Will I Ever Be Able to Bench Press Hard After I Heal From LapBand?

frost1 · February 3, 2008

Fanny Adams · February 3, 2008

From what I've heard, you'll need to take things easy for a couple of weeks to a month after the surgery but after that you're fine. You might want to look for some similar threads in The Mens Room or the Exercise forums. The people in there would know better than I, coz weight lifting is not really my thing!

mss · February 3, 2008

I was told to stay away from my weights routine for 6 weeks but was able to start doing cardio earlier. The lap band hasn't impacted on the weights I do - although I tend to generally be the person at the gym who uses the lowest weights :rolleyes:

Manatee · February 3, 2008

Yep, just give yourself plenty of time to heal. 6 weeks minimum. You'll probably want to get clearance from your band doc or PCP before you start lifting again.

kbinaz · February 3, 2008

Yes. After two months you can do everything you did after surgery. I work out with a personal trainer twice a week and he kicks my butt. I was really scared about crunches and situps and they have been no problem whatsoever. We started lighter with the weights than I had been before surgery but just because I hadn't worked out for two months. My doctor told me of a teenaged patient who had surgery and one year later won the state wrestling title. So bench pressing should be no problem!!

make33 · February 3, 2008

I'm almost four months post-op and I am finally getting back to using the weight amounts I used prior to surgery, especially the Bench Press.

At eight weeks, I went back but had a lot of pain I attributed to a hernia, which turned out just to be my port--and it was caused by, of all things, the Leg Press!! We must use abdominals more then we realize for the leg press--and I am nowhere near to the weight amount on the leg press as I was prior to October.

It's okay--I just take it slow and don't force myself onto the next level until I'm sure I can do it without pain (and before, it would freak me out if I couldn't do a certain limit). Just take a "mental valium"--we DO have the rest of our lives to build back up--it's not a contest, except to ourselves...

ragdollx19 · February 4, 2008

As others said you will be able to do as much as before surgery you will just have to go slow and listen to your body for the first few months. Long term you will be able to use more weights because you will be in better shape and hauling less fat :eek:

Foofy · February 4, 2008

Frost,

I just started going back to the gym again after 5 months off (three since surgery). I haven't had any problems. Of course, I probably lift less (being a woman in my 40s). Still, I bench 100 and leg press 275.

I did hurt myself a little on the bicep curls. I didn't have my reading glasses on and used the 25 pound dumbbell insted of the 15 pounder. I thougt it was hard because I'd been gone so long. My mistake - ouch, ouch, ouch. But, no pain related to WLS.

You will be tossing Iron around in a few months....

make33 · February 4, 2008

OMG, Foofy--I laughed so hard tears were rolling!! :lol:

My YMCA is ancient and the dumbells I use actually have the poundage worn down so low, you can barely read them! When I went back, I grabbed what I thought was my former weight for concentration curls (way too much weight) and just did as many as I could--

Would I return them to the rack, in a display of embarrassment?? No-o-o-o, Ms Macho had to continue on, like I PLANNED it that way!!

Biceps hurt for four days!!!!!!! We live and we learn....! :biggrin:

Foofy · February 5, 2008

Haha Make33. I HOPE I learn, but one never knows. I just thought I was super out of shape, and I did three sets. I couldn't lift my arms over my head for four days. I guess reading glasses are now a necessity for me.