(covers sessions on 9/15, 9/17, and 9/22)
Hello, yes I have been bad in keeping up with my blog posts. Blame it on work. I've quite the busy bee lately. I only have one more session left on this prescription and it's just in time. Today was a good day. My physio cleared me to start practicing and scrimmaging! YAAAAAAY! I can't believe it. The last 3 sessions have been pretty much the same, but with more and more agility ladder. Since I seem to handle that without much pain and no swelling I am ready to get back out there to really test out my knee. Hopping on a little ladder is no substitute for the real thing. I am a bit nervous because my side steps are still not as strong as I want them to be, but the aide says to keep practicing them everyday so I get stronger.
My fitness is no where near game ready so some movement on the field will be great. I can't believe it's almost been 4 months since I put on my cleats and suited up for a game. I'm a bit anxious about getting out there. I remember when I came back from my last knee surgery I did not have pain, but it felt weird. Just a bit weak I suppose. I'll take weird over pain any day. There are no more mini-gols for me. It's time for the real GOL, which is getting out there and scoring one. So I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
My Routine:
- 5 minute warm up on spin bike -
- 5 30 sec sprints x 30 second rest -
- 5 30 sec sprints x 30 second rest -
- 15 minutes running on the treadmill - this has been tough lately, but today I upped the speed because my legs felt like they wanted to go faster. Good sign!
- 30 x 3 quad sets with 5 second hold -
- 30 pumps times 3 sets. Quad pumps on the table. Same position as quad set except heel is off the table. A lot more reps of this definitely worked my leg a good amount.
- 30 x 3 quad raises -
- Ham string bridges - 15 sec hold -15 pelvic pumps - 15 sec hold x 3 - These have been tiring lately.
- Side leg lifts - On my side, position 1 is my left leg out straight and I push up on aide's hand for 15 second count then do 15 pumps with the weight of his hand on my leg giving resistance. Position 2, same thing except leg is bent 90 degrees but knees still aligned. Position 3, bring knee into my chest and do leg lifts. Do this for 3 sets.
- 30 leg raises x 2 sets - really worked my quad out
- Shuttle holds x 3 sets - go through various holds.
- 20 heel raises x 2 - in between the shuttle holds. I was not getting rest at all with these
- Pyramids on the Leg Press with Left Leg - 20 reps at 40 lbs, 15 reps at 50 lbs, and then 10 reps at 60 lbs x 3 sets
- Shuttle Bounding- 10 single leg bounds, 10 on the right, 10 on the left, repeat, 10 double leg bounds x 3 sets -The trainer wanted me to do more single leg hops to really work them out.
- Squats - position 1 - squat arms crossed but pointing outwards from my chest. Hold here and then 15 pumps up and down. Position 2 - Deeper squat, stick that booty out and put arms out superman style, but still keep the back straight. 10 pumps up and down. Position 3 - reach through between legs, 20- reps. Then back to position 1 and 5 pumps, and hold 10 seconds while it burns! 3 sets of this. Of course these kicked my butt
- 20 x 3 - Standing calf raises . This was my break time from the squats.
- Agility Bridge - a series of exercises where I step in and out going side ways and then stepping straight through. Each exercise I did like 4 sets so I was really working hard. The last exercise was side stepping very quickly. I could do it really fast when going right to left, but going the other way was tough. My left leg was not firing as quickly as my right. This is what I need to practice on my own.
- Trainer did quad and hamstring stretches
- Ice to go
(describes session on Friday, 9/11) Today was a great work out day. It had been over a week since my last session. My work schedule has been pretty crazy plus there was the Labor Day holiday. Today was a long day. Over 2 hours because it was crowded in there and they had me do pretty much every exercise I've ever done. I was dying in the beginning with my cardio because my ipod battery ran out and I really rely on them fast tunes to push me through. I get bored fast on a bike or treadmill. You know.
well today was extra special. Lately I've been seeing people using the agility ladder. I just sit there and stare and tell my trainer I can't wait to be able to do that one day. Well today was the day! After my 2 hours of training my trainer asked my physio if I should do some side steps with resistance and my physio looked at me and was like "Nah make her do the ladder". I instantly got a jolt of energy. I only did quick feet drills with no hopping just to get my side step coordination back. So I'm well on my way to my current mini-gol. To complete it I will need to do jumping drills with no pain and no inflammation. Wish me luck!
