When can I go back to the gym?

[furiousfunker]

Hi everyone,

back in around Feb 2012, I joined a gym that a couple of my friends were using and I began weight lifting mainly, nothing to serious, just to gain a bit of weight and tone up, which I did nicely, I also did some CV. Then in early august i started feeling very ill, but stupidly carried on going to the gym ignoring it, then by september I went to see the doctor about why i was so ill, and after plenty of testing, i was diagnosed with crohns in october, I had a narrowing of 24cm, a few abscesses and ulcers, so i was told to stop the gym all together and concentrate on getting better, which I did.

all was going well, i was getting better, the narrowing was pretty much gone, but in late december, they found another abscess, which last week i was told has gone, happy days!

so I was wondering, my gym membership re-starts in March this year, do you think I will be ready to go back? obviously I will get back into it steady, light weights and plenty of CV, like rowing and cycling.. will it be too much strain on my core? affecting my bowel?


i hope this makes sense and would love to hear other people experiances with crohns and gym

Mitch

 

[Price]

Hey Mitch

I think there's a possibility of you being able to go back to the gym in march, but it will honestly depend on how you feel and if you think you can go in. I wouldn't bother going in if you don't feel like you can eat much, since you'll just be using up energy and not really getting anything back.

As far as weights go I think you'll be fairly ok with most things. I'd suggest using machines for some exercises though since they generally don't need you to use your core to balance weight. Like I've had a few back problems from squatting because of my stoma, but they've gone away now. Rowing and cycling will definitely be ok.

When I wasn't in remission I was still going the gym, it wasn't exactly easy and I didn't gain much from it, but it did get me out the house for a bit which was good. Just don't be afraid to sit out if you feel like it's too much.

 

[AlliRuns]

Having Crohn's doesn't mean you can't work out. You may have to adjust to how you're feeling though. As a general rule of thumb, if something causes extreme pain, don't do it.

 

[furiousfunker]

Thank you very much for the replies!

Yeah, I was planning on just using weight machines first, because of how well they isolate the muscles you want to work

I personally feel well enough to go back now, I'm eating enough, I've just started experimenting with the juicer and can feel myself getting unfit, which I don't like! Haha

I just remembered, Im going to see my GI on the 28th this month, so I will get her opinion too

Thanks again

 

[Pentasa]

I would suggest you learn to run and breathe deeply. Machines are a waste of time as well, only free weight work is worth doing.

 

[furiousfunker]

Thanks for your input, but it isn't really relevant to my questions

 

[Shaanaleem92]

i used to be a regular at the gym...i sometimes wonder whether going to the gym and using weights was the cause of my crohns? but that cant be true can it? so im kinda scared to go back to gym training now that i no longer suffer from the symptoms of crohns

 

[Lulabelle]

Hi,

I'm female, aged 27 and I've been into powerlifting for about 1.5 years. Unfortunately, I had to stop around October when this flare must have started creeping in. I usually love shifting heavy weight and working hard. I was going 4-5times a week.

I'm still not well enough to go back but my plan is to ease myself back in, so squating with the bar only, less weight on bench, deadlift. I will continue to work towards increasing the weight and do some assistive work too. I will hold off on cardio like circuits and hill sprints as I think running can provoke diarrhoea.

Take your time getting back into it, eat well, make sure you eat a good pre-workout and post-workout. You'll be fully back at it in no time and I am believer that exercise that suits YOU is very beneficial to your health for many reasons.

All the best.

 

[furiousfunker]

i used to be a regular at the gym...i sometimes wonder whether going to the gym and using weights was the cause of my crohns? but that cant be true can it? so im kinda scared to go back to gym training now that i no longer suffer from the symptoms of crohns

Hello there,

I personally dont think going to the gym caused your crohns, however continuing to go during a flare up, which I did because I didn't know what it was before I was diagnosed, will make things worse

If you're in remission now, I would say its fine to go back, but start light and slowly get to wherever is comfortable for yourself. That's what I did and I'm now back to where I was before crohns got me! It just takes a bit longer and diet it even more important!

Hope this helps

 

[DamnitCrohns]

I got diagnosed a few months ago. Tried a few gym trips over the past few weeks but found that they just took too much out of me. Now i've bought sme weights and a bench for home so i can do shorter work outs from home rather than commiting to big work outs at the gym.