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
(describes session on 8/13)
Bananas! They did the trick. I was able to get through the first part of my session without getting queasy. And they added even more cardio work so thank goodness I was gastronomically ok. The aide did not have a lot of clients again so he was pushing me pretty hard. At the end of the session he consulted with my physio and all was good news. My strength is good. I am getting through all my exercises without troubles and I have not had a lot of pain. Next week he was going to change up the routine, adding running and more intense exercises. Wooo hooo! Back to GOL!
My Routine:
- 7 minute warm up on spin bike
- 7 30 sec sprints x 30 second rest
- 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. I was able to get through these without feeling sick. It was really strenuous, but was able to almost do all 7 at 25-30 seconds.
- NEW: 10 minutes fast walking on the treadmill. - I am so happy that I was not nauseous otherwise the treadmill would have been a bad idea.
- 20 x 3 quad sets with 5 second hold - Not too bad.
- 15 x 3 quad set with 3 second leg raise - was fine
- 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.
- Ham string bridges - 15 sec hold -15 pelvic pumps - 15 sec hold x 3 - I kinda cheated in the first set, but the aide was quick to correct me for the next 2. Yikes!
- 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.
- Shuttle work - on my back with leg up on vertical platform doing holds near 90 degrees. Did a few full range pumps. Holds were tough to maintain. The aide was on me for these with no real rest.
- 20 x 2 - Calf raises on the shuttle. This was my break time from the holds.
- 20 x 3 - bounding on the shuttle. Meaning I do jumps. I'm horizontal on the shuttle so I'm not landing with 100% of my weight. As you jump you have to hold your legs horizontally and absorb the impact as you land. This worked my abs more.They were engaging to help stabalize me during this exercise.
- NEW: Single leg bounds, 10 on the right, 10 on the left repeat each side. 3 sets of these. He upped it by 5 reps per side. I mean they are not shy about adding new things every session.
- Standing calf raises - 15 x 3 sets.
- 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. Position 3 got easier. But that new bounce is no joke! Put my hands on the ground and pump bum up and down. I swear I should have been hearing some hip hop to be doing these bounces. :) Back to position 1 and hold x 3 sets.
- Ice to go
(describes session on 8/12/09) Ever work out so hard that you got nauseous? Well today was one of those days. I started to feel a little oozy after the out of seat sprints were added last week. Today, they went from 5 to 7 and I suppose that put me over the top. The aide did not have any other patients and so was at my side which did not help. After 2 times to the bathroom for close calls, I almost had to stop, but I pushed through and they added even more at the end. They have really kicked it up a notch lately, but my knee is taking it. Woo hoo! This physical therapy is like mental therapy. You have to will yourself through pain, discomfort, fear of failure to succeed. Soon I should know when I'll be back on the field or surgery ready. Back to gol here I come.
My Routine:
- 7 minute warm up on spin bike
- 7 30 sec sprints x 30 second rest
- 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. The nausea started creeping, but instead of doing 20 second sprints like last time I tried to push to 30 seconds. When I got off the bike I was dizzy and my tummy started to get upset. Things were not looking good.
- 20 x 3 quad sets with 5 second hold - Do not even remember how many I got through I was just trying not to get sick.
- 15 x 3 quad set with 3 second leg raise - had to stop and hit the bathroom
- 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. Hit the bathroom again hoping it was my last.
- Ham string bridges - 15 sec hold -15 pelvic pumps - 15 sec hold x 3 - Finally being on my back the stomach settled and the nausea dissipated. Phew!
- 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.
- Shuttle work - on my back with leg up on vertical platform doing holds near 90 degrees. Did a few full range pumps. Holds were tough to maintain. The aide was on me for these with no real rest. I noticed my legs got tired quicker.
- 20 x 2 - Calf raises on the shuttle. This was my break time from the holds.
- 20 x 3 - bounding on the shuttle. Meaning I do jumps. I'm horizontal on the shuttle so I'm not landing with 100% of my weight. As you jump you have to hold your legs horizontally and absorb the impact as you land. This worked my abs more.They were engaging to help stabalize me during this exercise.
- NEW: Single leg bounds, 5 on the right, 5 on the left repeat each side. 3 sets of these. Felt good. My injured leg did fine. No pain. I could feel my left leg a bit weaker than my right, but not too different.
- Standing calf raises - 15 x 3 sets.
- 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. Position 3 got easier. Wait now a new bounce! Put my hands on the ground and pump bum up and down. This was new to me and my light headed ness came back almost fell, but got through it. Back to position 1 and hold x 3 sets.
- Ice to go
Wow, did my booty get a work out today. :) My physio was out on vacation, but he left my aide with my torture instructions. There were not as many people in the clinic this morning so the aide has me to himself which definitely increased the intensity. I didn't get much time to rest. It showed in the shorter time of my session, but the increased amount of calories I burned. I wear my heart rate monitor during my sessions to keep track of calories burned. Without soccer or my usual gym routines I still track this to make sure I am exercising a certain amount.
