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Gym Life and Overcoming Adversity

Bio

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Many of us have had to overcome adversity and find our way back to the gym. For me it's been lifelong spine issues and a cancer diagnosis. Concreteguy and Little Slice have each had a recent brush with death. Swiper and his spine issues and Stumpy with his spine and other issues and the list goes on. I know many of you here have had to overcome some big obstacles/adversity, which got me thinking about how each of you found your way back to the gym because it's a lifestyle that's ingrained in you. I'm grateful that getting back to the gym has always been a motivating factor and priority for me.

- L4-5, L5-s1 Laminectomy 1998
- Diagnosed with Carcinoid Syndrome (Cancer) June 2013
- Surgery for Carcinoid Syndrome and Removed Gall Bladder April 2014
- L4-5, L5-s1 Fusion - Dec 2014
- Surgery For Peyronie's Disease March 2015
- C5-6, C6-7 Fusion - Aug 2015
- Fractured T6 Vertebrae Oct/Nov 2015
- C7-T1 Fusion - June 2018
- C4-5 Foraminotomy & Laminectomy - Oct 2018
- C4-5 Noticed It Had Fused From Ankylosing Spondylitis with Follow Up Imaging
- L2-3 Microdiscectomy - Dec 2018
- As I listed above, I have Ankylosing Spondylitis. It's an auto immune disease that is an arthritis/inflammatory disease. It causes arthritis and fusions of the spine and and arthritis in other joints of the body. I take Humira for it. I've had countless injections, RFA, PT of varying types, acupuncture, you name it and I've probably tried it.

BTW, I'm 50, soon to be 51.

So, what things have happened in your life that you've overcome and found your way back to the gym? This isn't just about injuries, but life itself.

EDIT - I added the gall bladder and the Peyronie's surgery. Don't know how I forgot those, especially the Peyronie's. Prior to the Peyronie's surgery, I had to go through a series of injections in the you-know-what. Not fun! LOL!! Luckily the drug, Xiaflex, had just come onto the market. My Peyronie's was severe. With the things I was going through at the time, and knowing that I was going to have a two level cervical fusion once I was fully healed from the two level lumbar fusion, I couldn't believe that all of that was happening. Nothing you can do but deal with it.
 
Last edited:
Damn, Bio, can you even bend your back at all with all of those fusions?

I was about to get ready to possibly compete for the first time back in 2011, and at the time, I started having terrible digestive issues so it was becoming difficult to eat properly. It got bad enough that I had a few bouts of vomiting for most of the day, and I lost a lot of the size I had built up. That took competing off the table for the time being. I kept trying to go to the gym and eat the best I could. Ended up having my gallbladder out in 2013 which solved a lot of the problem at least for a while. I was able to do better on diet after that, but I started getting a new progressive problem, or it seemed new to me, but I probably already had it but didn't know it. In 2018 I was diagnosed with eosinophilic esophagitis which is an allergic inflammation that mainly affects the esophagus, but it also causes inflammation all the way down the GI tract. After getting some medication to help ease the symptoms, I've been able to eat better once again. I've always kept on training through all of this, and I've been able to gain to 225 for the first time at age 51. If there's always been some constant, it has been the training that helps me stay focused to get through problems like these, and I'll keep on going to the gym as long as I can.
 
Multiple shoulder surgeries (2018) and the painful physical therapy that followed. I'm 51. The gym has been "therapy" since I was 15 y/o. A way to deal with my anger & anxiety in a productive way. Competitive bodybuilding was taylor made for my OCD but my priorities are no longer about me. This sport/hobby can turn you into one selfish SOB! Now the focus in on my 2 daughters (14 & 10) and the wife. The gym is more about mental fitness these days although I do still have a vane side and continue to maintain more muscle than I should. There's a few older guys in their 80's at the gym I train at. They look great, are mentally sharp and seem to have blazed a path for me. Time will tell.
 
Many of us have had to overcome adversity and find our way back to the gym. For me it's been lifelong spine issues and a cancer diagnosis. Concreteguy and Little Slice have each had a recent brush with death. Swiper and his spine issues and Stumpy with his spine and other issues and the list goes on. I know many of you here have had to overcome some big obstacles/adversity, which got me thinking about how each of you found your way back to the gym because it's a lifestyle that's ingrained in you. I'm grateful that getting back to the gym has always been a motivating factor and priority for me.

