How To Build Muscles..

[icesktr189]

I really want to start building muscles in my legs. I know it will help with the pooling I have been having, but just dont know how to do it when I can barely walk.

Also, my diet is pretty bad. I eat junk because I can do so without gaining weight, but im tired of the crazy IBS problems. I go to the bathroom around 10 times per day. I feel like I eat something and then its out withing 45 mins tops. I think this is why I can eat whatever I want and not gain a pound. I am 5'10 and weigh 123 pounds. I have no muscle on me however.

Any advise with gaining muscle and eating healthy but not loosing weight is much appreciated :]

[comfortzone]

I can tell you what's worked for me in the past.... But overall it's been a really tricky endeavor to get a good fit. First when I was too weak to walk barely at all I used a personal trainer at a pool. He was a 'master' trainer who I was told would deal with medical cases at a popular fitness club. I remember how freeing it was to not have to deal with gravity. Basically all I could do was walk laps at the edge of the pool back and forth - 2 then 3 times a week. He added some other things too in the water and eventually I could swim a lap of breaststroke. That however ripped my rotator cuff lol....I got advanced to 'land' exercises after that. The trouble then with the trainer was that try as he may to not put me into the mold of his past experience and schooling with other patients - he still pushed me harder than was appropriate. I simply could not do what was asked of me - ever. It also at that time seemed to be a 'brain' thing....like my brain and legs weren't communicating right. So that was the end of that. He's an awesome trainer though for sure ~ doing cutting edge 'functional' training - like Bob Harper does in southern california.... you won't see a piece of exercise equipment in his entire gym (yeah they gave him his own gym area!) Functional being the rope-pulling, tire shoving, bell throwing - the stuff you might see on Biggest Loser.... It really gets people jazzed and enthused as it's relatively new and the people look like they are having a ton of fun while making great gains in strength...

I stopped everything for awhile but right away got very deconditioned and lost my gains in strength and balance so started up again with traditional PT. With joint replacements and some neuro stuff - I was really down on the whole PT experience ... as they like to treat one area - and I needed a whole body tune up. Fortunately after a round of some PT for my core and pelvic girdle muscles I was adopted into their 'wellness program'... Here they weighed and measured you... and designed a progressive program of exercise for your whole body. The good news was it was done in the same room as the regular PT and no one even knew if you were a regular PT patient or a wellness patient.

Here I did ten min. on the bike and treadmill - lots of sets of things on the table, lots of sets on the gym equipment stuff and some other assorted things. The program was 50 dollars a month out of pocket. If my blood pressure crashed or I had some weird EDS issue pop up = I had so much less anxiety because these were trained PT's as opposed to a guy in a gym - who knew little about what to do to help me when I felt very faint one day.

Then sadly I left that environment because of my move to AZ - I haven't found a clinic yet to offer this set-up. One said it would - but they had very little equipment - and basically you were totally on your own. They didn't do a program with you - but still charged the 50 buck a month fee.

So I'm in a bit of a quandry now....I'm in a new PT program at another place now - who understand I need overall mid-range exercises to build strength (not go to the end of ROM)for my entire body. They have like 3 machines and it's going okay - but it is claustrophobic in the clinic - way too small.

When I told him what I am looking for - he said to stay tuned - he wants to take over the entire space he's located in and offer this type of program soon. I won't hold my breath... But I'm afraid when the PT is over - I'll just stop again.....I feel as though I lose any gains rapidly.

I think perhaps I'll begin again here locally with a personal trainer when PT is done at a health club....soon it will be really HOT here & not the best weather to go walking. If I can find a trainer who doesn't mind challenges - and a club that's reasonably priced - I guess I'll try again to get strength with some one on one time - that I can eventually do on my own....Getting a healthy exercise program is so challenging -- pain, finances, dysautonomia ~ you know the drill....& frankly a bit of hopelessness tossed in there as well... But I'll keep working on solutions - Hope some other people share what they've found to work!

[icesktr189]

Please let me know if you find one here in arizona.... I would LOVE to work with someone who actually has a medical knowledge than just trainer stuff. I know that if I can just build some muscle it will take me a long way, but getting there on your own is something else. I also want to avoid relapses right now from over doing it, so it would have to be someone who wont push.

I am going to start looking around too. Ill let you know if i find anything! :]

[Guest tearose]

Goodness, this is a difficult topic.

We all know to stay as active as we can and never get deconditioned.

Ten years ago, I focused on trying to build more muscle. I tried and slowly built up more muscle strength again only to tear up my pelvic muscles and need total pelvic reconstruction.

This is one of those areas that we need to feel our way through. Doing a little at a time as recommended above is important. ALSO, we need to know that if we are more symptomatic, our muscles are probably not getting adequate blood supply and that by pushing to exercise we may do damage.