My Routine:
- 5 minute warm up on spin bike -
- 5 30 sec sprints x 30 second rest -
- 5 30 sec sprints x 30 second rest -
- 15 minutes running on the treadmill - iPod just died on me the second I stepped on. I was struggling, holding onto the sides so I wouldn't fall and pretending to hear the music in my head to keep me going.
- 30 x 3 quad sets with 5 second hold - the only table available had sun beaming on it through the sky light so this made the work out tougher.
- 60 pumps times 2 sets. Quad pumps on the table. Same position as quad set except heel is off the table. A lot more reps of this definitely worked my leg a good amount.
- Ham string bridges - 15 sec hold -15 pelvic pumps - 15 sec hold x 3 - Hamstrings were tired.
- Side leg lifts - On my side, position 1 is my left leg out straight and I push up on aide's hand for 15 second count then do 15 pumps with the weight of his hand on my leg giving resistance. Position 2, same thing except leg is bent 90 degrees but knees still aligned. Position 3, bring knee into my chest and do leg lifts. Do this for 3 sets.
- 30 leg raises x 2 sets - really worked my quad out
- Shuttle holds x 3 sets - go through various holds.
- 20 heel raises x 2 - in between the shuttle holds. I was not getting rest at all with these
- Shuttle Bounding- 20 single leg bounds, 10 on the right, 10 on the left, 20 double leg bounds x 3 sets -My legs were tied so I was doing some wimpy jumps, but there was some Romainian lady next to me doing them and I had to show her so I picked it up a notch
- Pyramids on the Leg Press with Left Leg - 20 reps at 30 lbs, 15 reps at 40 lbs, and then 10 reps at 50 lbs x 1 set then trainer told me to up it by 10 lbs so I did 2 sets at 40,50, 60. It was a good muscle building type of work out. I did sets with my right leg as well to make sure I stay balanced.
- Squats - position 1 - squat arms crossed but pointing outwards from my chest. Hold here and then 15 pumps up and down. Position 2 - Deeper squat, stick that booty out and put arms out superman style, but still keep the back straight. 10 pumps up and down. Position 3 - reach through between legs, 20- reps. Then back to position 1 and 5 pumps, and hold 10 seconds while it burns! 3 sets of this. Another aide was working with me. He added like 5 extra reps to what I usually do and that bloody 10 second count at the end. He also pushed down on my hips as I did my squats so I had to work extra hard. The aide was complimentary when I finished. I guess I did good.
- 20 x 3 - Standing calf raises . This was my break time from the squats.
- NEW: Agility Bridge! Yay! He laid down the bridge and I did several exercises where you step in and step out while running up and back on the ladder. The first set was a bit slow while I tested out my knee and got my coordination back. The second set I was flying up and down the ladder. Even the trainer was impressed. Next time I hope they add hopping so I can see if my knee can take it.
- Trainer did quad and hamstring stretches
- Ice to go
This is a short entry. My work schedule has been really crazy the last couple of weeks so not a lot of PT. I did have a session last Thursday on 9/3 and just one this week. They held back on running last session. I was really tied so that was a plus. They pushed me on my squats and I started doing more side to side hops. This week I am supposed to start running more and doing side to side exercises with resistance. Next week I should be back to my 2/week sessions. The knee feels pretty good. They have even encouraged me to test it out a little. The only thing that feels abnormal is if I wear heels and walk around a lot the knee aches and when I flex my knee all the way I feel pressure behind my knee cap. Some motrin and this goes away thankfully. Ok, well I'll have more to share after my next session. I 'm just hoping I survive my work/SHPE schedules these days.
Today I was in on a different day and later in the day. It was really crowded and hot. It's actually a hot day in San Francisco for a change. It seemed like a gym in there. Anyways, I had to do some of my routine on the ground since tables were not available. Another aide helped me do my squats because my aide had too many to juggle. I got the aide who's pretty hard core too and for my last exercise. Almost fell on my face from the exertion she made me go through. But at least she guided me through things and really made things work. No cheating with her.