- L4-5, L5-s1 Laminectomy 1998
- Diagnosed with Carcinoid Syndrome (Cancer) June 2013
- Surgery for Carcinoid Syndrome April 2014
- L4-5, L5-s1 Fusion - Dec 2014
- C5-6, C6-7 Fusion - Aug 2015
- C7-T1 Fusion - June 2018
- C4-5 Foraminotomy & Laminectomy - Oct 2018
- C4-5 Noticed It Had Fused From Ankylosing Spondylitis with Follow Up Imaging
- L2-3 Microdiscectomy - Dec 2018
- As I listed above, I have Ankylosing Spondylitis. It's an auto immune disease that is an arthritis/inflammatory disease. It causes arthritis and fusions of the spine and and arthritis in other joints of the body. I take Humira for it. I've had countless injections, RFA, PT of varying types, acupuncture, you name it and I've probably tried it.


So, what things have happened in your life that you've overcome and found your way back to the gym? This isn't just about injuries, but life itself.


I don't know you at all but people like you are inspiring to me. All I had to have was a little hernia surgery to realize how much I desire good health. It sucks when your body makes it hard to train. I don't know what I am going to do when I get old or God forbid get hurt and can't workout. You are an inspiration.
 
I have had one shoulder rebuilt, the other replaced. Laminectomy L4-5 and fused rods and screws to pull it back in line as it had shifted 50% of the way across. Feels like I will be having the other shoulder replaced in a couple years. Been told I will need my hip replaced about the same time, probably knee as well. The last MRI I had after I was hit from behind a couple months and had my truck totaled showed that every disc in my back that was looked at was bulged and half were herniated along with some other issues. Throw in hernia, hemorrhoid and apnea surgery along the way. But other guys my age complain about pain way more and have done way less and I have some very fond memories.
 
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Question for the guys that have had shoulder replacement surgery. How has that affected your workout? What limitations do you have now? I have a friend who's in his 60's, needs one but is afraid to get it done. He thinks he won't be able to train anymore.
 
Damn, Bio, can you even bend your back at all with all of those fusions?

You would be surprised. People that don't know me can't tell. My neck has the most fusions, C4-T1 but I have enough movement to look regular doing everyday things. It has its limitations but I appear normal. The L4-s1 fusion is not as limiting as one might think.
 
You have all heard it but its not about how many times we are knocked down but how many times we keep getting up that counts. Yea, yea, but its a universal truth regardless. Respect BIO. How we do anything is how we do everything.
 
God damn Bio you’re an animal for fighting through all of that! I didn’t get a workout in today because I was slammed at work, I feel like a lazy piece of shit now....

I don’t have a story that holds a candle to yours or some of the other guys but I have a bit of one. After my college wrestling days I really let myself go, it wasn’t so bad at first but as I got older and wasn’t naturally lean anymore I looked like total shit. I just got comfortable, I was engaged to be married and just dug deep into my business and worked, figured I had to grind and sacrifice to make a family life for my new soon to be wife. Well at one point I had just had enough I couldn’t even look in the mirror anymore, I decided to get back into it and never looked back.

Thank god I did because 6 months later I found she had been cheating on me the whole time, completely turned my life upside down in every way possible it’s a crazy story what happened. If I wasn’t back in shape, looking good and feeling good when it happened I can honestly say I might have ended my life as messed up as that sounds.
 
FrancisK I'm glad to hear that the gym kept you afloat after you found out your wife had cheated on you. Like I said, this thread isn't just about physical hurdles. Something like that can knock a person down and really take a mental/emotional toll. Life's hurdles come in all forms.
 
I was born without 2/3 of my right pec, the majority of my right tricep, and some of the smaller forearm muscles. Didn't even realize any of this until I had been busting my ass for years unable to bench 225, wondering why something felt so damn off. Still can't, probably never will. People assume I can do much more than that though, which I guess is nice. I used to be consumed by my condition, to the point of near-suicidal thoughts, it was the only reason I hopped on gear. Now I mostly don't think about it. Guess that's a part of growing up. I probably should've quit this lifestyle years ago. Now I just train the lifts I can hard and avoid the ones that are severely affected.
 
Adversity is definitely a matter of perspective and will change for us all. When it comes to being hurt, that's just part of the game. I don't care what the "game" is either. Be it the gym/the field/the court/etc, if you push the limits and reach what is "elite" for YOU, you are going to get hurt.

