I would like assistance developing a 3 day split.

About 6 weeks ago, I started back to lifting weights after a year off because of a herniated disk and other medical ailments.

I was extremely careful, starting with extremely light DB's for everything. The routine I picked called for full body push-ups. Since I don't normally do them, I didn't think it through as to whether I could handle them b/c prior to my stopping weights I never had problems with them. :doh: (It didn't register that I was lifting my body weight :rolleyes:)

So I injured my left shoulder (I am right-handed). Nothing serious fortunately - no torn rotator cuff. But the tendon involved with the rotator cuff became inflamed -- a rotator cuff impingement. I've been in physical therapy for a month, I am just about all healed.

At the rate I am healing I should be fine in about 3 weeks. I am doing at home exercises to build the shoulder and strengthen the co-ordination between my shoulder blade and rotator. As per my PT, I am doing the first of the routines shown here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotator_cuff (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotator_cuff) I am also doing an exercise that involves squeezing my shoulder blades while standing facing the wall with my arms in sort of a wide "Push-up" position and my hands flat against the wall.

But I am going nuts :bang: not being able to lift & workout beyond cardio. (And my body went "middle-age" on me ... :cry:)

Even though I am somewhat sophisticated about weights -- I am not confident enough to trust my judgment to develop a routine that won't aggravate my shoulder. My physical therapist does not have a good enough understanding of lifting weights to help me develop a routine.

I want to develop a 3 day split that won't involve movements that move my arms in a way that push my shoulder beyond were I can right now.

I can't put my left arm completely straight up over my head yet (almost but not quite) and if I extend my arms straight out to my side and bend my forearm to a right angle I can't rotate the forearm all the way up or down completely yet (again almost but not completely yet.

The bicep curl motion causes no problem. Doing the dead-lift or squat movement cause no problem. I can't do the hi-back form because of how much I have to rotate my shoulder to hold the BB but I can do front squats.

That pretty covers the limit in the motion. And that limitation gets less literally each day.

Can anyone suggest a 3 day split routine that I could do for about 4 weeks to slowly build a foundation until I am ready to move beyond that?


Thanks in advance for any assistance. :nod:

Here are some links for shoulder health / routines:

http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance/shoulder_savers_part_i&cr=

http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance/shoulder_savers_part_ii&cr=

http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance/shoulder_savers_part_iii&cr=


Take it easy and slow with shoulder injuires. If you rush it and push yourself you will be back to your Ortho. doc. I injured both of my shoulders from years of lifting and trying to work through pain. It does not work.

Good luck

Thanks so much for these links.

Unfortunately, the first exercise that Cressy recommends as a shoulder saving exercise -- the pushup -- is what actually caused my injury.(Though he is showing just a partial push-up to activate certain muscles and I was doing full push-ups -- but there is no way I could do that exercise at this point in my healing process.)

I am under an exercise program to rebuild and stabilisze my shoulders.

What I was mostly hoping for were recommendations of exercises I could for the rest of my body that would not aggravate my shoulder while its is still recovering.

Here are some links for shoulder health / routines:

http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance/shoulder_savers_part_i&cr=

http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance/shoulder_savers_part_ii&cr=

http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance/shoulder_savers_part_iii&cr=


Take it easy and slow with shoulder injuires. If you rush it and push yourself you will be back to your Ortho. doc. I injured both of my shoulders from years of lifting and trying to work through pain. It does not work.

Good luck

Try two workouts that you alternate over three nonconsecutive days in the week. Since you can do DLs and FSQs, use them as your base:

A.

Deadlift
____ Back
____ Bicep
____ wildcard

B.

Front Squat
____ Chest
____ Tricep
____ wildcard

Beyond that, see exactly which of these exercises you can do without pain and fill in the six blanks from there: bench presses, rows, lat pull-downs, military presses, curls, tricep extensions, cable tricep push-downs, cable pull-throughs, romanian deadlifts, bulgarian split squats, step-ups, etc.