Train With Me

I wish I didn’t have write about this but sometimes out of adversity we can get inspired.

Starting in 2019, I had 2 surgeries in 2 years. The last one was at the end of January 2020. Both involved my shoulder and pec muscles along with other nonsense that I would rather not talk about...oh dear. But I was messed up.

Six weeks post-surgery I was supposed to start physical therapy. That was the same week the lockdown in California started. I couldn’t get any PT. We were all on our own. The realization that the gyms and other places would be closed indefinitely had us confused and a little lost.

Along with other shortages, gym equipment was at a premium. People were scrambling to get workout equipment and weights the weekend before the lockdown. I did manage to snag an incline bench and a pile of miss matched dumbbells. I was not able to get a rack or barbells. I had to make due with only dumbbells and my bench.

My set of "Little Miss Matched" weights.
I could only find 1 - 20lb, 1 - 25lb, paid dearly for the 17.5 lb ones, forget getting 30lb - my excuse not to ever go that heavy.

Many people were able to do yoga, run and other exercises that did not need any special equipment like weight lifting requires. I wasn't running as much as I use to and I eventually had to give it up. So I tried just walking for miles.

Weight lifting has been my passion so I needed to figure out how to keep doing it. So my little home gym was born!

Here is a picture of my little training buddy, Pawblo Cruise.
Sometimes he would get the zoomies right in the middle of the room and cause a lot of chaos!

What Do I Do?

I managed to figure out a workout with just dumbbells.

I could do a pretty good workout with only the dumbbells and I also found some added benefits of this type of workout. It forced me to have good form and balance. I had to think and plan my workouts very carefully. It provided a good distraction for me at times.

I searched the internet for serious at home workouts. I found Erin Stern's workouts to be great!

I had followed Erin Stern (2x Ms. Olympia Champion) for years prior to this stay-at-home situation but during the lockdown I was obsessed with her videos. She managed to answer so many questions I had and was always a source of great detailed information.

I have provided the links to some dumbbell workouts and other home workouts below.

Sample at Home Workouts

• Erin Stern - Full Body Dumbbell Only Workout


• Erin Stern - At Home Total Body Workout


• Erin Stern - Get Most Out of Full Body WO at Home


• Hanna Oberg - WO at Home - Here is an influencer from Sweden, she has some really good ideas so I don't discount her advice.


• Legs with Dumbbells Only - Live Anabolic - These trainers specialize in "older" guys but I find their information and training videos pretty good. I think some of the guys stuff can be adapted to women - just go lighter.


• Muscle and Strength - Beginner Workouts - For those of you looking for something besides dumbbells and with a written plan check these out.

Rehab

I also had to rehab my right shoulder and pec post surgery on my own. I had no idea how to really address the details of this rehab.

Trying to rehab myself was a big challenge. Then a friend mentioned that she had a wonderful chiropractor. I was a little hesitant at first but once I had a consultation with him and started treatment, I immediately got better.

He was a God send to me. He is Dr. Nick Brown, in Anaheim Hills.
His office was able to open by that summer so, I started treatment with him and I still see him on a semi-regular basis.

Here is my favorite Chiropractor’s information -> Thrive Chiropractic

While working with Dr. Nick and gradually getting back to lifting, I was able to make a slow but steady recovery. I thank God everyday that this was possible!

Home Gym Challenges

Working out at home has it's pros and cons.

The Pros are:

• You don't have to get in your car and drive to the gym.
• You can wear messed up clothes with holes in them if you want! (Oh, I never did that!)
• There is an endless supply of water and drinks.
• You can take as long as you want on your bench with no one waiting for you to get off it.

The Cons are:

• You might have limited amount of equipment
• You may not have a dedicated space for your workout. I originally had my stuff in the bedroom.
• There are many distractions at home.
• Motivation is harder at times, at least for me because I feed off the energy in a gym.

The biggest challenge is the space and equipment. Most people don't have access to cables and machines at home. In my case I was limited with dumbbells and an incline bench.

Using only dumbbells causes some issues. Most of the exercises were based in pushing weight away from you. Pulling weight towards you is also necessary for a full well rounded workout.

The one problem I had with my home gym setup was that I was always pushing – I needed to have a pull day workout for my upper body. I couldn't just do endless rows with my dumbbells. I needed to use the cable machines at the gym. Without the cables I was struggling with my range of motion, tightness and shoulder pain.

To address this issue I incorporated more corrective type of exercises. I learned a lot of new stretching routines that I did on the days I didn't lift. This helped tremendously.

I included a link here to one of my favorite stretch and strength trainers -

Cori from Redefining Strength.

I know many people use bands. I use them sparingly for upper body work but not on my lower body. This is just me, I’m a little damaged. ☹

Every Body

Figuring a workout that fits you is important, everyone is different. Every body is different. I believe everyone’s workout should be different. It should be catered to your needs, goals and situation. It should be fun for you!

There are some great training plans out there on the internet but keep in mind that you might want to tailor it to you.

I am not so sure I would follow a 22-year-old YouTube influencer doing just glute workouts. Don’t automatically believe everything that’s out there.

I am also a big believer in hiring a reputable trainer if you can, especially if you are just starting out. I wish I could have a trainer again! Currently I haven’t been able to find someone that might fit my goals and I am worried about costs. But I am still looking!

I am finally back at the gym. I have gone back to having some “pull days” and I feel pretty good! It was a long journey – over a year – but it’s great to be back fulltime.

The biggest PRO about being able to workout at home during this difficult time was – I was able to stay active, stay healthy, and find some small moments joy in my life. .