Weight Training after HT

[Wesley]

How is the best way to resume a weight training routine after a transplant? Are there specific exercises to avoid from stretching the donor area scar?

[Sunnycoastman]

Hi Wes, congrats on your HT, 2010 will be an interesting year for us wont it. I had mine done on 25 Nov with Dr Path in Thailand...4100 grafts. Youll find varying opinions on here about doing weights after a HT. Some say wait 3 months or more. What did your doctor say. Did you have good scalp laxity to begin with. The main worry I spose is that it will contribute to a stretching of the scarline. my doc said to avoid sweating if you can to begin with. So I waited a week, for the grafts to be healed in, and was back to the gym on the 7th day(was I brave or stupid??...:-) i wanted to find out whether weights stressed the scarline and the best time to find that out is in the early stages when its tender. I did a light weight circuit for 20 minutes for the first 4 days with some exercycle and walking on the treadmill as well. after 4 days i split my routine and increased the sets a bit but all with weights 50% of what I normally use but 15 to 20 reps. My advice to you. Dont do any weights for 2 weeks after your HT. Also listen to the other opinions on this site. a search will give you more info. Anyway after 2 weeks do light weights only and gradually build from there as you feel you can. the first week I trained I noticed the sweat stung a bit in the wound. I also noticed a little soreness in one or two spots after the workout, thats why I say wait 2 weeks. But I think you can walk on the treadmill and do exercycle work after 1 week from the HT to stay fit and keep energy levels up. I think that actually aids in recovery. we know that if youre fitter you recover from injury faster. I dont do any lying down exercises, dont do situps, deadlifts, trap exercises, chins, dips. dont hold your breath when you exert. I do seated machine bench press, lat pulldown to the front, seated machine shoulder press(be careful of these, they work the traps too which pulls on the neck area)tri pushdown, bench dips, barbell curls, cable pullover for abs and some calf raises. for thighs I do the stationary bike. Thats it. Im 18 days out from surgery day and I feel pretty good. My weights are up to 60-70% now and I can push it a bit.My fitness is back to where it was. breathing is important, dont hold your breath while you push cz it builds up cranial pressure. You have to consciously think about the breathing. Good luck

 

sunny

[Bill - Seemiller]

Wesley,

 

The short answer is, resume weight training very gradually. Quite honestly, I was back in the gym as early as a week after my hair transplant, but I was lifting virtually nothing and doing dozens of reps keeping my head still and sturdy so as not to strain the donor area. After about 2 weeks, it's safe to resume most weight training however, in my opinion start with light weights and work your way back up to doing heavy over the period of a couple of months. Be cautious of doing any exercises that may strain your donor area. This includes any exercise involving a lot of neck movement or placing the back of your head against equipment. Most importantly, use common sense :-)

 

Happy growing!

 

Bill