My legs are feeling strong. Last time I ran on Tuesday my knee felt a little stiff the day of. I noticed some swelling on the back of the knee, but not too bad. The rest of the days nothing. Physio says we need to get to the point where there's no more swelling. I guess as I keep doing it and my recovery is shorter then I'm making progress. Today they finally added some side to side action. I was exhausted so too this pretty easy, but no pain! Whoo hoo!
I have not reached either of my two last mini-gols yet. If today I do not feel swelling in my knee then I'll get one. The other, to get my strength up on both legs will mean some work for me this weekend. As I was doing my quad sets I could really see the definition in my left thigh. I did the same on my right and not so much. Left one feels hard and the right a little soft. I measured them though and at least they are the same size. My thighs have grown like an inch or so since I started. I'm not sure what size they were before getting injured. If my clothes are fitting funky I won't pay attention to it. Back in the day during volleyball season, my jeans would start to fit me tight from the massive trunks of my thighs I would get. Well in this case the bigger my quads the harder I'll be shooting. Watch out now! I'll be back to GOL with some bullets.
My Routine:
- 5 minute warm up on spin bike -
- 5 30 sec sprints x 30 second rest - it was hot so I was not pushing to the max
- 5 30 sec sprints x 30 second rest - The correct position is to just lift your bum out of the seat but still sit back as if you were in it. My iPod music is getting boring. I need to change this up.
- 15 minutes running on the treadmill - I warmed up a minute today and ran the rest. I was definitely struggling today. Not sure if it was the heat or what. I ran at a slower pace. The music helped me power through to the end, but I was ready to drop at like minute 7.
- 30 x 3 quad sets with 5 second hold - they upped the reps here to make it a bit harder. I did not have a bio feedback on so I could see how my whole thigh looked while flexing. Looking pretty yoked!
- 60 pumps times 2 sets. Quad pumps on the table. Same position as quad set except heel is off the table. A lot more reps of this definitely worked my leg a good amount.
- 30 leg raises x 2 sets - really worked my quad out
- Shuttle holds x 3 sets - go through various holds.
- 20 Heel raises x 2 - In a row. My legs were tired so had to concentrate
- Shuttle Bounding- 100 double leg bounds, 20 single leg bounds, 5 on the right, 5 on the left repeat each side, 10 double leg bounds x 3 sets -I think the aide dropped the reps because he saw I was more tired than usual. It was rough. My legs really wanted to give out.
- Ham string bridges - 15 sec hold -15 pelvic pumps - 15 sec hold x 3 - powered through these. Like all my exercises today.
- Side leg lifts - On my side, position 1 is my left leg out straight and I push up on aide's hand for 15 second count then do 15 pumps with the weight of his hand on my leg giving resistance. Position 2, same thing except leg is bent 90 degrees but knees still aligned. Position 3, bring knee into my chest and do leg lifts. Do this for 3 sets. Started to burn pretty good in the 3rd set.
- Squats - position 1 - squat arms crossed but pointing outwards from my chest. Hold here and then 15 pumps up and down. Position 2 - Deeper squat, stick that booty out and put arms out superman style, but still keep the back straight. 5 pumps up and down. Position 3 - reach through between legs, 10- reps. Then back to position 1 and 5 pumps, no holds and done. 3 sets of this. Another aide was working with me. She was hard. She'd ask me "How I was doing?" with a sadistic look. She made sure to keep a hand on me to see if I was cheating. In position 2 and 3 she would push me down and I had to push up even during the pumps. Definitely worked my legs more, but at least I knew when I'd be done after the last 5 pumps. The first set as I tried to stand up straight my right leg gave out and I almost fell on my face. Sheesh! The aide's all, "Now that's a good squat!" Crazy! But I made it through 3 sets.
- 20 x 3 - Standing calf raises . This was my break time from the squats.
- NEW: 15 Lateral steps x 3 sets - take a wide step to the side and hop to that leg all while staying down low in a squat position. Felt good. I was so tired though from my squats, that I just stepped, not really hopping. No pain, but I will need to increase my air time with these to really test my knee on the landing. We'll see how it goes.
