General Fitness Discussion thread

[the_alias]

Post your WoD here: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=69540
Related paleo threads here:
viewtopic.php?f=50&t=89061
viewtopic.php?f=50&t=89323&hilit=+paleo

Discussion should take place in this thread only. Quote a user and offer feedback, comments, questions.

Mocking is not allowed - we all start somewhere.

I will do my best to edit and add to the following sections as this thread develops.:

Book recommendations:

Program recommendations:

Exercise recommendations:
Getting the most out of pushups
One hundred pushup program

Infographic links
High Intensity training
Why carbs are killing you

Fitness links
Mobility Wod
Home made equipment
A bodyweight FAQ
Gym Jones - Recommended by Rugger as having good variety of workouts and reading.
Dan John's blog - Phil recommends for middle aged fitness practitioners
Bare foot lifts
Jim Wendler's Blog (Author of 5/3/1)
Coach Rip's site (Author of Starting Strength)

Feel free to suggest links, books, program and exercises

[the_alias]

Some suggestions for discussion:
Do you have concrete goals? (eg shed 50lbs in weight, run 5k etc)

What exercises are you focusing on?

What questions do you have for the more experienced people here?

What have you had success with?

Where are your weaknesses?

What are you doing to fix them?

[Regular Guy]

Some suggestions for discussion:
Do you have concrete goals? Maintain good cardio, Maintain good strength, do not worsen my chronic injuries (Do not create more injuries).

What exercises are you focusing on? Martial arts, kettle bells, plate weights, push ups, sit ups, squats and I was power walking 10-15 miles a week but I destroyed my thread mill. I'm going to replace it with a bike machine which should be easier on my knees/hips/feet. I also roller blade with my daughter about once a week for 2 hrs.

What questions do you have for the more experienced people here? None at the moment.

What have you had success with? Maintaining my weight, maintaining my cardio level which was never great but I can complete any distance I want it's just a matter of time. My strength is good as well even after I missed about a month due to a lung condition. Yes, I have spots in my lungs. I've worn the same pant size for the last 12 years. Yeah!

Where are your weaknesses? Yes, I have spots in my lungs. They seem to be non-cancerous but since they have developed I certainly have a harder time with cardio especially if I have a bad day. As always, my knees, shoulders, back and feet. I have chronic conditions with each. My diet is good but I could eat less. I over eat at get togethers.

What are you doing to fix them? I'm getting CT scans to monitor my lungs, backing off things that I know will cause discomfort with my chronics which will slow my whole routine, and I really need to slow down on social eating.

[wee drop o' bush]

Good thread

My goals are to loose 40lbs in the next 18 months.
Increase my running pace to below 60 minutes for 10k. (initial goal, when I reach this I'll reset my goal again)
Increase my stamina & muscle strength.

What I'm currently doing to achieve these goals:
Eating a healthy diet restricted to around 1,500-1,600 kcals/day.
Joined a running club & started attending their training sessions.
Listening to the clubs advice & following it when I run at home.

Weaknesses: I started running on my own 3 years ago & am stuck in a rut.
I've never really pushed myself pace wise and was concentrating only on distance. So I'm slow.
Edit: I'm Asthmatic with Type2 Diabetes. The Asthma is hindering my breathing when I run.

Strengths: I don't give up easily, don't get bored either.
Sprinting over short distances I'm much faster, so I know I have some potential.

How I'm fixing it: Diet & Exercise is enough to control my Diabetes.
Running & weightloss helps control both my Asthma & Diabetes.

Questions: any hints in how I can improve my stamina & breathing?
(apart from continued weightloss)

[phil_in_cs]

Current goals are pressing 155 and a DL of 400. To that end I am working more volume in the 80% of my 1 rep maxes, and will re-test maxes every 3-4 weeks.

There's considerable research that the amount of muscle mass a man has improves his quality of life past age 70. Since I'm a year out from 50 and it is very difficult to add mass past 60, I am also working some body building type exercises to get some bulk on for later in life. Dad is 89, and his weight is down from the ~200 I remember when I was a kid to near 160, and most of that loss is muscle. If he hadn't been in good shape physically before, he'd be bed ridden now.

