[RC] [RC] Your Human Conditioning Answer - Alice Yovich - DRG1
My Personal Workout Routine (Besides Riding):
You have to understand why this is so important to me. I am
46, 165# (my expected body weight at this age), have 2 herniated discs, a 3rd
in danger of herniating (per MRI). I need a right hip replacement. Been riding
for 35 years…
Without any previous history of back problems (although I
knew my hip needed replacing at 44 years old), on Jan 31, 2004 I bent over to
wash my face & I had a sharp pain in my back, couldn’t straighten up.
I waited 4 weeks it didn’t get better so went to an orthopedic MD. I had
been using a “walking Stick” (glorified Hikers name for a cane, I
think), because I couldn’t get up from a chair without slowly shimmying
up the stick, wait a minute, then be able to walk with the stick (as my back muscles
were spasming to protect the nerves. Believe me, a true back spasm (NOT cramp)
is a scary thing – you just can’t move, you don’t know what
direction to move as you are scared any direction will increase a pain that is
already immobilizing you!!!). Needless to say, I couldn’t ride for the 1st
time in 35 years.
I now know my R hip problem, contributed to my L Back
problem, as I have seen over the past 2 yrs, my jeans wearing out on the LEFT
seat now… (although of course, no doctor - of course equestrian
ignorant - informed me this would happen that my back would go bad, from a bad
hip on the other side. Thanks a lot you lousy orthopedic doctors for your
patient information & knowledge of any sports other than football…)
To make a long story short…
I had the MRI, it showed the above. I had Physical therapy
for 2 months. I think it helped immensely, but fitness doesn’t come easy
after a severe injury & it takes 6 months to recover. So I hired that
Physical Therapist (who also horseback rides YEAH!!!) who is also a
personal trainer & I do my exercises 1 hour 3-4 times a week. I see him for
followup every 2 weeks. This has been going on since March 1, 2004. I used to
be a Team Roper until Jan 2004, but the Quarter horse trot & canter, are
too hard on my back to ride them consistently, so I bought Missouri
Foxtrotters. They are amazing, & I don’t even have to take a RX strength
NSAID when I ride them. What a God send!!!!! J That’s
how I got into the idea of competitive trail (although I miss roping L )
I will name the exercises, but really, one needs to goto a
trainer in order to see how to do them properly. & further, I think it is
imperative, that a serious equestrian goto a trainer/physical therapist that
actually rides HORSES a lot (not just mtn bikes)!
5 sets of 10: back stretches
I have a Physioball – so I
do hamstring stretches with it, 3 sets of 10
3# weights at the ankle leg
lifts: 3 sets of ten.
3 sets of 15 abdominal crunches
on the physioball (NOT sit ups)
3 sets of 15 torso twists with
a rubber band
3 sets of 15 pull ups with the
rubber band
3 sets of 15 arm thrusts with
the rubber band (like punching)
3 sets of 15 French Curls (5#
wgt)
2 sets of 15 hip ABduction with
a 3# ankle weight
My opinion now, is that lifting the 80#$ bags of feed, the
125# bales does not get one into shape. This is because it is the wrong kind of
exercise & most people (unfortunately) sustain accumulative damage doing
this as they use the wrong body mechanics to do this stuff (people don’t
know…).
It is a shame, that we only learn the correct body mechanics
AFTER the injury. I think this stuff should be taught in high school, not the
stupid dance classes, gymnastics, softball etc that I had to endure in high
school. It served no purpose & was useless for your future life. Teaching
me proper body mechanics back then, would have saved my back.
My 2 cents, hope this helps & saves someone else’s
back.