- Aide did quad and hamstring stretches
- Ice to go
Well today is the first session in like 2 weeks where I did not have a steep increase in my exercises. After my run last week, I did not have pain, but over the weekend my knee felt a little stiff when I flexed it all the way. Things did not look swollen, but something was restricting my knee from bending all the way fluidly. My physio told me there was probably some swelling or fluid which meant I probably pushed my knee to it's breaking point last week. My lateral exercises were put on hold. Today was more of a stabilizing session to make sure my knee can handle the running without any negative repercussions. Humorously my physio told me to take it easy this week. No week day partying. :) So the immediate mini-gol is to run at this level and not have swelling. As of today, I did have some swelling on the back of my knee. I am not so worried since I had the same thing happen when I started running longer distances after my last surgery. I'm going to have to be patient. The physio did say that I would have ups and downs, but not to give up.
Oh and the other thing is that my right leg still feels week. Today my jumping was not as good on my right knee and my quad was giving out faster than my left one. Another mini-gol is to get the strength back up on that leg. That means some single legged squats and weight lifting targeting this leg. This could also be why my right leg is hurting. I've lost my balance and need it back! Ok, well back to gol is getting interesting. Keep your fingers crossed.
My Routine:
- 5 minute warm up on spin bike -
- 5 30 sec sprints x 30 second rest - went well
- 5 30 sec sprints x 30 second rest - The correct position is to just lift your bum out of the seat but still sit back as if you were in it. Again having my ipod really helped me power through these. I blasted through these, not sure if my legs are just getting stronger or I was cheating.
- 15 minutes running on the treadmill - I warmed up about 30 seconds and ran the rest. I was running at a faster pace than last time. My right food started feeling funky. I'm thinking my shoes need some upgrading since I'm not a runner and don't really have shoes for running. I finished by keeping my merengue music going to keep me moving.
- 60 x 2 quad sets with 5 second hold - they upped the reps here to make it a bit harder.
- 60 pumps times 2 sets. Quad pumps on the table. Same position as quad set except heel is off the table. A lot more reps of this definitely worked my leg a good amount.
- 30 leg raises x 2 sets - really worked my quad out
- Shuttle holds x 3 sets - go through various holds.
- 20 Heel raises x 2 - these were my break to the shuttle holds
- Shuttle Bounding- 20 double leg bounds, 20 single leg bounds, 5 on the right, 5 on the left repeat each side, 20 double leg bounds x 3 sets -Again it was my right leg that was having trouble. My legs in general felt really tired though.
- Side leg lifts - On my side, position 1 is my left leg out straight and I push up on aide's hand for 15 second count then do 15 pumps with the weight of his hand on my leg giving resistance. Position 2, same thing except leg is bent 90 degrees but knees still aligned. Position 3, bring knee into my chest and do leg lifts. Do this for 3 sets. Started to burn pretty good in the 3rd set.
- Ham string bridges - 15 sec hold -15 pelvic pumps - 15 sec hold x 3 - powered through these. I was next to the mirror again, man my thighs look thick. Not in a bad way though, in a "whoa she could kick a field goal" way. :)
- 20 x 2 - Standing calf raises . This was my break time from the squats.
- Squats - position 1 - squat arms crossed but pointing outwards from my chest. Hold here and then 15 pumps up and down. Position 2 - Deeper squat, stick that booty out and put arms out superman style, but still keep the back straight. 5 pumps up and down. Position 3 - reach through between legs, 15- reps. Put hands on ground and pump 10 times then back to position 3 x 3 sets. The 2nd and 3rd sets were different, the aide pretty much made me put all my weight on my injured leg and do the pumps and holds on it to really work that leg. I was able to go through these and get to the last position and not feel like I was dying. On the last set though my right leg just gave up. I was pretty much putting all my weight on my left.
- Aide did quad and hamstring stretches
- Ice to go
Mini gol accomplished! Dang, are they pushing me hard. On Tuesday I just started jogging and that was 1 minute at a time. Today, 15 minutes straight! Are you kidding me? I don't run that much with two good knees. :) But I did it. They not only added running today, but real weight lifting on my left leg. Things I would be doing with a good leg. The funny thing and the reason for the title is that my right leg is feeling weaker than my right leg now. I've been isolating my left leg so much to rehab from my injury that it's passing up my good leg in strength. Like 3 weeks ago I measured my thighs and sure enough my left was half an inch bigger than my right, but now I'm starting to feel it when doing exercises with both.
