Broken Arm, how to stay in shape?

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Gary Peters

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Well it took 23 years but ive managed to break my arm during jiu jitsu last night. Wasnt being macho just didnt have time to tap. Felt pressure on my forearm then a very loud pop. My radius bone is broken about 1/2 way up my forearm and im going for surgery tomorrow. They have to screw a little plate in but i was told no hard cast would be involved...? Have any of you guys suffered a similar break? How long am I looking at for recovery time after surgery? Dr said probably 3 months until i can lift heavy weights again.

I was told about a study where if you still work your uninjured side of body your body will still progress somehow on the injured side to keep your body balanced, i find it hard to believe but is there any truth to it? I'll continue to try and research it on my own as well.

Also any suggestions for a routine to keep the muscle mass i have? 3 months is a looooong time i cant possibly go without physical activity for that long and jogging just wont cut it.

Finally any suggestions on what to eat to increase the healing process/preserve muscle mass? Post surgery still take creatine / protein shakes eventhough i will not be lifting heavy? Sincerly just looking for any help/suggestions I almost broke down yesterday.. having a hard time dealing with not being able to train.

Thanks to all that contribute.
 
Fuck that's a bummer. You can still train, but I wouldn't be risky if I were you. You can do stuff like one armed DB bench press, suitcase deadlifts, etc which although they use one limp, will still work your core pretty well. You can also do one hand dumbell overhead squats for your legs and torso, and a bunch of single arm OHP stuff or snatches. Worst case scenario you can use machines.
 
You should be able to still do a good amount of leg work. I was in a similar situation about 2 years ago when I broke my hand. I did a shitload of leg work and cardio. I also did some lifting with the other arm for the upper body (I think we may have read the same study) but I kept it limited. I was doing leg work 2x per week and upper body 1xper week. Cardio 3x per week.

Good luck to you.
 
Thanks for the response man im so bummed. Was on such a great track this year and now its all messed up.
 
Anyone know if there is truth to study claiming body will keep you balanced with 1 arm training ? meaning i dont want my left side bigger than my right.
 
Imbalances don't matter if both arms are stronger than your opponents.
 
heh i dont do curls to begin with but i guess itll have to do.. i dont know ive never had a broke arm before
 
One hand dumbbell Squats/OH squats would be pretty good. Granted, you won't be carrying much weight, but it's something and will help you maintain.

Other than that, and snatches/swings, I'm not sure what else you can do. Work on conditioning?
 
erco said:
One hand dumbbell Squats/OH squats would be pretty good. Granted, you won't be carrying much weight, but it's something and will help you maintain.

Other than that, and snatches/swings, I'm not sure what else you can do. Work on conditioning?
Click to expand...

i hear ya man, took me 2 months to build up my strength after my pinched nerve now this... even freaking worse. i guess all i can dois focus on running/sprints and as much core work as i can do with 1 arm
 
Honra said:
i hear ya man, took me 2 months to build up my strength after my pinched nerve now this... even freaking worse. i guess all i can dois focus on running/sprints and as much core work as i can do with 1 arm
Click to expand...

Box Jumps are good too.

You can maybe try machines, like someone mentioned. Some isolation machines (butterfly pec machine) seem like they'd put very little pressure on your forearm.

EDIT:
Before I get flamed for recommending a machine, this is assuming that the OP is really, really concerned about an imbalance.
 
1. In cases like this, machines may prove beneficial. You won't be able to squat a barbell with a broken arm, so while you're recuperating go with the leg press. It's the only way you'll be able to load your lower body sufficiently during this healing process.

2. Run and sprint like a madman (as tolerated by your arm). Hill sprints with a weighted vest. Tabata sprints. Etc.

3. Core work. Check out the catalog of core exercises (a thread in the S&P somewhere) and do the ones that don't require use of your arms.

4. In terms of supplementation: Multivitamin, fish oil (shoot for 3 grams of EPA/DHA daily), protein. I've heard good things about Cissus -- do a search for it, there's a thread or two on it.

5. Email Ross Enamait at [email protected]. I'm sure he'd be able and willing to give you his perspective.
 
in this situation ill take all suggestions with my broken arm being the case, i appriciate the responses.
 
i took your advice and emailed ross maybe ill be lucky enough to get a nice detailed response. please share any additional knowledge you may have.
 
Pistols are nice if you can't squat.

In my opinion, like others have all ready stated, try some machines and do short sprints as much as possible. IMO, short all out sprints will do well in maintaining muscle mass while you heal.

Focus on your diet hard and just train what you can. If you keep a solid diet and sneak in some resistance training anyway possible, your strength loss will be minimal. I'm not saying you won't lose any strength but you'll minimize it as much as possible.

If you sit on your ass and eat pizza you'll drop muscle and lose strength in a hurry.... unfortunately, I can tell you this from experience when I was depressed after a shoulder surgery about 6 years ago. I kept a lot more of my strength and conditioning by keeping my diet and exercising as much as possible the last time I had a surgery.... world of difference.
 
Honra said:
please share any additional knowledge you may have.
Click to expand...

- Expect a response from Ross. He responds to all emails personally.

- Depending on the location of the break, perhaps you may consider front squats (cross arm grip) or Zercher squats. If you can do these, make these the centerpiece of your workouts and throw in leg presses as assistance.

- Glute-ham raises will be your friend
 
Yes Honra you heard right training the uninjured side transfers over to the injured side. Thats exactly what you should do. It will help body maintain muscle mass and strength. Dont expect miracles but it will definitely help. You will likely still develop a muscle imbalance due to this but you can work to correct it when you feel better.

I would actually consider a hard cast so that it's protected. I would think about getting some hooks. To do deadlifts with if you can handle it. Squat/Lunge variations with a barbell will all be good. Unilteral upper body exercises.

Get cissus. It will help speed up bone healing. You can get 1kg of it on http://www.customnutritionwarehouse.com/ for 69.99$ quarter teaspoonful twice a day.
 
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