[Chantrea]

Do you have concrete goals? (eg shed 50lbs in weight, run 5k etc)

I have met, for the most part, my weight loss goals (under 10 lbs to go) so I am concentrating on maintenance and fitness. Short term, I am training for a sprint triathlon in mid-August. My goal is to finish with a smile on my face. Couldn't care less if I'm the last one across the finish line (but know I won't be).

What exercises are you focusing on?
I am equally noobish at all three legs of the triathlon (but do have good endurance), so I am working on correct form for cycling and swimming, doing a couch-to-5k program to prep for running. I know that transitions are important so I'm focusing on the cycle-to-run block, which seems to be the most difficult for people (and for me too). Strength training wise I'm concentrating on core and upper body/shoulders (like most women, it's a major weak point for me).

What questions do you have for the more experienced people here?

Don't have any questions per se, but would love to hear other people's experiences with multisport!

What have you had success with?

Overcoming/sustaining freedom from binging. (At the risk of irritating some people here, yes, I do believe that this is on the spectrum of eating disorders, and given how severe/lengthy/extreme my case was, the treatment model worked very well for me. It was NOT all about putting down the cake.) Losing 92 lbs through the above plus exercise. Learning how to ignore the mockers/haters and just dive in and try things (when I started running/personal training, I was obese. Now I'm not. In the beginning, I got rude comments and stares from the people who wanted to be sure I knew they were dicks; now I blend in with everyone else, or might occasionally get rude stares but because of oafing, not people thinking they need to tell me how fat I am.) I have built an awesome support system. Changing the eating and moving more got me started, but to be honest my body did not truly begin to change (I just got smaller) until I started strength training. Now the difference is pretty unbelievable.

Where are your weaknesses?

I know that I will battle my compulsive inclinations towards food for the rest of my life. I also get bored easily and would rather chew my own arm off than do things like treadmills and the like. Upper body strength is not where I want it to be. Ab strength similarly not where I want it. I'm also very slooooooow, esp. in running and swimming (which probably means that I am inefficient).

What are you doing to fix them?

Re: the eating disorder: being real and honest with myself.
Re: the boredom: well, the biggest thing right now is dipping my toe into multisport, it's keeping me busy and engaged.
Re: strength; concentrating on those areas specifically 2x week with my trainer, and doing things like pullups/planks/yadda yadda every day pretty much.
Re: slowness; now that I'm confident and know my body can handle it I've been pushing myself a bit on speed. In a couple of weeks I'm going to take some swim lessons to improve my stroke (I'm a strong/endurance swimmer, but never took lessons beyond competancy when I was a kid) and then just practice practice practice.

[the_alias]

Do you have concrete goals? (eg shed 50lbs in weight, run 5k etc)
Not right now - general fitness is my aim. I suppose a concrete goal is to develop a good routine of bodyweight/non gym dependent exercises. I also want to be bouldering around a 6b-6c level.

What exercises are you focusing on?
Pushups, pullups, bodyweight squats, jump rope and other HIIT

What questions do you have for the more experienced people here?
Core and leg strength outside of a gym and Deadlifts or Back Squating?

What have you had success with?
Crossfit exposed me to something I'd missed since I played rugby. I have my own issues with it now and am not attending an affiliate but I had decent success with it. HIIT has given me good successes.

Where are your weaknesses?
Traditional strength.

What are you doing to fix them?
Adding weights to pushups and pullups.

[Tater Raider]

Thanks for starting this thread. I like the idea and will particpate.

Do you have concrete goals? (eg shed 50lbs in weight, run 5k etc)

Weight: 170 lbs (77 Kg / 12 st, 2 lbs), currently at 226, began at 257.
A1C: <5.5%, currently <6% from high of 6.3%
Fitness:

• Walking (2012): Kate Shelly trail in 1 day, ~25 miles (40 Km)
• Bicycling (2013 and 2014, respectively): Complete a 200km Brevet (124 miles, 13½ hour time limit) and a mock bug-out, self-contained RAGBRAI (7 day cross-state, distance varies according to route but will include a century (100 mile day))
• Canoeing (2013 and no set date, respectively): Solo paddle 25 miles in a single day and do a self-contained canoe camping trip to BWCA

What exercises are you focusing on?

Walking and canoeing at this time, primarily walking.

What questions do you have for the more experienced people here?

None at this time.

What have you had success with?

Just getting out and walking has helped me lose 30 pounds in about a year! I'm also slowly decreasing my carb intake in accordance with A1C blood test results and it's moving in the right direction, down.