The other thing I'm noticing is that my weight is a little higher than usual. I have not changed what I eat day to day. I'm doing more cardio in my sessions now so why the extra weight? Muscle! If you remember, I lost like a good 5 pounds after I got hurt and with doing a lot less exercise. The answer is muscle. It weighs 3 times more than fat so if you pack it on or lose it without changing your fat weight you'll see it on the scale. The good news is I've seen this kind of pattern before when weight training. Supposedly muscle burns a lot more calories so I'll start slimming down after this initial gain the more muscle I put on. At this point my right leg quad is starting to look pretty cut and I'm hoping the left leg will follow suit. It's pretty intimidating when you see someone coming at you on the soccer field with their legs ripped. :)
So hmmm, what should be my next mini-gol? Well my aide says next time if today did not cause pain I will start to do side to side stuff with resistance. The gol is to do exercises on the agility ladder without pain and with quick feet. If I can do this then I'm very very close to being soccer ready. Yay! TUANIS!
My Routine:
- 5 minute warm up on spin bike - reduced time since I was going to be running afterwards
- 5 30 sec sprints x 30 second rest - went well with a fast merengue song playing in my ears.
- 5 30 sec sprints x 30 second rest - The correct position is to just lift your bum out of the seat but still sit back as if you were in it. Again having my ipod really helped me power through these. I did most of them up to 30 seconds long. Not sure if I was taking it easy on these since I knew the treadmill awaited me.
- NEW: 15 minutes running on the treadmill - I thought the aide was kidding. From 1 minute at a time to 15? Hijole! I warmed up about 30 seconds walking and then just put on the merengue to keep my gait on time with the beat and I ran. About 1 MPH less than I used to, but then again I rarely run 15 min straight.
- 20 x 3 quad sets with 5 second hold - were fine.
- 15 x 3 quad set with 3 second leg raise - boring now that I know how strong I'm getting.
- 40x10x30x10x20x10 times 3. Quad pumps on the table. Same position as quad set except heel is off the table. Hold 10 then pump 40 then hold, then pump.... All the while keeping your biofeedback reading at maximum activation. Boring.
- Side leg lifts - On my side, position 1 is my left leg out straight and I push up on aide's hand for 15 second count then do 15 pumps with the weight of his hand on my leg giving resistance. Position 2, same thing except leg is bent 90 degrees but knees still aligned. Position 3, bring knee into my chest and do leg lifts. Do this for 3 sets. The 3rd set burned a lot even though I had rest in between. Probably from the extra running today.
- Ham string bridges - 15 sec hold -15 pelvic pumps - 15 sec hold x 3 - powered through these. I was next to the mirror again, but the pumps were tough. My legs were tired.
- NEW:Pyramids on the Leg Press with Left Leg - 20 reps at 30 lbs, 15 reps at 40 lbs, and then 10 reps at 50 lbs x 3 sets This was tough. The last 10 really felt like actual weight lifting where you max out. The kind of lifting that bulks you out.
- Shuttle Bounding- 20 double leg bounds, 20 single leg bounds, 5 on the right, 5 on the left repeat each side, 20 double leg bounds x 3 sets - After blasting my left leg you would think this would be tough. It was.... on my right leg. It felt weak on the single jumps and then my right quad was burning a lot with the double leg bounds.
- 20 x 2 - Standing calf raises . This was my break time from the squats.
- Squats - position 1 - squat arms crossed but pointing outwards from my chest. Hold here and then 15 pumps up and down. Position 2 - Deeper squat, stick that booty out and put arms out superman style, but still keep the back straight. 5 pumps up and down. Position 3 - reach through between legs, 15- reps. Put hands on ground and pump 10 times then back to position 3 x 3 sets. The 2nd and 3rd sets were different, the aide pretty much made me put all my weight on my injured leg and do the pumps and holds on it to really work that leg. I was dying my right leg was burning just as much as the right. Pretty much each set ended with me grabbing onto something to help me stand up because I had exhausted my legs.
