The injury rehab process has been…less than pleasant.
Let me think of some things I would rather do than go without my sweaty, fantastically killer workouts
- eat cockroaches (have already done that, actually, but I digress)
- have someone burn my flesh (check! still have the marks, what can you say, we were crazy kids)
- go without my beloved many flavors of protein powder
- the list could go on and on
My adherence to the program has been a bit spotty lately. Have not been as frequent with my rehab “workouts.” Have not iced. Have not done towel scrunching. Have not taken any group exercise classes, as I had planned, because I feel reluctant to relinquish control to an instructor and would rather be in control of my own exercise. I HAVE been diligent about rolling and stretching my foot, doing single leg balance exercises and tube walking to strengthen the arch, glute medius, and other lower limb infrastructure. I have been doing a montage of my rehab exercises for knee and shoulder (as tolerated), and I have been increasing my jogging mileage (woo hoo!).
Today marks week 6, which is a huge lifesaver for me, because I get to move to my strength cycle, and I LOVE strength training! I get to switch my routine a bit, and already the workout this morning was much more invigorating!
I allowed myself to do whatever I wanted in the gym (within limits) and had a great time testing out my (measly) strength. Wow, what a difference! My left latissimus dorsi and posterior deltoid are weaklings! About two months ago I was popping out 3 set of 15 bodyweight pull ups no problemo (and sometimes even weighted pull ups) and having people come up to me at the gym asking how do I do that, and today…well…today I was struggling to do ONE! What a far cry! And the seated row, and the push ups, and the lunges…I marveled at how my strength has waned in only two months! I am certain, though, that as long as I progress CAUTIOUSLY, I will be back at my previous strength pretty soon.
I will stay in this strength phase for four weeks before I progress to power. At least, that’s the plan.
Here is my outline:
Week 6-9: Strength
Focus: increase the load-bearing capabilities of muscles, tendons, ligaments, and joints
Massage WEEKLY this cycle (I am blessed to start a trade with a massage therapist, yes!)
Healthy fats (e.g. chia seeds or olive oil) & healthy nutritional choices daily
Wellness Visualization x1/day
Incorporating total body exercises, including:
Shoulder:
8-12 reps, 3-4 sets, minimal rest
DB OH press
DB bent arm lateral raise
DB I, T, Y
Foam roll: Lats
Stretch: Pendulum, posterior capsule stretch, external rotation, internal rotation, lats, pecs, biceps, supraspinatus, neck
Foot: Roll bottom of foot w/tennis ball
Knee:
8-12 reps, 4 sets
DB lunge matrix
Multi-planar step ups
Step downs
Foam roll: quads, IT band, adductors, piriformis, calves
Stretch: glutes, quads, hip flexors, piriformis, adductors, achilles
Cardio: Try jogging 30 min a day, 3 x wk (to be increased by 5 min weekly)
~Each week I will increase the resistance training load, reps, complexity, plane of motion, or other variable to slowly and progressively overload my muscles.
Will keep you posted on my progress.
Lots of love to you all** <3 <3 <3
FEB