Hi everyone - My surgery was August 18th, and things have gone pretty well. My surgeon cleared me for all exercise last Tuesday, and I've joined a gym. I'm thinking about starting with StrongLifts or Starting Strength, but have heard concerns about linear progression programs and required calorie intake. Has anyone else tried these programs post-surgery? What do I need to watch out for?

Good question. I don't know, My thoughts (guess) are the more calories you burn the better, at least until you run out of fat reserves.

Thanks. Appreciate the response. I was just concerned about my body's ability to recover because these can be fairly rigorous programs. So far, doing pretty great with the working out, but my endurance has been a little disappointing. I'll improve that though if I stick with it.

Edited October 27, 201411 yr by billw0917

You might find yourself sore for a little longer than you ordinarily would but beyond that I doubt there's much to fear. A lot of the problem with lifting and the corresponding nutritional advice is that it is mostly discussed by people who have been doing this for years and are trying to eek out 2 pounds of muscle mass in 3 months. For someone just starting out, you will make progress...I don't care what you eat (or don't). I'm no expert but my best advice would be to watch for drop offs. For example, if you bench 275 and the next time you go back to the gym you can only do 250 then you should back off a bit. Soreness will tell a lot of the story too. I've always heard that novice lifters shouldn't hit muscle groups when they're still screaming from the last workout and I tend to agree. Just listen to your body.