Oh so why the bootylicious? Well, ever since I hurt my knee I lost the ability to do exercises and activities that used to work out that bum. You know soccer players are known to have them. And in the beginning I lost some weight, probably from losing muscle, so essentially some of my curves were getting smoothed out. Now that I've gained some muscle back and have been able to do more exercises I am able to work on my glutes again. Today I walked out of my session sore all over my lower half. The squats and the jumping worked me. Just another step to getting back to GOL. Next mini-gol is to do my out of seat bike sprints gracefully. :)
My Routine:
- 7 minute warm up on spin bike
- 7 30 sec sprints x 30 second rest
- NEW: 30 second out of seat sprints x 5 - The correct position is to just lift your bum out of the seat but still sit back as if you were in it. Oh man my knee was feeling this. I could only hold it for 20 seconds at a time. I thought I was going to puke because I'd already done the other warm up stuff. I got off the bike really naucious. Next time I need to eat a litle earlier so that I'm not digesting and sprinting at the same time.
- 20 x 3 quad sets with 5 second hold - Got through these pretty easily
- 15 x 3 quad set with 3 second leg raise -again lost count because the aide was talking to me.
- 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. Aide talking to me again so I think I counted right. Told ya there was not that many people there.
- 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.
- Ham string bridges - 15 sec hold -15 pelvic pumps - 15 sec hold x 3 - I usually do 5, but the aide wanted me on the shuttle.
- Shuttle work - on my back with leg up on vertical platform doing holds near 90 degrees. Did a few full range pumps. Holds were tough to maintain. The aide was on me for these with no real rest. I noticed my legs got tired quicker.
- 20 x 2 - Calf raises on the shuttle. This was my break time from the holds.
- 20 x 3 - bounding on the shuttle. Meaning I do jumps. I'm horizontal on the shuttle so I'm not landing with 100% of my weight. As you jump you have to hold your legs horizontally and absorb the impact as you land. This worked my abs more.They were engaging to help stabalize me during this exercise.
- Standing calf raises - 15 x 3 sets. My legs, especially quads and glutes, were a bit tired from the jumping.
- 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. Position 3 got easier. Whooo hoo! Back to position 1 and hold and/or 5 more pumps x 3 sets. This is getting less hard. I can get back to position 1 at the end and hold it for longer. I've adjusted my stance a bit to really push through my left leg and work it. At the end of each set it still feels like my legs are going to give out, but my recovery time is shortening which means I'm getting stronger and gaining some endurance.
- Ice to go
Today was a good day! I was a bit skeptical because I went camping this past weekend and was bending a bit more and ran a little, after some kids, so my knee felt a little funny. Not pain, but just funny right where the injury is. Today though, my physio told me to hop on both legs. No problems. Hop on my good leg, then hop on my left leg. I was kind of scared, but it was fine. No pain or discomfort so he added bounding to my routine and next time standing up sprints on the spin bike. Read more below.
At the end of my session as I waited to get iced my physio was saying how far I've come since I first started and how happy he was at my progress. I could not help but beam a smile all day. Once I get my up and down exercises going, he'll start throwing in the side to side stuff. if my knee can take it then I'll be back on the soccer field. WOOO HOOO! Back to Gol!
My Routine:
- 7 minute warm up on spin bike
- 7 30 sec sprints x 30 second rest
- 20 x 3 quad sets with 5 second hold - I think I was still asleep because I kept losing count
- 15 x 3 quad set with 3 second leg raise -again lost count, but I think I did 45 in all.
- 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. This was a bit tough, not sure if my leg was tired or the bio feedback wasn't calibrated correctly. I could not keep the light activated the whole time.
- Ham string bridges - 15 sec hold -15 pelvic pumps - 15 sec hold x 5 - Watched myself in the mirror to make sure I wasn't cheating on these. They were tiring.
- 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.
- Shuttle work - on my back with leg up on vertical platform doing holds near 90 degrees. Did a few full range pumps. Holds were tough to maintain. The aide had me do some of these on my own since he had another patient. I was burning myself out by holding positions.
- 20 x 2 - Calf raises on the shuttle. This was my break time from the holds.
- NEW - 20 x 3 - bounding on the shuttle. Meaning I do jumps. I'm horizontal on the shuttle so I'm not landing with 100% of my weight. Felt good. My lands were not jarred and were relatively smooth. This is a good sign because once I get on the soccer field I will need to be able to land smoothly or risk locking my knee and getting injured again.
- Standing calf raises - 15 x 3 sets. I tried to do these without holding onto something for balance. I almost fell on my bum. I guess my legs were a bit tired from the jumping.
- Squats - position 1 - squat arms crossed but pointing outwards from my chest. Hold here and then 10 pumps up and down. Position 2 - Deeper squat, stick that booty out and put arms out superman style, but still keep the back straight. Kept a hold there for a little bit before. Position 3 - reach through between legs, 15- reps. This was killing again. Burns your whole quad from hip to the knee. Back to position 1 and hold x 3. This is getting less hard. However, my right quad felt like it was working harder so in my last set my aide made sure I stayed aligned and pushed harder on my left leg. Whozzers were my legs ready to collapse after that set, but no pain. Yay!
- Ice to go
