Recovery Mode: Rehab, Rebuild and Reset

A few years ago, I was walking home from work on a rainy evening when an inattentive driver hit me. I came away with fractures in my wrist and foot and a long road to recovery.

My rehab specialist asked how much mobility I wanted back. I said, “100%.”

He warned me it would take a lot of work. He was right.

I’ll be 53 in May. These days, I go to the gym every morning, alternating between cardio and weightlifting. I usually aim to walk outside for five kilometers a day. My diet is sensible: no gluten or lactose (due to intolerances) and no animals that breathe air. We’re on the same team. Go terrestrials!

At my age, I’ve learned to work with my body. I read that weightlifters over 45 benefit from alternating lift days to give muscles more recovery time. Otherwise, the injuries pile up. Still, I do push-ups and ab work every day after the gym, because you can never do enough ab work, and push-ups help spread out any soreness or twinges in my upper body.

My diet isn’t heavy on protein, so I don’t put on much mass, but my strength has steadily increased. I’m close to benching my body weight again, which is about where I was when I lifted for sports in college. That feels pretty good.

I tried protein shakes early on, but even whey isolate has too much lactose, and soy protein gives me too much gas. Honestly, I didn’t notice a difference when I stopped. I’m not in it for size, just strength and function.

These routines didn’t just help me recover. They helped me rebuild.

My balance is better than ever. My right foot is as strong and flexible as my left. My wrist feels solid. I’d call that a full recovery. Actually, I’d say I’m in better shape now than I’ve ever been.

Here’s how I rotate my three lifting routines, every other day:
Mon (A), Wed (B), Fri (C), Sun (A), Tue (B), Thu (C), Sat (A), Mon (B), and so on.

I do three sets of ten reps each, with one minute of rest between sets, before moving on to the next exercise on the list.

Routine A:

• Overhead press

• Leg press

• Lat pull-down (pull-ups)

• Leg curl

• Bench press

• Leg extension

• Triangle push-ups

Routine B:

• Dumbbell bench press

• Dumbbell alternate lunges

• Underhand pull-down

• Dumbbell dead-lift

• Pec deck (fly press)

• Dumbbell high step-ups

• Bent-over row

Routine C:

• Barbell front raise

• Dumbbell squat

• Neutral grip pull-down

• Leg curl

• Incline dumbbell press

• Leg extension

• Seated row

Getting up early to train shaped more than my body. It built discipline. It gave me structure. I focus better. I stay motivated. I consistently feel good.

What started out as rehab turned into a lifestyle. What began with injury turned into strength. And I’m not done yet.