Tag: gym results

Gym results: Overcoming strength loss from dermatomyositis

Posted on Posted in autoimmunity, dermatomyositis, dermatomyositis, symptoms, treatmentsTagged , ,

Between February and late June 2018, I lost on average 43 percent of my upper body strength from a combination of dermatomyositis and the corticosteroids my doctor’s prescribed me. Since then, after figuring out the right combination of medications and regularly working out, I am proud to say that even at 40 years old, I am almost as strong as I was at 33.

Muscle2018 Loss of Strength (Percent)Gain Since 2018 Loss (Percent)
Triceps40.9200
Biceps45.8160
Deltoids33.3200
Trapezius45.8230
Pectorals52300+

Overcoming the litany of excuses

Regardless of your health, just getting to the gym three to four days per week is an exercise in self-motivation. The older we get, it’s easier to make excuses: Demanding jobs. Physical aging. Rush hour traffic. Parenting. Marriage. We even had COVID gym shutdowns to blame.

We also become more comfortable and confident in our own skin, and the vanity of our youth fades. We would rather go home and crack a beer or a box of cookies than subject ourselves to hard work and pain.

Still, even in my late thirties, even among some of the toughest months of my life, instead of making excuses, I found motivation.

Finding motivation

Like many athletes, I was always naturally drawn to the endorphins and dopamine both during and following a hard workout. I also admit my own vanity and childless, single life play a role in me wanting to be fit. I want to look good naked. I want to be happy with the person I see in the mirror.

Dermatomyositis, however, renewed my motivation. Even when my symptoms were at their worst, I wanted to be at the gym. I feared if I stopped working out, my dermatomyositis would destroy me from within. I feared weak pectoral and diaphragm muscles would make breathing difficult again.

Getting stronger every day

So, I committed to getting stronger every day. I stopped comparing myself to others at the gym. I incorporated more cardio to keep my diaphragm muscles in shape. I wanted to be the best version of myself I can be—despite dermatomyositis. My results speak for themselves:

February 1, 2018June 28, 2018June 28, 2025
ActivityReps / Weight (lbs.)Reps / Weight (lbs.)Reps / Weight (lbs.)
Bench Press10 / 13510 / 6512 / 110
Bicep Curls10 / 110 (one armed)10 / 65 (two armed)20 / 100 (one armed)
Lateral Deltoid Raises12 / 30 (15 each arm)8 / 20 (10 each arm)12/30 (15 each arm)
One-Arm Dumbbell Row12 / 6010 / 45N/A
Seated Cable Row10 / 12010 / 6010 / 140
Push-ups20 / 2151 / 21530 / 208

Understanding your limits

I realize that I am far more fortunate than many with autoimmune diseases. Some have trouble picking up objects from the floor or getting dressed in the morning. Others are left essentially with only physical therapy types of exercises.

But even I cannot do things I used to. Leaning over to do one-arm dumbbell rows triggers inflammation in my chest that feels like a combination of heartburn and somebody pressing my sternum. So, instead, I found seated exercises using weight machines to strengthen my trapezius.

I also tore my hamstring a couple years ago playing kickball. Despite it healing, it’s never been the same. To keep from aggravating it, I limit the frequency and mass of weights I use.

Your best version of yourself

For those of you with debilitating symptoms, your best version of yourself may even preclude you from going to the gym. Nobody is insisting you need to. Just find ways to be better than the person you were yesterday, mentally and physically. No matter your state, you can find ways to thrive.

I am proof that you can overcome your condition instead of letting it define you.

Skeletal muscle mass—still getting stronger, despite dermatomyositis

Posted on Posted in autoimmunity, dermatomyositis, dermatomyositis, symptomsTagged , ,

Despite having dermatomyositis—my condition in which my immune system is attacking my skin and muscles—I’m still getting stronger. My skeletal muscle mass and body fat mass is better than I expected.

body mass index body fat mass skeletal muscle mass dermatomyositis
Despite battling dermatomyositis, my body fat mass is right where it should be and my skeletal muscle mass is above average. I’m even stronger than I was a couple months ago.

Saturday, my girlfriend and I went to the Nutrishop in Tempe to stock up on workout supplements and enter ourselves into a competition. The $1000 shopping spree goes to he or she who loses the most weight and grows their skeletal muscle.

I don’t need to lose weight, but I am trying to gain muscle. I already work out five days a week, so why not enter? Even if I don’t win, it costs me nothing. Plus, these creatine and stimulant supplements essential for fighting my disease are expensive.

Much to my surprise, my numbers came back very good. My body fat mass is right where it should be and my skeletal muscle mass is above average. In short, I’m stronger and healthier than I sometimes feel.

Gym Results: Evidence of Dermatomyositis

Posted on Posted in autoimmunity, dermatomyositis, dermatomyositis, symptomsTagged , , , , ,

A few weeks ago, my gym results were the only way I knew dermatomyositis caused my muscles to progressively weaken. Between February and late June, I lost almost half my upper body strength.

Muscle Loss of Strength (Percent)
Triceps 40.9
Biceps 45.8
Deltoids 33.3
Trapezius 45.8
Pectorals 52

My Gym Results

I have never been the strongest guy in any room. Standing 6’5”, built more like a wide receiver than a linebacker, most of my strength is in my legs. Before tearing and repairing my meniscus, I could leg press over 700 pounds.

But with a high metabolism and a sprinter’s frame, upper body strength has never been natural for me. I worked my ass off in the gym four to five days a week during my twenties just to have a body that halfway looked and felt like a man’s.

My peak strength came in summer 2016, aged 31. Since then, between work, age, and inconsistency, my strength dropped a bit. Since February, it fell off a cliff. By June, one push-up seemed impossible.

February 1, 2018 June 28, 2018
Activity Reps / Weight (lbs.)
Reps / Weight (lbs.)
Bench Press 10 / 135 10 / 65
Bicep Curls 10 / 110 10 / 65
Lateral Deltoid Raises 12 / 30 (15 each arm) 8 / 20 (10 each arm)
One-Arm Dumbbell Row 12 / 60 10 / 45
Seated Cable Row 10 / 120 10 / 60
Push-ups 20 / 215 1 / 215

Getting Stronger Every Day

With numbers like these, I have to be careful not to give up, to compare myself to the gym rats and roid ragers. I can only be who I can be.

When I look at stronger men at the gym, I remind myself my immune system is attacking my muscles, theirs is not. Worse, most anti-autoimmune drugs also induce muscle weakness. While they do reduce muscle inflammation, their benefits are almost immediately canceled out.

But the people at my gym barely notice. Some are weaker than me. I doubt those stronger care. In fact, two have even helped spot me while I embarrass myself at the bench press. They even offered sympathy for my disease.

Since June, I’ve made progress. I workout four to five days a week. I eat a high-protein, creatine-supplemented diet. I’ve gained strength in several muscle groups. Compared to my numbers in the right column above, I can do more reps with more weight.

June 28, 2018 October 15, 2018
Activity Reps / Weight (lbs.) Reps / Weight (lbs.)
Bench Press 10 / 65 10 / 75
Bicep Curls 10 / 65 10 / 85
Lateral Deltoid Raises 8 / 20 (10 each arm) 12 / 20 (10 each arm)
One-Arm Dumbbell Row 10 / 45 12 / 55
Seated Cable Row 10 / 60 10 / 90
Push-ups 1 / 215 5 / 215

Those five push-ups are sloppy, to say the least, but for now, it’s progress.