I agree with @SimonInEdinburgh, it’s certainly worth testing that out.
And why do I seem to recall us discussing something similar just a few weeks ago…hmm 
Only teasing, but we did discuss you taking a week off from the strength training.
Why not leave the weights out altogether and concentrate more on the stretching and balance for a while. So more Tai Chi, light yoga, walking, exercise bike, that sort of thing. Concentrate more on taking and balancing your own body weight naturally.
Thanks for the advice and reply wish i had your optimism about stroke recovery i fill my anxiety driven couriosity with questions the more i know the better i feel and more tools for recovery i aquire everything is useful to me excercise tips points of view thanx much really appreciated @ bobbi
Derek,
I go easy on stroke muscles ; I can’t do anything like the workout level that you do. I have tried doing nothing for a week, as per Simon’s suggestion. It’s a very interesting experiment, and it gave / gives my body time to recover, and dissipate all sorts of aches and pains … the gentle approach is the friendly approach, and a week off will not be long enough for muscles to wither away.
In my case week off or on I still get locked glute every other day. Today is locked glute, but nothing like the severity it used to be. Good luck, Roland
@pando @EmeraldEyes
I’ll take you and Simon’s advice. I can use a good rest and catch up on my reading, painting and trying to play piano. You guys are the Bee’s Knees. 
Yeh, you said just that before Christmas, I’ll believe it when I see it
Lorraine, walking past a gym with weights is like a child walking past a toy store for me.
So you need your daddy to scoop you up quick and cover your eyes as he rushes past that particular toy store 
But I know what you mean 
And you seem a bit brighter today 
Yesterday morning I spent probably 30 mins stretching while lying on my bed. Then few mins of squats, standing on tip toes, holding straight leg, hand grip.
I haven’t spent that amount of time before.
Definitely helped me, even it seemed much later in the day. I think the movement is more important than the effort ?
Derek @Outlander
I’ve bookmarked this post with a one week timer on it.
When the timer expires I’ll post some new thoughts (If I’m still on here). I don’t expect that they’ll be anything that you couldn’t dream up or probably even you already know now - maybe an extrinsic link to someone else will be a bit of a helping or guiding hand?
Re your child with toys analogy - maybe think of it has a favourite being sent for repair?
You can do like others have suggested and do balance or dexterity How about a week of brush holding or working towards it if that still doesn’t work .
I downloaded a painting by numbers program yesterday for I have vowed to only operate right handed. I am very clumsy and it is very frustrating touching the right area of the screen, expanding or contracting the image because a pinch and its opposite are really not things my fingers would do yesterday I may anticipating but at the end of the week a pinch and an unpinch will be easier - if I remember to report back I will.
I’m hoping this painting by numbers will be the enabler for eating dinner with a knife and fork and using a keyboard two hand it. I have a little interest in painting by numbers but great interest in calligraphy. Right handed calligraphy is so much easier with wet ink laid down to the left of the moving nib.
A ship tacks to sail into the wind. I think I post a stroke progress could be described as sailing into the prevailing wind?
Ciao
Simon
Simon: good thoughts my friend. I’m going to try to stand and do things most of the day. I tend to sit at the computer too long. I’m still shopping for chromebooks or large tablets so I can zoom with you guys. My old laptop died. I have a lovely desktop with a 32 inch monitor for my artwork. It has no zoom capabilities though.
Needs a mic and camera.
I used to love calligraphy and did wedding invitations for friends and family as well as award certificates. Now my calligraphy looks like something a Klingon would do.
I can eat with my affected hand but my elbow makes it hard to get the food up to my mouth.
I do hope your hand will come back strong. A big thing over here is colored pencils
and various colored pencil books to fill in. Do you think that would help? Not sure how bad your hand is.
Can you open and close your hand to a fist? Before I go to sleep I open and close my hand many times and then first thing in the morning. And I mentally focus on it.
As far as that ship goes…give me a motor boat Simon.
I did colouring by numbers with my affected hand. Was very slow & not very pretty but it did help me get the use of my hand back.
Hello mrs5k , pertaining to colours by number did you use an app on phone or tablet?.where you can use touch feature?
@Flashtron I used a colouring book & pencil crayons…the old fashioned way. An app never even crossed my mind 
Now you folks in the UK know that colour is really spelled Color…No?
It hasn’t been spelt c o l o r here since the 16th century.
You guys might catch up eventually…
And yes those colour and books and pencils are common here and I’ve got an big collection of graphic art material.
I’m starting with the app because I have got the capability to grasp the pencil yet
Ciao
Simon
You can do it my friend…keep at it. repetition is key.
Tee hee…how did we forget
Derek @Outlander
Just checking that you are resisting the toys and giving us the chance to confirm/ deny the causal link to your spasticity
Ciao
Simon
I think it will take a week to see results, so my family doctor says (saw him on Thursday). He is in agreement about no weights. Try to stand as much as possible, use the recumbent bike, and treadmill ( I hate the boring treadmill). Some kind of Tai Chi: and I like to invent my own moves to music.
I can use very easy resistance bands light and many slow reps.
So…I will report back.
Amazon is delivering a nice Chromebook this week and I’ll try to set it up for Zoom.
All the best; Derek in New Jersey.
I am 11 months post. My left side affected. I have improved but still have spasticity in my left leg and wear a brace. Left hand still really stiff. I exercise every single day with a tension band. I have real bad pain in my shoulder. I was a weight lifter and had a sore shoulder before my stroke. Obviously the stroke has exacerbated the pain. Every day is a struggle to fight fit. Hopefully it will improve. Speaking ro people and in company mentally exhausting also. New year, new target.
Joe