent weights. Also did my regular triceps exercises and added some overhead presses. Believe it or not, tension was insane once I stretched it that far out... I was decently impressed with the pump....


Again, I have been lifting weights for 7-8 years now, and don't feel there is anything that can compete with actually getting into the gym. Due to my increased stress, and rehabilition on my shoulders, I am doing this just to give myself some resistence training.

So far I like...

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Jayelin

pics?

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George Orwell was double plus right.

Trick D

In your dreams. Let me make up some of those pounds I lost... bf% I am very low... probably 7-9%... Six is fully evident... shoulders seriations are in tact when flexing in a crab pose of such... Back still looks pretty good for not training it hard in 8 or so months... Legs look absolutely terrible, probably where I lost the most weight, plus chest is a little flat... Arms are 50/50....

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Trick D

Well i am still using it 3-4 times a week. Definitely feel myself getting strong and actually see some nice size gains, of course that is expected after a long layoff. Thank god for muscle memory. Looks like I can still put up some decent numbers. I am going to continue to use it until I move back to my parents at the end of the month. Then find myself a gym and get diesel... Did have this blazing hot girl tell me I had a nice body the other day. Lets just say I had to check out her body a bit too.

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GameDayDog

Man, after my trucking accident, I spent maybe a year and a half using nothing but colored therapy bands ... In fact, it started whyle I was styll bed-ridden... My Doctor wanted me to have some upper body strength so I could get around once I was able to use a wheelchair... Yellow was easy... Then Red .. and Blue was the hardest that I used... By looping it thru my hospital bed posts, I was able to do bicep curls and tricep extensions and it paid off royally ...

Once I started driving over the road again... I used a stretch band product ... it's a tube with two handles and a door jam attachment... but instead of closing the door jam strap in a regular door, I close it into the passenger side of my truck's door and get a decent upper body workout with it... I'm talkin' bout incline presses, flat presses, bicep curls, butterflies, shoulder raises, rows, face pulls ... etc..

Man, props to you for taking a chance on some resistance band training.. it's a great way to get a workout when you can't get in the gym... Here's a websyte I found with some more resistance products..

Perform Better

Peace..~G

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I am Thee Alpha.. RaSP is Thee oMEGA.. Between the 2 of us - We have everythyng covered...

I want to be bigger than all the humans!!

"I'm sure I should be doing cardio too....but I don't run from anything...so why practice?" - 1stInDoor

Goal - 200#'s
5/27/07 -
4/27/07 - 175#
3/27/07 - 167#

Trick D

Thanks for the links... I will definitely have to buy one that is a bit more of a challenge... I will definitely check them out!

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GameDayDog

Hmm.. I've been reading about the x-rep system and decyded to try it last nyght whyle working with my stretch bands...

If u're unaware.. the x-rep system is about totally exhausting all muscle fibers... I was doing bicep curls with the bands with a full range of motion whyle making note where in the range of motion I felt my biceps working hardest...

After I couldn't get another rep in... I shortened the range of motion and did x-reps which are basically "partials" performed in the range which works the muscle the hardest... Oh gawd, did it burn.. but I survived.. and with the therapy bands, I had the constant resistance .. sorta lyke what you get from using cables...

I'm going to start adding them (x-reps) .. when I'm using my stretch bands at work and I'm here to recommend that you give 'em a shot as well... It may accelerate your recovery & muscle growth... and that makes it worth a shot, ryght?

Peace..~G

__________________
I am Thee Alpha.. RaSP is Thee oMEGA.. Between the 2 of us - We have everythyng covered...

I want to be bigger than all the humans!!

"I'm sure I should be doing cardio too....but I don't run from anything...so why practice?" - 1stInDoor

Goal - 200#'s
5/27/07 -
4/27/07 - 175#
3/27/07 - 167#