I posted on the Facebook group asking if their was any risks of lifting with an inguinal hernia and response from a surgeon that is part of the group explained that since lifting increases intra abdominal pressure lifting can increase the risk of strangulation.
Because I’m in Canada it’s gonna take some time to get this thing repaired. I have a surgical consult lined up, but the earliest I can get in is the end of October and who knows how long it will be till I actually go under the knife. I really do not want to go that long without training so I’m willing to take on a little risk but I’d like to minimize the likelihood of complications. My hernia has grown, presents lower the groin area and there’s has been discomfort though nothing I’d describe as pain.
Im wondering what exercises would be the ones to avoid and which would ones would be lower risk. I’m about to restart the beginners program and I’m looking for ideas to modify it as to continue training till I can get the surgery.
I’ve had 2 inguinal hernia repairs. Left side 20 years ago at age 37 and right side 2 years ago age 55. I started training again 14 months ago after a 10 year lay off. I started with SSLP for the first few months then moved into a self designed power building program. From there I am now in the power building group training…which by the way has already sparked new hypertrophy in the first 7 weeks! There are no issues with the earlier repair. I feel a dull soreness at new repair site where the mesh is. There is no weakness noted in that coughing while feeling entire area yields no bulging at all. Just a dull soreness after heavy training of squats, deadlifts and leg presses. I don’t let it mess with my head while training. Just wondering if anyone else has similar experience.
Also, are some exercises more prone to aggravate or cause a hernia? It seems like when I have tried to dabble in sumo deadlifts that they directv attack the area of the inguinal repair. Thanks in advance for any responses.
Engaging in resistance training isn’t really a risk factor for an inguinal hernia, though if you’re predisposed to them (genetics, obesity, previous hernia, etc.) they can occur during training sometimes. That said, both of your repairs are so long ago that barring a failure of the repair, I wouldn’t worry about it at all.
Any type of exercise that requires you to generate a high amount of force relative to your force production potential increases intraabdominal pressure. In other words, lightweights taken to near failure or heavy lifting all do this. If it were me, I’d probably skip squats and deadlifts taken to near failure (either low or high rep sets) and stick in the RPE 6-7 range for most efforts. That’s all just a made up recommendation, but it’s what I might do in addition to seeking counsel from your health care provider
Hey Jordan, thanks for the response. I guess seeing that there’s no research in this area, “made up” is about all you’re gonna get.
So, going forward with the Beginners Template, if I understand correctly. It doesn’t matter which exercises, but it’s the intensity. No matter the movement, if I’m straining hard enough It increases the risk?
Here’s my plan: With the Beginners Template cap the RPE to @7 and doing the prescribed rep range. So if it calls for 10@6x1, 10@7x1, and 10@8x2 instead I’ll do 10@6x1, 10@7x3. That way I’m keeping the volume but cutting the intensity. That sound like a plan?
I’d imagine that this isn’t going to be ideal for strength gain, but I guess my goal would be to just keep training to minimize and muscle loss while I wait to get the surgery.
I appreciate your response. I did have a congenital predisposition which led to my hernias. The doc told me when I got the first one that I would probably get one on the other side as well. I had not been training for years when I got the second one it just kind of started to pop a little and then during some heavy yard work I felt a tear or burning sensation. That is when I had in checked and repaired. The first one did occur during a period in my 30’s when I was training full out but it did not happen all at once or during a lift. It just kind of crept up on me.
With that said, I discussed this with my primary care doctor at my last physical. I asked about intraabdominal pressure and using a belt. He said he really wasn’t worried about intraabdominal pressure and was more concerned about intracranial as my father had a brain aneurysm. In general my doctor’s head explodes when I talk about lifting 300+ pounds and he can’t process the squat or deadlift and immediately starts talking about the bench press and what it does to your blood pressure. He recommends not going over body weight and just doing more reps. Obviously he is not a lifter. These are pretty much the same comments he made when I was in my 30’s prior to any hernia.
