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I am in the final leg of recovery from some broken bones that have curtailed all activity for me following an accident. Ho hum. But the prognosis is pretty decent.
I've seen some great advice and recommendations on general training threads here, so I'm hoping for a slightly more specific steer, please.
Given my age (older, rather than younger), I know that I need to double down on mobility and usable strength - but I can't launch straight into heavy lifts because of my injuries. I see bands and things in my future to strengthen small muscles long since neglected.
My problem is I have no idea where to start, or how to string it all together. As a middle-aged, desk working, 12kg overweight, injured cyclist, where would you recommend I start on my mobility and strength journey, please?
I want another 25 years at least of hard running and riding, and I reckon how I spend the next 12 months building myself back up will give me the best chance of making good on that ambition.
YouTube? Local PT? Books? Off the shelf plan?
What can you do ? I'd recommend getting some walking in as a start. It's not too taxing, but will build muscle. I broke my spine 6 years ago, and I was to start by walking down the street - had to do it by lamp posts as I had to be able to make it back, and not get stuck in agony. Progressed onto the bike after 4 months, and took it from there. Took years to be fully back. I'm now road riding again, using the same road bikes that were set up for my in my 20's - so aggressive race position - I get no back issues - possibly helped by half of my L1 missing allowing me to bend more 🙂
Me and the wifey do a lot of overhead work, hold a weight overhead and squat, lunge, twist, builds good core strength, we also work on thoracic mobility and rotator cuff.
Don't get carried away, we just do a bit every day.
We also have a local hill that we walk up as fast as we can, it's horrible but great for building lung capacity.
at 12kg overweight with injuries I'd start with diet & brisk walks first to lose half a stone. That'll help reduce impact and risk of further injuries early on. Then I'd suggest yoga and PT plus running and/or swimming whatever takes your fancy to supplement the first two.
Find classes, talk to the instructors about your injuries and find out how to work around them and avoid making them worse. There's lots of different yoga styles, I find the dynamic moving ones are great for mobility and strength. There's also quite a lot of outdoor in the park PT classes these days, or indoor circuit training if that's more your thing. Once you get the hang of how it all pieces together you can make your own routines up and do your own thing. That's what I do anyway.
Had an aclr 4 years ago, and currently waiting for an op to plate a fracture on same knee, so have done some rehab, and will have to do some more.
As others have said, start slow and take your time.
The most important thing for me was having a great physio who was able to give me the injury specific program that allowed me to regain mobility in the injured limb, and that gradually allowed me to start doing more total body activity.
It did include resistance bands and low weights, and walking. Once I was able to get back on the bike that was key to regaining both functional and general fitness.
If accessing a physio is not easy there are lots of physio resources out there for specific injuries, and youtube is great to see how you should do them. But make sure you do QC on the video maker so they are legit physios.
For rebuilding some general tone and flexibility that will stand your body in good stead as you rehab, you could also do some pilates or yoga. I prefer pilates as it is a little bit more focused on the functional aspects. Great for ironing out any imbalances in movement and tight ligaments and muscles
Good luck on your rehab journey! The first 12 months will be key, but you may need to continue with the "rehab" on an ongoing basis.
I would see a Physio / Sports therapist who will examine you and design a program specific to your rehab needs....
If you're happy to, drop me a DM and I'll pass you a Google drive link to a rehab document you might find some use from. It was created by a former collegaue of mine, a military physio rehabilitation instructor for his masters.
Got a whole host of strength, conditioning and mobility exercises for the core that might help.