Friday, October 19, 2012

Rehab Plan

Since I do get so many questions about rehab, you can see how I will rehab this injury first hand.

First off, it's the left hip flexor, but the right rectus femoris tendon is also still inflamed.

When I have a setback like this, the first thing I do mentally is ask myself "what can I improve on while I can't do X, Y, and Z?"

Right now, X, Y, and Z are mainly squatting and deadlifting.

So what can I get better at while I let those areas heal, and then break into rehab?

Well, my hams suck.  My upperback still needs to come way up if I want to pull 725+ in the next year.

I need do get serious about ab work (zzzzz).

Since I can't squat or pull, my recovery won't be taxed as hard, I can get more upperbody work in.

So for the next 6 weeks, here is the plan.

Plan of Action - 

Conditioning - Weighted Vest - Daily 30 mins

Day 1 - Pressing
Incline Press/Close Grips (alternate) - big-15 - goal of 315x15, 365x8 for incline, 315x20, 365x10 for close grips
Db Bench - 140's x amap goal of 20
Curls - 1x100

Day 2 - Back, Hamstrings 
Seated Cambered Bar Shrugs - 6x6
Pendlay Rows - 3x8 - goal of 315x8 for a REAL Pendlay row
Good Mornings/Stiff Legs (alternate) - 4x10/1x8-10 goal of 545x10 on stiffs
Leg Curls - 10,5,10

Day 3 - off

Day 4 - Pressing
PBN - big-15 goal of 275x8 on PBN
Db Press - 100 x amap goal of 110's x 20
Upright Rows - 1x100
Front Raises - 1x100

Day 5 - Repeat Back and Hamstring Day


Notes - As you can see, I have my routine and goals set.  I am just going to allow the quad pain to subside.  When it does, I will start with bodyweight squats, then to split squat, and finally to front squats, which is the movement the injury happened on.

When that happens, I'm now very aware that my quads are lagging in terms of strength and need to be brought up.  For my deadlift off the floor and my squat.  I very much use my adductors and ass for squatting, even though my quads obviously get work.  However they are definitely lagging behind a bit and I intend to get that remedied once I can front squat again.

8 comments:

  1. Paul,

    Can you do any quad work on the non-injured quad (left) leg? I read all the time about how, contrary to popular thought, strengthening the non-injured leg/arm/whatever can actually confer a significant percentage of the strength gained to the non-injured leg. (meaning, curling on only the left arm could bring the right arm's curling strength up 10-20% of whatever gains the left arm saw.).

    Could you do extensions on the non-injured leg? Or single leg-leg press on the non-injured leg? Or are both legs injured enough that knee extension is impossible without aggravating them?

    I think Jamie might even have done a post about this at some point? I think the fear of developing a strength imbalance is irrelevant also. Either way, at the end of your rehab your quads will be weaker than they are now. But if you work the non-injured side, you'll only have to bring up the injured side once you're all healed.

    just curious. Best of luck with the re-hab.

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    Replies
    1. Both legs are injured. I will let the pain subside first before I start anything.

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    2. Got it Paul. Best of luck man. I really look forward to learning from you documenting your rehab. Thanks in advance.

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  2. Paul,

    Why no chins or pulldowns is there a specific reason?

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    Replies
    1. Because I need more mid-back/trap/rhomboid work, not lat work.

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  3. Glad to see you are pushing Pendlay rows. Treating that movement like a main exercise has gotten my upper back so much stronger. I think it's the most important assistance for me to the big 3 outside of overhead press...if you can even call that assistance.

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  4. What kind of condtioning work can/will you do during the healing process? Or are you gonna give it a break altogether?

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    Replies
    1. I can still walk. So the weighted vest is still a go.

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