Where are your weaknesses?

Consistancy, seriously. I need to make a schedule and stick to it. Also, weather is an issue with canoeing, especially in the winter.

What are you doing to fix them?

Exersize schedule will be drawn up to begin July 1st with 2 days each of bicycling, walking, and canoeing (rain or shine) and 3 days/week of strength training. That seems like a lot but I'm capable of it so will start slow and grow slow, then reassess at the end of the year.

Come winter I may purchase a rowing machine to replace canoeing.

[Biggin]

Do you have concrete goals? (eg shed 50lbs in weight, run 5k etc)
-General fitness and "the look." I want to be happy to take my shirt off and have confidence in doing so

What exercises are you focusing on?
-"Show Muscles" and core. I do a lot of pushups and core exercises. Curls, shoulders, and triceps too. I am trying to start doing some explosive kettlebell workouts as well. I'm looking for good ways to get rid of love handles as well

What questions do you have for the more experienced people here?
-I just want more exercise ideas honestly. I also need to motivate myself more. The progress was fast and easy to see when I lost weight, but adding definition seems to come more slowly.

What have you had success with?
-Well I lost 60lbs in a year so there's that.

Where are your weaknesses?
-Consistency and motivation. I would like to be able to workout in the mornings, but my schedule is all fucked up at the moment. I gotta get that sorted out. Right now I have been doing stuff in the middle of the day. Maybe once I start my job and get into a routine, I can add morning workouts.

What are you doing to fix them?
-Thinking about it really but I haven't taken direct action. I suppose I could make a schedule. I'm sure that would help.

[cautiousdan]

Do you have concrete goals? (eg shed 50lbs in weight, run 5k etc)
Would like to lose weight until I'm at 210 lbs. I currently weigh 235 and I started out at 255. Would also like to improve my core lifts: squat, bench, deadlift.

What exercises are you focusing on?
Squat, deadlift, bench, press
High intensity interval work and occasional 30 or 60 minute runs

What questions do you have for the more experienced people here?
What exercises or stretches would you suggest to improve squat depth, flexibility and technique.

What have you had success with?
Couch to 5k. Rippetoe's "starting strength" program. Paleo diet.

Where are your weaknesses?
Cheating on my diet can be tempting as I am trying not to eat gluten or many other carbs and I miss mexican food, cookies, donuts and soda. It's hard for me to get motivated sometimes to do cardio. I love lifting but running isn't so much fun for a big guy like me.

What are you doing to fix them?
Eating clean and staying motivated. I track all my workouts on a calendar to motivate myself to not take too many days off. This works consistently at keeping me from taking more than my alloted 2 rest days a week.

[phil_in_cs]

What questions do you have for the more experienced people here?
What exercises or stretches would you suggest to improve squat depth, flexibility and technique.

The mobility WOD the_alias linked earlier has a number of great exercises for this. You mentioned Starting Strength - did you get the DVD or just the book? The DVD shows more clearly how to squat and Coach Rip is also correcting the lifters for various issues you might also have.

Lastly, in addition to normal back squats, try adding goblet squats. Go all the way down - ass to ankles - and get used to the feeling and depth.

[cautiousdan]

The mobility WOD the_alias linked earlier has a number of great exercises for this. You mentioned Starting Strength - did you get the DVD or just the book? The DVD shows more clearly how to squat and Coach Rip is also correcting the lifters for various issues you might also have.

Lastly, in addition to normal back squats, try adding goblet squats. Go all the way down - ass to ankles - and get used to the feeling and depth.

I bought the book "starting strength" and the more advanced one "Practical programming". I did not know there was a DVD. Darn you Phil! Now I have to buy that too. Seriously though Rippetoe's explanations are awesome. I'm going to start checking out that "mobility wod" on my next weekend when I have a good block of time to watch some videos. My flexibility isn't terrible, it's just not to where I'm happy with it yet. Thanks for the suggestions. I may try the goblet squats with a greatly reduced weight or an empty bar the next time I squat.

Another thing that might be affecting my depth is the fact that previously I was squatting in running shoes(I know, I know it's not optimal) I've gotten myself a pair of Chuck Taylor's and I'm going to try using those out. They're supposed to be good for lifting due to the simplicity, lack of squishiness and lack of lift at the heel.

