I started the NROL in the summer, using the "Eternal Beginner" program, and was making good progress. I hit a few bumps (like lower back pain, from poor form), but overall was pleased with how it was going.
In September, I started experiencing chest pain (kind of a squeezing tightness/burning) with exertion - that would stop almost immediately if I stopped whatever activity I was doing. I actually first noticed it while out walking the dog. Because of it, I started backing off of the workouts. I eventually saw my doctor, in October, who set up an appointment with a cardiologist two days later. In the intervening day, I had a much more intense chest epsiode, that had the pain radiating down both arms.
The next day, the cardiologist put me in the hospital for a heart catheterization (angiogram) about 15 minutes after we met. They found a 95+% blockage of the left anterior descending artery (LAD - aka "the widow-maker") and put in a stent to relieve it (angioplasty). Everything worked well, there was no damage to my heart, and I feel great.
My current prognosis is excellent. Amusingly, I was told that this was due to my youth (52) and fitness (hah!). My cholesterol (at 245 this summer) was down to 156 at the time of the angioplasty - so the food charting I started this summer (using the spreadsheet I got from this forum) helped.
I have been cleared to resume exercising - but not completely. I am not to run/jog or lift strenously until January. For now, I can walk (I'm doing 3-5 miles every other day) and do "light" weight lifting.
My question is about the "light" weight lifting. He wasn't too specific, he just said to keep my discomfort level low while exercising. In January, he said to bump it up to around 7 on a scale of 1-10.
I would like to restart the NROL. I am thinking of going back to the "Break-In" program, really reducing the weights and focusing on form. Has anyone got any experience with this? I'd really welcome any insights you folks might have to share.
Welcome back! I'm glad you're feeling good again and ready to get started. The walking is great--keep that up.
If I were your trainer, I wouldn't have you use NROL at this time. I wouldn't give you barbell squats and deads for now. I'd have you doing something that looked more like a recovery, regeneration, and muscular balance program. I can't recommend a pre-written program like that for you, however, because there aren't any that I know of. What's in them is usually more specific to the individual. But to give you the idea, Neanderthal No More was written as a shoulder correction program, there have been recovery programs written as one-week segments of larger programs (sometimes called deloads), things like that.
Sorry to hear about your setbacks, but it's great that you're back at it and staying committed.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lisa~
If I were your trainer, I wouldn't have you use NROL at this time. I wouldn't give you barbell squats and deads for now. I'd have you doing something that looked more like a recovery, regeneration, and muscular balance program.
I'd recommend following Lisa's advice here. She knows of which she speaks.
I blew out my lower back last year (lifting too heavy with bad form) and was trying to get back into NROL and heavy lifting. Lisa cautioned me on doing that, so I followed her advice to hold off on heavy lifting for awhile and focus on recovery, mobility and balance. It sure wasn't as "impressive" as trying to lift heavy stuff, but now I'm stronger than ever, my posture is vastly improved, and my back is virtually pain-free.
If I were your trainer, I wouldn't have you use NROL at this time. I wouldn't give you barbell squats and deads for now. I'd have you doing something that looked more like a recovery, regeneration, and muscular balance program.
Not really what I wanted to hear, but I kind of figured that would be the best approach. So maybe core conditioning, balance and flexibility work (like Lawyerjoke did) is where I should be for now. It sure wouldn't hurt.
...so I followed her advice to hold off on heavy lifting for awhile and focus on recovery, mobility and balance. It sure wasn't as "impressive" as trying to lift heavy stuff, but now I'm stronger than ever, my posture is vastly improved, and my back is virtually pain-free.
Improving my posture would be a wonderful thing...what did you do?
Improving my posture would be a wonderful thing...what did you do?
Bill
I've had major posture issues all my life -- slumping shoulders. I've been doing foam rolling and tennis ball work in my thoracic region, as well as mobility drills dealing with my thoracic region. It has really helped -- I've got a long way to go, but my "slouch" is so much better than it used to be!!
I had a hernia repaired this past week. I am trying to figure out where to begin, once cleared by the doctor. I had completed all of the TNT workouts and was almost through NROL Hyp. 1, when my whole midsection ordeal began. I have been thinking of going light weights and higher reps, but using either the NROL break in or the TNT break in for a guide. Any thoughts?
Either plan would probably be fine. If it was me, I'd go light on the weights with the full break-in (get specs from the Dr. on what "light" means. Tell him/her what you are planning. Then you can go back after break-in and redo Hyp I (since it will have been a while since you did that). My 2 cents.
__________________ The word aerobics came about when the gym instructors got together and said, "If we're going to charge $10 an hour, we can't call it jumping up and down." --Rita Rudner
Restarting after major setback...
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