The adversity in my eyes is always a battle of logic and as others have said, selfishness. Unless being paid to train (Not many of us are), devoting time to physical improvement is plain selfish. And when you have family to take care of and jobs to excel at which DO pay $, you of course battle with the logic of why the hell you would spend your time on a fruitless endeavor. And it gets harder and harder to thwart the logical rationalization as you get older and wiser.

These days I look it as my reward for doing all that I do to take care of others. With that reward in mind, I make every effort possible to minimize the bullshit that people think is necessary. Once you forgo the television, small talk, pointless meetings, social media, unnecessary commutes, etc, you'll find that there is time for everything that MATTERS not only to you, but also to those whom you care about.
 
Question for the guys that have had shoulder replacement surgery. How has that affected your workout? What limitations do you have now? I have a friend who's in his 60's, needs one but is afraid to get it done. He thinks he won't be able to train anymore.
For the most part I can do anything I want. Don't do the barbell bench, but gave that up long ago and found other things that worked. You find out what works for you just lie most beat up older guys. But I had a partial replacement( ream and run). With full replacement they limit you to lifting 25 lbs occasionally or they did when I had my surgery 7+ years ago. As it would wear out the plastic part they use. A revere replacement would allow you to lift as you please as it is 2 metal parts rubbing against each other.
 
Just had shoulder rebuilt, it’s kept me from lifting for 3 years, when i had a hard time fly fishing, then shi# got really real, hehe. Surgeon said everything that could be torn was, but this new surgery allows them to save the shoulder, instead of replacing. Need a new acl in rt knewe, guess thats next. At 54, its scary how fast muscle goes away, though i never was more than someone who got into lifting to get me thru getting sober, a divorce, and losing everything financially, all at once. My stuff PALES in comparison to others in this thread
 
Many of us have had to overcome adversity and find our way back to the gym. For me it's been lifelong spine issues and a cancer diagnosis. Concreteguy and Little Slice have each had a recent brush with death. Swiper and his spine issues and Stumpy with his spine and other issues and the list goes on. I know many of you here have had to overcome some big obstacles/adversity, which got me thinking about how each of you found your way back to the gym because it's a lifestyle that's ingrained in you. I'm grateful that getting back to the gym has always been a motivating factor and priority for me.

- L4-5, L5-s1 Laminectomy 1998
- Diagnosed with Carcinoid Syndrome (Cancer) June 2013
- Surgery for Carcinoid Syndrome and Removed Gall Bladder April 2014
- L4-5, L5-s1 Fusion - Dec 2014
- Surgery For Peyronie's Disease March 2015
- C5-6, C6-7 Fusion - Aug 2015
- C7-T1 Fusion - June 2018
- C4-5 Foraminotomy & Laminectomy - Oct 2018
- C4-5 Noticed It Had Fused From Ankylosing Spondylitis with Follow Up Imaging
- L2-3 Microdiscectomy - Dec 2018
- As I listed above, I have Ankylosing Spondylitis. It's an auto immune disease that is an arthritis/inflammatory disease. It causes arthritis and fusions of the spine and and arthritis in other joints of the body. I take Humira for it. I've had countless injections, RFA, PT of varying types, acupuncture, you name it and I've probably tried it.

BTW, I'm 50, soon to be 51.

So, what things have happened in your life that you've overcome and found your way back to the gym? This isn't just about injuries, but life itself.

EDIT - I added the gall bladder and the Peyronie's surgery. Don't know how I forgot those, especially the Peyronie's. Prior to the Peyronie's surgery, I had to go through a series of injections in the you-know-what. Not fun! LOL!! Luckily the drug, Xiaflex, had just come onto the market. My Peyronie's was severe. With the things I was going through at the time, and knowing that I was going to have a two level cervical fusion once I was fully healed from the two level lumbar fusion, I couldn't believe that all of that was happening. Nothing you can do but deal with it.
Bio that's a hell of a lot for a human body to endure. You have my respect for having a positive attitude and continuing to train as many would not. I'm 46 and I have had 3 shoulder operations, 3 L5/S1 operations, nothing compared to you but it has definitely changed my go to lifts for legs and back but I keep at it. I'm not the monster I used to be.