[Rugger]

Phil and alias, an interesting site to check out is gymjones.com. It's a pretty hardcore training site that has some great workouts, as well as some GREAT reads on fitness philosophy. It's the same guy/place that got the actors in 300 into such awesome shape. And it was all done using primitive methods and diets. Good stuff.

[DJH]

My goals are to lower my body fat percentage from current (about 25-27%) to 17% or below. To lose the fat on my midsection - I have been sober 13 years and still have a bit of a beer belly. All my fat is making a concentrated last stand there it seems. I also want to increase my upper body strength, endurance, lung capacity, and cardio health.

I start out with about 5 minutes of various stretches to limber up, then do 50 jumping jacks, 25 crunches (slowly increasing this number as they become easier), & 25 pushups as a warm up. I then do several different free weight excercises (30 reps each in 10 rep sets, varying weight depending on the movement) for the upper body (Arms, midsection, shoulders, etc.) After this, I hop on the exercise bike and do 30 minutes of training in the cardio setting, trying to maintain a heart rate of about 148bpm (the suggested rate for my age.) From there I walk about half a mile to cool down. This is my daily regimen so far. Two days a week I also train in a combat Jiu-jutsu dojo, about 1-2 hours a day. Nutrition wise, I cook. This does not mean using a microwave. I eat very little processed food and make most of my meals from scratch or very near scratch. I have cut my caloric intake from near 3k a day to about 1800 a day.

My questions for the people with more experience - Is there a way to target the fat middle more than anywhere else? And are there any exercises specifically designed to increase endurance? Anything that has worked for you as far as lowering body fat percentage?

I have had a lot of success with increasing my lung capacity. My lungs were severely damaged by fumes from C-16 racing fuel at a previous job. It has been almost 5 years now and I no longer need inhalers or have "bad lung days" - At first on the cycles I could only go about 10 minutes before having massive coughing fits & a burning lung feeling. I kept at it, and eventually coughed up some pretty nasty crap for about a week, and after that it was like breaking through a wall - Suddenly I could breathe again. I was able to do 15 minutes the next week, shot for 20 and made it the week after that, and so on, to the point I'm at now. My cardio & respiratory health has increased tremendously thanks to this, and I really couldn't be happier.

My weaknesses are in my upper body - I never had much strength in my arms etc. - I was a Soccer player. My body has been very disproportionate since jr. high, I have massive legs and lower body strength. Also, I fear I have a genetic pre-disposition to bad joints (thanks pops.) so I worry about doing high-impact things like running. I also love food, which is never any good for someone trying to lose fat (I say fat, not weight, because I honestly do not care how much I weigh in at if it's muscle and not fat.) As far as weight goes, at my worst, I have weighed 280lbs. At best, about 230. If we're talking losing weight being the same thing as losing fat, I wouldn't mind weighing in around 220-215, but at the moment I weigh in at around 250 (I am 6'1" for you BMI types. I don't hold much faith in BMI however as by that standard I am obese, and that is very much not the case. I do not have man boobs, nor arm flaps, and I can see my junk when I look down without the use of mirrors.)

Like stated above in my daily routine, I'm targeting upper body muscle with my weightlifting regimen. I do maybe one leg day a week just for maintenance purposes. I try to protect my joints by finding lower impact exercises that have similar outcomes to running exercises.

[phil_in_cs]

Phil and alias, an interesting site to check out is gymjones.com. It's a pretty hardcore training site that has some great workouts, as well as some GREAT reads on fitness philosophy. It's the same guy/place that got the actors in 300 into such awesome shape. And it was all done using primitive methods and diets. Good stuff.

It is a good site, though you always must keep in mind those guys were paid to workout full time to get into shape. What works for them as a full time job and what works for us who get a couple hours a week may not match up. It's like saying "Micheal Phelps says he eats 10,000 calories a day of bacon cheeseburgers and onion rings, so I can eat that and get ripped too". Phelps does say he eats a giant amount, including very high fat items, but he says he does that when he's in the water swimming 10 hours a day.


Other blogs I read:
http://danjohn.net/ Dan John is a coach and strength athlete, competing in highland games at age 53. His stuff is very relevant to me since he talks quite a bit about working out through middle age and beyond.

http://barefootfts.com/ barefoot fitness, some retired navy special ops guys

http://rosstraining.com/blog/ Ross Training, great body weight exercises and jump rope.

http://www.jimwendler.com/category/blog/ Jim Wendler on power lifting

http://startingstrength.com/ Coach Rip

Intensity is the key, and any workout you actually do is better than some theoretical workout you talk about.

