In need of help

[EODWheels]

Hello all,

I was wounded last June in Afghanistan by stepping on an IED. I have to wear a brace that goes from the tips of my toes all the way to my knee. I say all of this to tell you that I'm not sure how I can build great muscle and strength.

I have been looking through the forums and realize that I have a unique situation. Instead of piecing a diet and workout together from other people's regimens, I thought I would ask ya what you think I should do.

I am 27 yrs, 5' 9" and weigh 205 lbs. I have obviously gained a little weight since I was blown up. I have a pretty fast metabolism, so I was able to keep a lot of weight off just by eating somewhat healthy. My goal is to eventually be able to compete in Local body building competitions.

The only cardio I can do is walking and swimming. Any advice would be most welcome and thank you so very much for taking the time to help me out in advance.

EOD

 

[EODWheels]

I forgot to say that I am taking a narcotic for pain. Not sure if that will have any impact on what gear I can and can't use. I also am not on any kind of strict diet right now.

 

[jamd]

I'm sure some of the guys here that are way better than me will hook you up. I just wanna thank you and let you know we are all glad you're alive and appreciate your service and sacrifice. I hope you kill it in the gym and reach your goals.

Sent from my LG-P925 using EliteFitness

 

[oxymoron]

So how bad is the damage to ur leg? It sounds like u can use it a fair amount.
I would focus this point at easing back into weights. Start off with light weights and work ur way up. Upper body u should look into overhead dumbbell presses, dumbbell chest presses and dumbbell (or t-bar) rows. Maybe a few isolations exercises like db curls, tricep pushdowns and lateral db raises. What do u think u can do lower body? Will putting pressure on the brace doing light leg extensions or leg curls eventually be ok for ur injury?

A good first step on ur diet is start reducing fats and sugars and bump up ur protein intake to 1-1.5 grams per lb of bodyweight. This is difficult but will ofc help u get headed in the right direction nutritionally.

We'll get u set up here and like jamd said, thx man for keepin safe back at home!

 

[buddhabuilder]

By the sounds of it, I think you will be able to perform almost any exercise once you work out your form. Am I right in assuming it will just be the right calve that won't get worked because of the brace? Are you still in any kind of physical therapy? They might be able to help design your lower body approach. You've come to the right place for exercise routines and diet. Have you had anytime to look through the stickies on the forum? Lot's of good stuff there. Thanx for your service. Now get in the gym!

"The mighty sword of the Lotus Sutra must be wielded by one courageous in faith. Then one will be as strong as a demon armed with an iron staff."

 

[zedhed]

Hey bro glad to see you post up!
I like what everybody else said with the glaring exception of leg extensions. That shit will fuck your knees in no time, DONT DO IT!!!
Swimming is excellent cardio and a pretty good muscle builder in itself.
I fully agree with getting back into it slowly bro. Start light and just see what your bod will allow you to do (ref your messed up leg).
Dam proud of you man for taking the reigns and have a can do tude. Too many arent able to get out of misery part of it. Good for you bro.

Ok as far as working out, I would say start with a full body 3 day per week routine of compound lifts, no iso. Reps and sets keep in the 3x10-12 range for now.
I have a good bro that came back a paraplegic and he is also working out and my RESPECT to all of you guyz.
Best regards and keep posting bro.

 

[EODWheels]

Thanks for all of the tips and advice.

I will have to really ease myself back into this whole thing and build a good base for myself. Am I right when I say that working lower body is the way to a strong core and in turn helps produce more testosterone?

Are there any good supplements to start taking right away that will help me get rid of the little excess fat I have before I start the bulking process? I know that a lot of supplements are bogus. are thermogenic fat burners really any good at all? I have extra fat on my inner thighs, butt, and around my while midsection. I just don't want to be stuck in a cutting cycle forever before I can start bulking again and getting back to my normal size. Is it true that I need to be 700-800 calories below maintenance everyday to lose the weight? It seems like that would just be water weight lose and I would gain it right back.

Thanks again for all of the advice. Y'all are the best group of guys ever.

 

[oxymoron]

Well u'll get a natty test boost from doing compound movements particularly full body like squats which i dont know if u can do at this point but maybe down the road.

How's ur general health right now? If u don't have any issues like blood pressure then u could look into a thermogenic. There's some good products from needtobuildmuscle.com, mrsupps.com, even look around at orbitnutrition that can give good results but will still require u to be active of course. They're great to motivate you and provide some appetite suppression. I love forged burner at mrsupps.com. The n2burn, n2stim and n2flame products at needtobuildmuscle are great as well. Another popular choice is oxyelite pro. All are great for energy during the day as well as preworkout.

At ur weight and height i'd say target 400 cals below maintenance. Don't drop to far below ur maintenance or u'll body will tend to hoard calories so take it slow.

 

[buddhabuilder]

Like Zedhed and oxymoron said, focus on those full body, compound exercises. I can appreciate your wanting to lose the extra fat and put together a bulking approach, but right now, IMO, you should just get a 3 day a week routine together with the 440 cals below maintenance. Diet and exercise is what it is all about. You can get a free 7 day trial app for counting calories from calorieking.com, which can help you be exact about your food intake.

You may want to look into the SL 5x5 routine. You actually start with no weight on the bar for most of the exercises, which might be a good start for you. The weights increase consistently, so it leads to a real challenge as well, and they are all compound exercises. Check out my blog in the forums.

 

[EODWheels]

Oxy, I will definitely look into supplements on those websites, thank you. My health, other than Below the knee on my right leg, is great. No blood pressure issues to speak of and my overall health is looking pretty great now days. While I was in the Marine Corps, we weren't allowed to take very many supplements. We were very limited to what we could take. That's the whole reason I'm kinda lost on them and am ready to move to some stuff that will actually work.

Buddha, I will check out your blog too. I have been reading all over this website for the last couple of days to try to understand things well enough to make informed decisions and and the right questions.

I will keep y'all posted on how things go at the gym.