A couple of questions if you don't mind sharing?
What are you built like these days and how does your training look?
What are you able to do for legs and back?
 
Just had shoulder rebuilt, it’s kept me from lifting for 3 years, when i had a hard time fly fishing, then shi# got really real, hehe. Surgeon said everything that could be torn was, but this new surgery allows them to save the shoulder, instead of replacing. Need a new acl in rt knewe, guess thats next. At 54, its scary how fast muscle goes away, though i never was more than someone who got into lifting to get me thru getting sober, a divorce, and losing everything financially, all at once. My stuff PALES in comparison to others in this thread

At 54, unless you have some severe meniscus damage or some other structural laxity, I wouldn't waste my time with the ACL(tore mine at age 50).
 
Bio that's a hell of a lot for a human body to endure. You have my respect for having a positive attitude and continuing to train as many would not. I'm 46 and I have had 3 shoulder operations, 3 L5/S1 operations, nothing compared to you but it has definitely changed my go to lifts for legs and back but I keep at it. I'm not the monster I used to be.

A couple of questions if you don't mind sharing?
What are you built like these days and how does your training look?
What are you able to do for legs and back?

I'm not built like the monsters on here. After each surgery it was harder and harder to keep my size up. That said, at almost 51 now, that doesn't need to be a priority.
I'm 5'10" and I was a little over 240lbs at one time. Some of the big surgeries happened and I was able to hold 230lbs up until those 3 surgeries in 2018. Now I'm 215. I've been trying to eat more and move the scale but my body doesn't want to comply..LOL!

For training, things changed dramatically over the years. It's been many years since I squatted and I stopped working legs in 2018 when my low back started giving me problems again. I'm just ready again now to start training again legs again, minus squats. I'll do extensions, leg press, hack sled (not the one over the shoulders), ham curls and basic calf work. My calves have always been pretty good whether I trained them or not, just lucky there and quads and hams are undersized. Since they're undersized, the weight I carry on my upper body is actually more than a normal 215 pounder would look if he had proportional legs. Most people guess I'm 235 to 240 now. I'm just happy to be in the gym. It's a lifestyle for me and it's the fountain of youth. People are shocked when they find out I'm 50.
 
Thank god for the gym. It keeps my head straight and it's the sails that keep me moving forward in tough times.
In the past 3 years I had bilateral quad tendon tears and had them repaired. Followed by that I became addicted to the opiates by taking less than was actually prescribed to me by the pain doctor.
I got on suboxone to get off opiates, however, they made me go through mild to severe withdrawals 24 7 depending on the time of my dose for months until I went to rehab and got off....took a year at least to start feeling normal again.
Shortly after that I developed IBS....once I got that handled I got A flutter and had an ablation.
Fun times :)
The gym was there for me through it all. It kept my bearings straight and the mindset of one day building onto the next in the gym is also the same in overcoming adversity.
 
Adversity is definitely a matter of perspective and will change for us all. When it comes to being hurt, that's just part of the game. I don't care what the "game" is either. Be it the gym/the field/the court/etc, if you push the limits and reach what is "elite" for YOU, you are going to get hurt.

The adversity in my eyes is always a battle of logic and as others have said, selfishness. Unless being paid to train (Not many of us are), devoting time to physical improvement is plain selfish. And when you have family to take care of and jobs to excel at which DO pay $, you of course battle with the logic of why the hell you would spend your time on a fruitless endeavor. And it gets harder and harder to thwart the logical rationalization as you get older and wiser.

These days I look it as my reward for doing all that I do to take care of others. With that reward in mind, I make every effort possible to minimize the bullshit that people think is necessary. Once you forgo the television, small talk, pointless meetings, social media, unnecessary commutes, etc, you'll find that there is time for everything that MATTERS not only to you, but also to those whom you care about.

I don't know where you came up with that. Couldn't disagree more. The gym is the fountain of youth and there's nothing wrong bettering one's self whether it's physically and/or mentally.
 
Wow Bio, it's truly inspiring that you have found your way back to the gym time and time again. Some of the things I've had to deal with:

Lyme disease
Hypothyroidism
Hypogonadism
Celiac's disease
IBS
SIBO
drug and alcohol addiction
thoracic spine injury

I may be tiny compared to most on this forum, but I love the gym, and I will keep coming back for more, no matter how many times I have to start over from scratch.
 

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