Any advice on returning to fitness levels after Laparoscopy

[Surfingblue]

I have a laparoscopy next week to remove endo but I weight train 5x a week and live a very active lifestyle when I'm able to do so but I feel a bit in the dark in terms of recovery. Does anyone have experience with recovering from surgery while trying to retain muscle and slowly return to weight lifting? Not sure what to expect in terms of how long after is safe to lift weights again. I had a lap a few years back but I wasn't lifting heavy weights so it wasn't something to consider.

[Endofitall]

generally best to not lift anything greater than 5kg for first 6-8 weeks so as not to risk a hernia. Otherwise it’s listening to your body and going slow and building up.

[Endofitall in reply to Endofitall]

I should have been clear that I mean in life in general eg shopping, house work, not to lift more than that weight for first weeks. I think most surgeons will say not to do proper weight lifting post op for at least 8 weeks but speak to your surgeon to see what they recommend. Best of luck

[Surfingblue in reply to Endofitall]

Thank you so much!!

[Bagel96]

hey! I think it’s different for everyone and also what your consultant advises. I got told after my laparoscopy no weight lifting for 6 weeks! So I had to just get out to get my steps in at least and returned to the gym at the 5 week mark starting light with the weights x

[Bumfluff87]

Hello! I also weight train. I started again after 2 weeks and then started very mildly... Don't try got 1 rep max 😂😂

[Surfingblue in reply to Bumfluff87]

Definitely won't be trying a 1 rep max!!

[Cold_swimmer]

hi surfingblue, I think it will depend on what they do in surgery so definitely talk it through with your surgeon pre and post op. After very minor excision of endo I was back running and strength and conditioning (started gently) in three weeks. For my strength training I did a 4 week block that avoided heavy bracing so I stuck to using machines and added more mobility and gentle stability work and also slightly higher reps with lower weight. E.g pull-ups got switched to lat pull downs, squats were done on hack squat. Main thing is that I was guided by how comfortable I felt and slowly built up through sets and sessions. I did some controlled core work (e.g cable chops, planks) to build up strength and stability in that respect before I went back to heavier lifting. I’ve looked back at my training sessions and I was back to pre-surgery weights within 8 weeks. For context I currently barbell front squat 6-8 reps of body weight and was managing that within 8 weeks very comfortably. I have an S&C coach too so she was a great help when it came to adjusting my programme for post-surgery.

My protein intake during that time was about 1.8-2gx kg of body weight (up from 1.6-1.8g/kg).

I was pleasantly surprised by my recovery and that was with needing two full weeks off work due to feeling really tired and brain foggy post surgery. I also went back to this level of training with my surgeon being very happy for me to do so, and me feeling physically and mentally comfortable, and I think that’s really important. But hopefully it helps to read of an example of it being possible if the circumstances allow ☺️

Wishing you all the best for your surgery!

[Surfingblue in reply to Cold_swimmer]

Thank you so much for all this information, really helpful. I think the hardest part for me will be returning to the gym and gaining confidence to know when I'm healed enough to lift as I did pre surgery again.

[Cold_swimmer in reply to Surfingblue]

Not being afraid to start by cutting down the weight lots and taking my time building up through warm ups was key for my confidence. I only progressed up with weights once I’d done lighter sessions and felt ok the next day, so checking that I hadn’t inadvertently over done it, if that makes sense. Best wishes ☺️

[Surfingblue in reply to Cold_swimmer]

Thank you so much! Will definitely be sticking to light sessions initially!

[Cia12]

I was told 9 weeks by hospital physio as my Endo and surgery was extensive. When I did go back to weights at 9 weeks it caused quite a bit of pain, so be careful. Give your body time to heal. You can get back to where you were in terms of strength in time. For now it's time to heal. I found it frustrating, but now that I'm back to normal activities I'm glad I waited and didn't harm myself by doing too much too soon. Hope it all goes well x