Quote Originally Posted by emily_in_nc View Post
I remember that! Jack LaLane was in amazing shape. Can you do planks at all? I am guessing no, with your shoulders. But not sure what other isometric hold you are referring to. Enlighten me?
Isometric exercises are those exercises that contracts the muscle without changing either angle of the joint or the length of the muscle. There are different approaches to isometric exercises for strength, and at least for my upper body, there is really only one approach that seems safe.

It's simply this. Intentionally contract the muscle and hold it without moving it once it's contracted. Sounds very simple, but I know of someone who lost no muscle tone after enduring a lengthy period in a body cast. All he was capable of doing were these isometric holds (as my trainer calls them)- for his entire body - and focused on that as often as he could. Now I'm not in HIS situation, and I'm weight bearing in other ways fortunately. Other good examples are things like squats, lunges, and push-ups. I can do the first two as much as my knees allow, I won't attempt push-ups (pain) - planks are actually better (no pain) and I think that's because there is no movement.I THINK I can also do this against a wall if I can find the right angle - basically a plank against the wall. That might actually be kinder than doing it on the floor as my entire bodyweight wouldn't be involved.

Good link to a broader discussion of isometric exercise in general. You will note a reference to certain activities that by their nature are isometric - including mountain biking, climbing, and skiing You will also note a discussion on a wider range of isometric exercises than what I mention above, but I'm focusing on options that might at least help me slow down the loss of upper body strength without hurting myself further.

Frankly, if my left shoulder weren't so *&*%^$@% arthritic, I think I would be more likely to allow them to fix the shoulder with the torn tendons. As that isn't the case, I will wait until/unless I lose more function in the torn shoulder because it's STILL more functional than the arthritic one - and I live alone.