- Aide did quad and hamstring stretches
- Ice to go
(describes session on 8/18) More than 2 1/2 months of no real running finally came to an end today! I reached a really important mini-gol. This weekend my legs were exhausted. 2 days in a row of therapy and then dancing all night on Friday on heels, plus I've started doing more at home exercises and I blasted my abs. All were sore through out the weekend so I was a bit ansy about this session since I knew I was probably going to start running, but I was ok in the end. Since the cardio is increasing I'm wearing my iPod now to push me through it.
The day was pretty busy so the aide was not able to keep me going from exercise to exercise without rest. This did not really matter since my exercises are getting more intense on their own. I did not get any time with my physio, but he is definitely giving my aide some new things for my regimen. According to my aide next I'll be alternating between the shuttle and the leg press. I will be doing a bit more jumping type exercises on the ground not on the shuttle and side to side exercises are not far along after that. So my next mini-gol will be running for longer time at faster speeds. Today was just to jog and get the feeling back of running in my legs. On the side, I think I'm ready to start kicking the ball around with my teams just to start getting my touch back. yay! Everything is progressing really well. I was having a little pain in the injured area when I bent my leg all the way quickly, but I think that's because I really worked my legs a lot last week.
My Routine:
- 7 minute warm up on spin bike
- 7 30 sec sprints x 30 second rest - went well with a fast merengue song playing in my ears.
- 7 30 sec sprints x 30 second rest - The correct position is to just lift your bum out of the seat but still sit back as if you were in it. Again having my ipod really helped me power through these. I did most of them up to 30 seconds long except for the last one.
- 20 x 3 quad sets with 5 second hold - were fine.
- 15 x 3 quad set with 3 second leg raise - was a bit tough. the biofeedback gadget was hard to keep turned on the whole time.
- 40x10x30x10x20x10 times 3. Quad pumps on the table. Same position as quad set except heel is off the table. Hold 10 then pump 40 then hold, then pump.... All the while keeping your biofeedback reading at maximum activation. Again this was tough because the biofeedback was not staying lit up the whole time.
- Ham string bridges - 15 sec hold -15 pelvic pumps - 15 sec hold x 3 - powered through these. I miss doing these next to a mirror where I can really self regulate my form and I can admire my muscle tone. ;)
- NEW: 4 minute warm up walk, 10 minutes of 1 minute jogging and 2 minutes walking. - Yes I know it was not hardcore running for very long or very fast, but the aide told me the point is to get my legs used to running again and make sure I'm doing it properly, not compensating for my injury.
- Shuttle work - on my back with leg up on vertical platform doing holds near 90 degrees. Did a few full range pumps.These were not that bad. The aide pawned me off on another aide and she helped me get through the last 2 sets.
- 20 x 2 - Calf raises on the shuttle. This was my break time from the holds.
- NEW: 20 double leg bounds, Single leg bounds, 10 on the right, 10 on the left repeat each side, 20 double leg bounds. 2 sets of these. This was crazy and why he only made me do 2 sets. I was really tired after this, but at least my landing was looking good.
- Side leg lifts - On my side, position 1 is my left leg out straight and I push up on aide's hand for 15 second count then do 15 pumps with the weight of his hand on my leg giving resistance. Position 2, same thing except leg is bent 90 degrees but knees still aligned. Position 3, bring knee into my chest and do leg lifts. Do this for 3 sets. This was burning a lot. I did not get the breaks I usually get so I was really trying hard.
- Squats - position 1 - squat arms crossed but pointing outwards from my chest. Hold here and then 15 pumps up and down. Position 2 - Deeper squat, stick that booty out and put arms out superman style, but still keep the back straight. 5 pumps up and down. Position 3 - reach through between legs, 15- reps. Put hands on ground and pump 10 times then back to position 3 x 3 sets. The 2nd and 3rd sets were different, the aide pretty much made me put all my weight on my injured leg and do the pumps and holds on it to really work that leg. I was dying, but the point was to really work the injured leg and force it into submission.
- Standing calf raises - 15 x 3 sets - these were my breaks from the squats
- Aide did quad and hamstring stretches
- Ice to go
