Recovering Like the Economy

My recovery from the broken arm last June from the solo bike accident (broken right at the shoulder joint) has been slow and (sort of) steady.  Like the economy, I see hopeful signs, but it's taking much longer than I expected, and I've had a lot of setbacks.  They told me at physical therapy that it would be at least six months before I would feel like I had the full range of movement, and possibly longer before I could return to the level of upper body physical activity I had been doing last year.  At the five month point, I still have a ways to go before I have that full range, but I have gained a lot, especially in the last month.  As for upper body work, the closest I've been able to come to my previous workouts has been some Russian Swings and Upright Rows with a  kettle bell, though at far less weight than I had been lifting.  This past week, I expanded that with some bench dips and push ups.  While I was able to do as many as 10 reps of each, it was not without far more pain than I had expected...and considerable frustration.  I have really noticed the upper body going soft even as my leg work has been going very well throughout the injury.  Trying these simple movements this week, I truly realized I was more or less back to where I was when I first started Crossfit exactly one year ago this week.

So, how to move forward?  Well, for one thing, I do need to remember that when I started last November, I was in far worse overall shape than I am now.  Fifty pounds heavier, very little muscle tone, and poor cardio fitness.  These past five months I have continued to work my core and lower body religiously, and I have kept up the cardio work with consistent cycling and walking.  So I think getting the upper body back should be a little easier this time than it was starting out.  For another thing, I do need to keep perspective.  With any fitness journey, there will be setbacks, and it is too easy to let them derail you altogether (harkening back to last week's post).  I think keeping this perspective is a key to success over the long haul.

The good news is, the shoulder is no longer bothering me at all while cycling, even during long rides.  A good example was our 28.3 miler around Lake Elsinore with our friends Karrie and Dave Carlson:

We had a great time, and even on the rough roads west and north of the lake, no shoulder pain at all.  A beautiful day, as you can see, and a great  way to get a workout without realizing it!

I also got a lot of errands in by bike this week, taking the mileage total over 43.  The toughest was a trip down to Kahoots feed store for propane.  I strapped the 5-gallon tank into the re-purposed trailer--no problem pulling it 3 miles downhill.  The ride home hauling a full tank uphill?  Well, I'd have preferred another loop around the lake!  Still, it was a nice feeling of accomplishment.

Here are the planned workouts and meals for the week:

Workouts

Tuesday, 11/13

Warm Up (2 rounds):

• 15 min walk
• Samson stretch
• 15 sit ups
• 15 air squats

Workout (3 rounds):

• 20 Russian Swings
• 20 ball slams

Thursday, 11/15

Warm Up (2 rounds):

• 15 min walk
• Samson stretch
• 15 rolling v-sits
• 10 mountain climbers
• 10 fire hyrdrants
• 10 twist lunges

Workout (3 rounds):

• 15 push ups
• 10 split lunges

 Saturday, 11/17

Warm Up (2 rounds):

• 15 min walk
• Samson stretch
• 15 sit ups
• 15 air squats

Workout (2 rounds)

• 15 push ups
• 15 upright rows 
• 15 dips

Meals

Monday, 11/12

 

Pumpkin Curry chicken on cauliflower rice (Didn't have this last night as planned)

Tuesday, 11/13

 

Carne asada and pollo asada lettuce wraps

Wednesday, 11/14

 

Gyro Salad

Thursday, 11/15

 

Yakitori lettuce wraps with grilled asparugus

Friday, 11/6

 

Smoky Bacon Chili

Saturday, 10/27

 

Chili burgers

Sunday, 10/28

 

Dining out on the road...