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When is it safe to start Gym, Lifting Weights, Cardio

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User

Posted 08 Mar 2019 at 09:42

Hello!

It'll be 9 weeks since my surgery. I was wondering if it is safe to start doing some cardio and lifting light weights?

Thanks!

VindCi

User

Posted 08 Mar 2019 at 23:25

Do what feels comfortable but without putting too much pressure on stomach muscles - men that have had keyhole RP are at higher risk of hernia, sometimes years later, and overdoing things in the early days seems to increase that risk.

"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard

User

Posted 19 Dec 2022 at 14:22

I am sure you are right GRRW3 about each person being different. So here's my story just as another data point in the range: my doctor encouraged me to walk as much as I could after radical prostatectomy in 2020. I was up to 1 km walk in my first week and 5 km mixed run/walk within 3 weeks and he set no limits. I think all the walking helped me get away with minimum constipation in direct post-op period. I also swam whenever I got the opportunity.

I was told no heavy lifting for 6 weeks and I literally stacked some 20 kg bags of cement ready to carry up a hillside for a project on 6 weeks + 1 day. No adverse effects. I think all the physical exercise was a good place to channel my frustrated libido during the period of adapting to ED. And I continue to run at least 5 km a few times a week, walk on the non-running days. Did quite a lot of targeted pelvic floor exercises to support recovering bladder control.

User

Posted 19 Dec 2022 at 17:34

Honestly depends on your fitness. The surgeon said I should get back to the gym asap. I was back after 4 weeks, but I took it really easy. Walking (long distance walking my thing) struggled to walk to the corner in the first week post op, but built it up from there. By 9 weeks of slow build up my fitness was pretty close to where it was pre-op.

I guess my message, which I took from others on here, was take it slow and you will get there.

User

Posted 20 Dec 2022 at 11:09

I would recommend reps over weight if you are a gym fan.

I messed up my pelvic floor in the summer overdoing lifting on my farm. It gave me discomfort for many months AND made orgasm painful again for a while. You have a big hole down there don't push it!!

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User

Posted 08 Mar 2019 at 13:35

My friend

I Had a RP operation last December 2018 so 3 months by now. But Still I'm not allowed to lift anything even 3 pints of milk .

Not even a full bag of Sainsburys shopping bag that has contain grocery of 10 kilograms.

You just had operation and you want to go to Gym and work out lift heavy weights. In my opinion a bit radical and irresponsible way to act .

Until I joined this website I had to idea or knowledge of Prostate related illness, cancer etc .

But since I became a member of this website I was supported greatly by saints on here..whom sometimes they told me off kindly .

I was just like you I was updating my silly details on here complaining about not to have decent way sex etc..or other stupid things.

So I driven people here crazy!

Saint Lynn and saint Chris used to say When you do have activities just be careful, respect for your body if you get pains than have rest and remember that you had a major surgery operation.

It's a marathon type of recovery not a sprint type of journey.

What I'm saying is possible they looked or will looked at your this post on here ....either they are smiling or find it a bit crazy!

Good luck

D.R

Edited by member 08 Mar 2019 at 22:38 | Reason: Not specified

User

Posted 08 Mar 2019 at 23:10

What does your GP/Surgeon suggest?

I was up at 4am and painting fences at 9 weeks. Well intentioned people here chastised me. What is right for one is not right for everyone. I was lifting weights pretty quickly, not heavy, but reps, without harm.

Cardio, treadmill, required a pad and I still got soaked early on.

If you are into lifting and weights you may have a better idea of what your body can and will tolerate?

Maybe avoid sets of 100 sit ups for a while?

good luck with your recovery.

dave

All we can do - is do all that we can.

So, do all you can to help yourself, then make the best of your time. :-)

I am the statistic.

User

Posted 08 Mar 2019 at 23:25

"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard

User

Posted 07 Sep 2022 at 15:18

There's certainly a lot of differing opinions on this subject. I was a real gym bunny before my open RP in May this year and told initially not to go back to the gym for three months. Did lots of walking every day (5 miles or so). Was just going to return to the gym when I had a catch up call with the consultant who said NO gym until my next consultation in six months. However I had started swimming which has really helped get toned again - about a mile a day every two days. I'm lucky as I have the gym with a pool nearby. Having said all that I don't think I'm ready for heavy lifting or biking or rowing just yet. When I do try and lift heavy things there is always a tension "down there" I never had before, so perhaps the consultant is right. Might start a little upper body strengthening though - simple barbells.

User

Posted 19 Dec 2022 at 01:15

There does appear to be some contradictory advice out there, maybe because each of us is different. My op was a month ago and I am slowly getting back to walking a few miles a day. Before, I used to run a few times a week, a couple of half marathons a year, do fairly gentle weights and swim occasionally. I am thinking of more regular swimming very soon and wonder what others think. When do you get back to jogging/running? Some have said it has increased incontinence, which hasn't been an issue since I had the second catheter removed 3 days ago. Will running likely cause an issue?

Really want to get back to 'normal' but don't want to slow down longer term recovery.

Thanks for any thoughts.

User

Posted 19 Dec 2022 at 14:22

User

Posted 19 Dec 2022 at 17:34

I guess my message, which I took from others on here, was take it slow and you will get there.

User

Posted 19 Dec 2022 at 19:53

Sensible to avoid anything that pulls on stomach muscles until at least your 6 week post-op review with the surgeon. After that, swimming should be fine but perhaps front crawl puts less strain on your stomach than breaststroke or butterfly (depends on your skill, of course). Re-starting running should also be okay once you have seen the surgeon - although it is often said that you shouldn't carry anything significant (like a bag of cement!) for the first 3 months, your own consultant may have a different view. The main risk of over-reaching / over-exerting relates to the risk of hernia rather than on continence recovery - men who have had keyhole RP are at significantly higher risk of hernia than men who had open RP and it seems closely linked to being over-confident in the early weeks :-/

"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard

User

Posted 20 Dec 2022 at 08:16

Thanks. Will avoid lifting cement without too much of a challenge! Helpful to know about hernia risk. There does seem to be a consensus around walking being good and not trying to rush back to 'normal.' Plan to start swimming next week and gentle jogging in perhaps two weeks.

Really appreciate your many comments on this forum. Very helpful.

Graham

User

Posted 20 Dec 2022 at 11:09

I would recommend reps over weight if you are a gym fan.

I messed up my pelvic floor in the summer overdoing lifting on my farm. It gave me discomfort for many months AND made orgasm painful again for a while. You have a big hole down there don't push it!!

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