[phil_in_cs]

My questions for the people with more experience - Is there a way to target the fat middle more than anywhere else? And are there any exercises specifically designed to increase endurance? Anything that has worked for you as far as lowering body fat percentage?

Nope. If anything actually worked, you wouldn't see so many different plans and gizmos claiming to work. You can do crunches all day long and have strong muscles under the fat, but the way to lose the fat is don't each so much.

I am very lean and muscular hips down and rib age up, but like you the roll around the middle is a problem. If I lost 15lbs, it would vanish, though. The question is only "how bad do I want to lose the weight?" Going from 240 to 190 was easy; 190 to 180 difficult, and I can only imaging getting under 170 is going to be that much harder.

[phil_in_cs]

I may try the goblet squats with a greatly reduced weight or an empty bar the next time I squat.

Coach Rip says to always start with an empty bar, 10 reps. Part of that is simple warm up, but another is to get a feel for proper depth and form. Lots of guys do half or even quarter squats, and don't get that important depth.

For goblet squats, start w/ a 20lb dumb bell and see how it goes. They are way more difficult than you'd think.

[sigboy40]

Do you have concrete goals? (eg shed 50lbs in weight, run 5k etc)
I dont have hobbies, I have a robust post apocalyptic skill set
I have several concrete goals:
1)Maintain 10-15% body fat (currently 14%) ideally 12%
-Part of this is not worrying about my weight, in the last few years I have put on about ten pounds of muscle, and three months I go I put on five in six weeks. However, I know that 208-217 is the same as 10-15% body fat.
2)Max an Army PT test (been a goal for several years, getting closer to reality)
3)Start running in the mud/spartan/hello kitty/warrior/extreme runs you see advertised all over the place.
4)Maintain the Army Infantryman standard of a 12 ruck march with a 45 lb pack in 3 hours.

Simply put, be functionally fit.

What exercises are you focusing on?
I do a lot of body weight exercises, I dont use weight for much other then my arms and some specific exercises.
I like to fucus on my version of the five basic exercises:
1)Push ups
2)Pull ups
3)Lunges
4)Squats
5)Crunches

Combine that with cardio, jump rope, runs, ruck marches, and you are all set.

This covers all the basics and makes a well rounded workout if you do all of them..

What questions do you have for the more experienced people here?

What have you had success with?
100 push up challenge, it gives me a set push up routine, reps and rest periods. I bounce back and forth on weeks 5/6, at the hard level, and it keeps my pushups strong. I started it a few years ago and have been consistently doing it 3x week since.

Where are your weaknesses?
I dont like recovery periods and rest days. I am very injury prone when I overtrain, and I know it, but I like to keep going and push the limit.
I'm also smart enough to know that if I do it properly, I will be better in the long run.

I also have a hard time working on conditioning without a training partner. Its hard to truly push myself without somebody else.

Finding a like minded training partner is not an easy thing, everybody wants to go shoot, or do short fun hikes, or small workouts.
Finding someone who is willing to push it to failure is hard, hell, I'd be happy with one partnered work out a week at this point.

Last, and most important is diet! I eat pretty much whatever I want. If I want chips and dip, I eat chips and dip. My wife can bake, with a realistic goal of her own cupcake shop. She is such an awesome baker, that I turned into a snob! I can t eat store bought stuff anymore. ON days that she is baking, I do two workouts to burn off all the suger she feeds me. Ironically, her from scratch recipes dont effect me like store bought junk food does. Probably no preservatives.
I know that if I eat better I could maintain 10% body fat instead of bouncing between 10 and 15.

What are you doing to fix them?
I try to watch what I eat.
I take my rest days.
I try to mix up my workouts.
I try to let my body heal when I feel an injury coming.

[thebigstick]

Just wanted to add a link for you guys that are always near your phone or iPod. There is an app called myfitnesspal.com that has really been helping me these last two months. It is a free calorie counter and extersize tracker. You input what you eat and it gives you the daily values and calories of each item, it has a large online and off line library of foods and extersizes. It's available on the iTunes app store and on the android market. Oh and did I mention it's free. Hope it helps some of you out there like it has me. -TBS

[DJH]

My questions for the people with more experience - Is there a way to target the fat middle more than anywhere else? And are there any exercises specifically designed to increase endurance? Anything that has worked for you as far as lowering body fat percentage?

