Strength and Tightness

As our house projects have slowed down a bit, I've been able to focus on my strength more.  AND I got a job as a Personal Trainer at the local health club here in Sonora!!! I've also got my home training center coming together nicely....so it's pretty exciting and busy around here all of a sudden!!

Today I'm going to focus on strength training.  For those of us who have had the PDM surgery and final reconstruction the days of finding our 1 rep max on the bench press are over (if you were working on that before, which I was).  Unfortunately, the trauma and damage done to our pectoralis muscles from the surgery is enough to ensure we never get to lift so heavy on the bench press that we find our failure weight.  I'm kind of ok with this for a couple of reasons:

1. I don't really care too much about getting my chest puffed up and super buff
2. Bench press was never my favorite exercise....so it's sort of a blessing in disguise!

However, as women, we should want to maintain and increase our strength so that we can be independent if need be and strong enough to lift things correctly without injury.  Working on chest strength is a part of this.  But, we can do it without performing the bench press exercise!  Here are a few other ways:

• Plank
• Modified push ups
• BOSU push ups
• Tricep dips
• Commandos
• Supine skull crushers (triceps extensions lying on the ground)

These are the exercises I have been focusing on the past few months to try and get back my chest and arm strength.  Here are a few of the exercises shown in the following video:

"Arms" Circuit

Modified pull ups and modified push ups using a BOSU

I have also been working really hard on my flexibility because after I work out my chest I notice that the same day and the day after, especially, my chest feels VERY tight!!!  So, I have been using a PVC pipe to do stretches called "shoulder dislocators."  Funny name I know, but it's because of the ROM you need to perform it!!  I just started being able to do these again in January, so it took me almost 4 months to get back to that flexibility I had pre-surgery!!!

Currently my workouts consist of a good mix of high intensity training (HIT) and strength training.  I am incorporating Kayla Itsines Bikini Body Guide (BBG) into my weekly routine as well!!  That really helped me get back some of my cardio endurance because it is a high intensity workout!  My current schedule is this:

Monday - Legs or BBG

Tuesday - Back and Biceps

Wednesday - BBG

Thursday - Yoga or Chest

Friday - Legs and Shoulders OR BBG

Saturday - Walk or Rest

Sunday - Rest

It's a good schedule for now and I'm hoping to maintain it because I am noticing an increase in muscle definition and an improvement in my overall well being (less tired, deeper breathing, clearer mind).  And for those of you who have had the surgery you know that being under anesthesia for a long time (I was under for 8 hours!!!! eeeek!!) can seriously effect your brain and body chemicals and function!!  It has been 5 months for me and I am feeling more normal now than I did back in December!!!  I think that it will most likely take one full year to feel fully normal psychologically and physically.  The chest tightness is something that I may never get used to or enjoy, but that doesn't mean I won't stop working on my chest strength....it just means that I will work hard at it AND work hard on my chest flexibility as well!!

Remember, for daily motivation follow my instagram: Fitness.Paige 

If you have any questions please feel free to email me at PaigeFitness.connect@gmail.com and I'll get back to you as soon as possible!!!!

WE ARE STRONG!!!  WE CAN DO THIS LADIES!!!!!! :)