I suggest to try but go slow, steady and with a "feel" on how your circulation is.

best regards,

tearose

[Brye]

I do a cardiac maintenance program at the hospital fitness center. It's mainly for cardiac rehab grads or those who need a little extra supervision when they exercise. It makes me feel more at ease knowing there will be someone to help if a problem comes up. They have a defibrillator hanging on the wall, someone there who knows how to use it, and the center shares a parking lot with the ER. Perfect set up. I love the recumbant bike. Seated exercise and I can work hard and not worry about falling off.

Brye

[Dizzysillyak]

I have orthostatic intolerance (OI) too severe to stand or sit up for exercising so I'm doing mine while laying down. I started out weight free and later added ankle and arm weights.

Since my OI starts as soon as I'm upright and makes me weaker the longer I'm upright, I have to lay down for about 30 - 60 minutes before I'm strong enough to begin excerising.

I started out doing exercises at home and then went to PT for about 2 months but figured out that going to PT was too much for me. So I'm back to exercising at home ...

FWIW ... this hasn't helped my OI but it makes me feel better overall.

[nforste]

I find it difficult to absorb protein from meat and your digestion sounds worse than mine - so would definitely recommend protein drinks where you can absorb it more quickly. I also find lightly steaming vegies is the best way to cook them for maximum absorption.

[Frugalmama]

I don't have anything to add about the muscle building, but your IBS symptoms are identical to what I experienced for about 8 years. I'm 5'9" and couldn't get above 118 lbs! I was diagnosed with severe IBS-D and then was basically told to do all the things I was already doing (cut out caffeine, red meat, etc), and none of the typical IBS meds made any difference. The biggest help to me came from heading to a naturopathic doctor who did an eliza antibody test to see what foods I was sensitive to. I ended up cutting out the things I was reacting to (dairy, egg whites, and a couple of others), started eating healthier, plus the IBS specialist informed me that Immodium is totally fine to use during a flare up. Since IBS causes spasms in the intestines, the Immodium is a perfect fix since it relaxes those smooth muscles. I was even told that I could take it preventatively before bed since my flare ups would start first thing in the morning. It was a slow process to introduce more fiber into my diet, but I did it bit by bit and it has also made a huge difference! I usually eat 2-3 apples a day, and that has been miraculous in the change to my system! I think you'll find that if you can get those symptoms under control, some of the others are easier to deal with. I still have flare ups now and again, but nothing compared to a few years ago. I just about ran myself into the ground at university because I couldn't eat breakfast or anytime while at school because I'd spend hours in the bsthroom afterwards and would be in a huge amount of pain. It was absolutely awful! I hope that you are able to find something that can help you get back on track . Oh, and I also take 2mg of Remeron, as one of its major side effects is constipation. My doctor got me to try it on a whim many years ago, and it worked like a charm!

[sisblostg]

Please let me know if you find one here in arizona.... I would LOVE to work with someone who actually has a medical knowledge than just trainer stuff. I know that if I can just build some muscle it will take me a long way, but getting there on your own is something else. I also want to avoid relapses right now from over doing it, so it would have to be someone who wont push.

I am going to start looking around too. Ill let you know if i find anything! :]

When I was in AZ seeing Dr Goodman(pots specialist) at the Mayo , one of my concerns was muscle atrophy. He set me up with a PT who was knew alot about dyautonomia/POTS. He gave me three rountines, one if I was bedridden, one if I was able to do minimal activty and one for when I was able to get to a PT location or gym. It cost $75 , my insurnace ended up paying most of it (it was out of network but since I proved no in network PT knew about POTS they paid 80%). Since I live hours away, the PT has worked with my local cardiac rehab in helping coordinate my care. The PT looked at my cardio testing and gave specfic heart rates to workin within and avoid. It really gave me piece of mind with what was safe to try. The PT max heart rates were about 15 higher then my local cardaic rehab allowed. This 15 made a huge difference in what I could do. The cardaic rehab would stop me at their max heart rate which I got to in about 4-5 minutes and was told to stop, when the PT told then I could go 15 higher I was able to do 30 minutes.

Muscle Atrophy is a huge worry. During my first bedridden downtime which was over 1 year I lost muscle and have not been able to get it back. I live where it gets to be 110 in the summer and I wear long pants everyday because one leg is visably smaller then the other.

[green]

How to build muscle?

Make sure you do not have a testosterone deficiency! I did. And I was not building any muscle even though I was going to the gym 3 times a week to lift weights. It was a cruel scam! Now I am building muscle and I only lift 2 times a week.

I posted about this a few weeks ago,

[icesktr189]

Thanks!

I am eating two apples a day and its helping! Also adding a lot more fiber to my diet now.

I am going to look for a pt and hope they know some about POTS. I have horrible insurance right now, so im limited in options

I dont know about the testisterone problem, but it does make since why I dont have any. I barely move arond abymore. My heart goes so fast and migraines come soon after, so I limit my physical acrivity a lot. But if I notice adter working out that I am not making impeovements ill definently looj into it!