At the time of my last hernia surgery I discussed my plans to get back into heavy lifting with the surgeon. He did not seem to think there would be any limits once I was healed. But he was a real fast type who didn’t seem like he wanted to answer a lot of questions. I asked for his strongest repair but I am sure I got the same repair as the other 473 he did that year lol.
I was thinking of going back to see the surgeon to find out if there is a way to check the repair but more than half of me doesn’t want to know. Really my sensations are most likely related to the nerves that were cut during the surgery tweaking out.
Jordan, I love lifting and have committed to a long life of continuous progress and achieving goals. I understand that gains eventually become harder and harder to accrue and I am patiently in it for the long haul. At 57 I am still able to make gains and am getting more and more jacked thanks to coaches like you pushing me to increase the volume instead of decreasing it! That alone has made a huge difference. My testosterone level was 479 ng/dl last year when I had it checked.
OK, so I want you to take back the part about not going over RPE 6-7! I am goal and progress driven. A big part of what keeps me going is keeping my eye on the next PR. Granted I don’t know if I can even produce an RPE 10 effort anymore but I sure like to document and track all of my PR’s and move ever increasing weights in the gym. Can I still gain strength at RPE 6 and 7? I planned to do a strength template next after this 10 weeks of power building. Lower volume and higher weights will be a welcome change of pace. I would like to work in the 70-85% range followed by a short peaking or testing block where I can hit PR’s on the big lifts. After that maybe focus on hypertrophy then loop back around or re-evaluate. I guess I’m really not sure what I am asking you but I’m hitting send anyway.
PS: I thought I saw a strat or tele in the background of one of you podcasts. Do you play guitar?
Yea, I don’t think there’s any real reason to get evaluated unless you’re having significant symptoms that your primary care doc doesn’t feel comfortable weighing in on. If you are worried enough that this bothers you, I’d ask your PCP.
That’s awesome! Keep crushing it
Probably not the best way for increasing 1RM strength, however I wouldn’t recommend this RPE prescription for someone with 2 historical hernia repairs, but rather someone who is awaiting repair.
Yessir, it’s an American-made Strat. I am still very much a novice and don’t practice as much as I should. My musical background is in percussion and if I had the space and acoustic flexibility to have a drum kit, that’s what I’d have!
I’m glad to see you are working on Guitar. Drummers make great guitar players. I have been playing for most of my life. I have nice little collection of vintage Fender amps and some nice guitars as well.
It looks like I may have to re-evaluate and weigh the risk to benefit ratio for my lifting goals vs my conditions. From day 1 all I really cared about was Hypertrophy but along the way I learned that as a 145lb 5’8" guy (lean) to be as jacked as I wanted to be I would have to bump up to 175-185+ (lean). Through some knowledgeable mentors I learned that it meant taking up the squat and gaining strength and power to drive size. So for 25+ years I have studied this stuff and based my training philosophy around powerbuilding type methods. I was able to achieve my goal in my 30’s and early 40’s. 187lbs at 12% was my best and I was more than happy with that! Now after a 10 year lay off and 1 year back into training I would currently be a solid 170 lean if I lost 5-7lbs of fat. So I believe I am on the way back to my all time best if I am able to stick to plan for another 2 years or so. But, I have to find a way forward…Do I ignore your advice and keep pushing at RPE 8 and 9 like I have been for the past year or taper the RPE back and rethink my training methodology. I think it should be possible to keep packing on muscle with a more hypertrophy based approach to programming and periodization while limiting my exposure to RPE 8-9 work.
What advice would you give to get me thinking in the right direction?
Like I mentioned, I don’t think the advice I gave above pertains to you unless you have had a failure of the repair or a new hernia, both of which would require surgical revision. If your repair is fine and you don’t have a new hernia, you can train normally without consideration to your hernia history. So, if you’re worried I would get an evaluation by your doctor and then- pending a clear examination- I’d just train normally