Nope. If anything actually worked, you wouldn't see so many different plans and gizmos claiming to work. You can do crunches all day long and have strong muscles under the fat, but the way to lose the fat is don't eat (fixed) so much.

You know, I tell people that too (about the abs) although I do it humorously, tell them "I hide my glorious abs under this layer of fat to keep you all from being jealous" but yeah, there is truth to that. That's also why I cut the calories while still trying to bulk the muscle, I figured it would burn the fat instead but it's not working that great. I think I'm stuck with it. Not gonna quit tho.

[phil_in_cs]

My questions for the people with more experience - Is there a way to target the fat middle more than anywhere else? And are there any exercises specifically designed to increase endurance? Anything that has worked for you as far as lowering body fat percentage?

Nope. If anything actually worked, you wouldn't see so many different plans and gizmos claiming to work. You can do crunches all day long and have strong muscles under the fat, but the way to lose the fat is don't eat (fixed) so much.

You know, I tell people that too (about the abs) although I do it humorously, tell them "I hide my glorious abs under this layer of fat to keep you all from being jealous" but yeah, there is truth to that. That's also why I cut the calories while still trying to bulk the muscle, I figured it would burn the fat instead but it's not working that great. I think I'm stuck with it. Not gonna quit tho.

I have 6 pack abs, but they are in a cooler under 2" of insulation.

reducing weight while increasing muscle mass is possible, but slow. Some people (Dan John, for example, linked above) recommend treating them as separate problems and doing them in separate phases. John does a month long blitz diet annually while doing only minimal lifting to maintain muscle. He will lose 15 to 25lbs in that month, and then regain it over the year. I don't know that it is a healthy plan, but it works for him. He's 53, and can throw the hammer and caber at highland games as far as the young guys.

For me, I try to stay on sustainable programs. I am not nearly as worried as where I will be in 30 days as I am about 30 years, and I approach all programs with the idea of "could I do this for 30 years?". That eliminates the blitz diets. I am up to about 190, and my notes show I was at 180 a year ago. I am the strongest I've ever been though, and my cardio is decent. I am cool with where I am though I have to work to stay here.

[DarkAxel]

Do you have concrete goals?

Long term: Meet APFT minimums for my age group

Short term: Lose 30lbs and keep it off by the end of the year. So far I've lost 15lbs of real weight (vs water weight)

What exercises are you focusing on?

Walking, running, situps, pushups.

What questions do you have for the more experienced people here?

My fitness regimen was derailed by hernias. I have an inguinal hernia and an umbilical hernia. What exercises can I do in the meantime to make allowances for my injury?

What have you had success with?

cutting back on soda drinking, cutting back on beer drinking, eating more fresh vegetables, smaller portion sizes, and daily exercise.

Where are your weaknesses?

If I skip exercise one day I'm liable to skip the next. I have unhealthy eating habits and an overall unhealthy lifestyle I'm trying to change.

What are you doing to fix them?

I've picked up a training buddy that is very motivated and motivates me. I'm also changing my diet and getting more active overall.

[the_alias]

Just wanted to add a link for you guys that are always near your phone or iPod. There is an app called myfitnesspal.com that has really been helping me these last two months. It is a free calorie counter and extersize tracker. You input what you eat and it gives you the daily values and calories of each item, it has a large online and off line library of foods and extersizes. It's available on the iTunes app store and on the android market. Oh and did I mention it's free. Hope it helps some of you out there like it has me. -TBS

Part of my job is reviewing these kind of apps from time to time and honestly I can say the most useful app I've seen is Endomondo Pro because it has a built in interval training functionality. Perfect for interval training and if you like the whole upload online database thing. You can build your own programs on it as well.

[phil_in_cs]

What questions do you have for the more experienced people here?

My fitness regimen was derailed by hernias. I have an inguinal hernia and an umbilical hernia. What exercises can I do in the meantime to make allowances for my injury?

A direct answer is out of my league and I will point you to an MD. Be sure to see a doc that practices sports medicine, and there's so much information out there MD's have to keep up with they are often very specialized. A guy that might operate on your hernia might know how to fix it, but refer you to someone else for rehab. That rehab person might not know the longer term issues.