Broken Wing: 122 Days Post Surgery: Feeling More Whole.

Has it really been 60 days since I last posted an update on my shoulder?  Not that there was much to report on, save the same old routine of PT and mobility.  Getting new little exercises that I could do quickly lost it's novelty.  Until recently, that is, when the "little" exercises that I was capable of got much bigger.

I've been on the road for about 3 weeks now, the last 2 of which have been in my second home of Lander, Wyoming.  While here, I've been in Elemental Performance and Fitness nearly daily, working hard on my mobility and strength.  I've gotten creative with some of the exercises that I can do to stay in some semblance of shape while I can't climb, and it's been a fun process.  I'm watching my strength skyrocket as I see my mobility slink ahead at a glacial pace.  If mobility were fast, we'd all be flexible, so I'm being patient.

While I still can't hang from my arms with them overhead, (I can now reach the top of a door frame, barely, but it feels like a huge step!), I have been able to do inverted rows with no pain at all.  Besides all of the PT exercises and hours of slooowwwwllly stretching out my shoulder, I've also discovered that I can bench press with light weight on my right arm.  Thanks to a suggestion from Steve Bechtel, who owns Elemental and Climb Strong, I've been using Kettlebells, which put the weight in a safe place and allow me to move a little more.  I can't deadlift, but if I can get the weight up with one hand, I can do "Good Mornings," which don't need nearly as much weight to be punishing.  Add in "Goblet Squats," and I'm starting to feel whole again.  Pretty exciting!
 

Speaking of Steve Bechtel, while here I've been recording conversations about training and specific aspects of climbing style with a few folks.  I got about three hours of Steve on tape, talking about 3 different topics, an hour of Carlo Traversi, and an hour of Alli Rainey.  These aren't "interviews" really, more just directed conversations about a specific topic.  Once this app is ready and out, I'll start editing and posting those talks!

I'm headed to Estes Park today to hang out with good friends Rannveig Aamodt and Nathan Welton for a few days before flying back to sweltering Cincinnati, where I'll likely be getting more work done on this damned computer.  See you guys again soon.