Today I started a required rehabilitation medicine selective at St. Vincent's Hospital in Manhattan. Our first day was full of lectures and we learned about muscle groups and stress/strain injuries. All very interesting stuff when you have attempted in the past to get in shape and couldn't quite understand where all the pain came from. Turns out, I have had multiple bouts of tendinitis from weight bearing exercises that were a bit over my head. I thought my muscles were just sore, which is why this is comforting information.
One very interesting fact I learned is that, after the first week of lifting weights, if you start noticing an improvement in your ability to lift, your muscles have not actually "strengthened," a.k.a. hypertrophied (this usually takes 4-6 weeks). Rather, your brain has become better at coordinating the lifting. INTERESTING!
Throughout the lecture, my thoughts went off onto multiple tangents, bringing me to my own experience with weight lifting, which was a completely futile effort. To prove my point, the following is a picture of my arm after weight lifting and drinking protein shakes for two months in preparation for my sister's wedding.
Notice the complete lack of tone in this arm. The other arm looks similar. I would have put an average sized/toned arm next to it for comparison, but I think I've sufficiently embarassed myself for today.
Another realization I've come to is that I really need to stop fooling myself and quit the gym. The thought of getting on a treadmill/elliptical/stationary bike fills my heart with dread. This is not to say that I don't want to work out. Thales and I went running and did our abdominal video yesterday, which was a perfectly enjoyable experience. I JUST HATE going to the gym. There. I said it and I feel much better.
We also tried out some different types of wheelchairs today. I was tempted to race down the hallway like in Days of Thunder but I resisted the urge. Must...remain...professional... Med school can be fun at times :o)
One very interesting fact I learned is that, after the first week of lifting weights, if you start noticing an improvement in your ability to lift, your muscles have not actually "strengthened," a.k.a. hypertrophied (this usually takes 4-6 weeks). Rather, your brain has become better at coordinating the lifting. INTERESTING!
Throughout the lecture, my thoughts went off onto multiple tangents, bringing me to my own experience with weight lifting, which was a completely futile effort. To prove my point, the following is a picture of my arm after weight lifting and drinking protein shakes for two months in preparation for my sister's wedding.
Notice the complete lack of tone in this arm. The other arm looks similar. I would have put an average sized/toned arm next to it for comparison, but I think I've sufficiently embarassed myself for today.
Another realization I've come to is that I really need to stop fooling myself and quit the gym. The thought of getting on a treadmill/elliptical/stationary bike fills my heart with dread. This is not to say that I don't want to work out. Thales and I went running and did our abdominal video yesterday, which was a perfectly enjoyable experience. I JUST HATE going to the gym. There. I said it and I feel much better.
We also tried out some different types of wheelchairs today. I was tempted to race down the hallway like in Days of Thunder but I resisted the urge. Must...remain...professional... Med school can be fun at times :o)
2 comments:
I have a hard time understanding how that arm is connected to a body. It seems to float in space.
mm. i know. but thanks anyway for the confirmation.
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