Day 48: Week 12 er how long has it been?

Hit the gym last night:
220x10, 240x10, 260x10,

480x10 (last set on 'old' press)

'New' incline style leg press.

Shuttle + 8x45s so I'm going to call the Shuttle 45 and say 405.

Then 2 more 25s to make 455.

Unlike the other one, you need to almost lock out to lock the bars. Unlike where if you 'fail' you come back to starting. I tested it on an empty one to see if I'd crush my self if I failed out part way through. It wouldn't be comfortable but I wouldn't die (good engineering). The final set wasn't the quickest I've ever done but they got done. I'd say a good set of leg presses is one of the most exhausting lifts ever. Dripping with sweat, trying to catch my breath, I tried to stand up a bit too quickly and had to immediately sit back down.
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Today I had doctor follow up #3. Except I didn't even get the doctor at first. I got some assistant. (Which I would have paid full doctor prices for either way. If I'm paying for the doctor send me the damn doctor.)

He has me lay down:
Him: "Flex, ok, flex the other one." Looks at chart. Which one was it again?
Me: "The right one, the one with the most recent scar"
Him: "Oh, Well I'd almost say that it looks bigger. Lets see about flexion."
Me: Flex both to about 150ish
Him: "Well, that looks excellent. I'd say I'd go ahead and give you a full clearance, you're what 12 weeks or so out?"
Me: (Read the damn chart). "Um, tomorrow is 7 weeks."
Him: "Oh. Well, I really don't know what to do, lets wait for the doctor."

So I get to wait around for another 10. Doctor repeats everything above. I get the spiel on how my knee may feel very strong but the ACL is actually at the weakest point. Because when I got my graft it was full of blood tissue (I didn't even care to remind him again* that this was an allograft). Cleared to 'run'. No sprinting. No cutting or anything that involves cutting (Rugby).

*He's not to bad of a doctor but his perceived memory of who his patients are and his bedside manner suck. I know every single time I've been in there he's asked me who did the knee before me and I know that we've had a 30 minute conversation our first meeting that it was Dr. Shelbourne.

Day 46. Weight limit exceeded

Well after taking Friday->Sunday off for travel. I made it back to the gym. Since I'm on a diet I decided to hit the bike for 70 minutes tonight. iPod + TV Shows = best way to pass time, plus I never have to fight for TV space or watch commercials. (I use rtorrent, pytvshows, & mp4ize if anyone is interested).

A combination of it being 4 days since my last leg lift, I was feeling great, I had a long day at work, and I just wanted to push my limits lead me to start off at 220 lbs. Per leg.

220x10, 240x10, 260x10 then 440x10,480x10,495x12. And that's all the more the machine has. It does look like I'm going to have to move to the sled where I'm going to have to rack all the weights by my lazy self.

I'm definitely gaining some tone back in my right leg. Actually I'm adding tone in both legs. This is definitely leaps and bounds beyond both previous surgeries. Hitting the gym early is the only reason. Even before I had full flexion back I was working on strength. While I've heard one before the other, I think they go hand in hand. I've gotten my best flexion stretches after doing leg press.

Unfortunately my camera, flash and skin don't exactly show this off the best...

Day 42. Week 6.

Last night I pushed the limits of what I could do, with both legs. I ran my last set of leg presses to failure. In much the same manner as before individual legs than both.

180x10
200x10
220x10

400x10
420x10
460x10 (to see if my legs are more than the sum of their parts).

I haven't attempted running yet, but I'm still biking like I used to. Although I would have to say that I've been ready to run for 2 weeks.

Knee feels strong, when I put my hand on it there is just a slight bit more 'noise' than my left. If I've been sitting for a long time the first time I straighten my knee there's a slight pop coming from under the knee cap, sounds/feels about like cracking a knuckle.

If I stand with my knees locked for a while, when I continue walking something medial will 'catch'. Not painful just feels really awkward.

Day 39. Status Quo

More of the same. Stretching and lifting. Tonight I did 60 minutes on the bike on level 10. I didn't get as far as normal because my legs were exhausted and the last few days of my diet have been high in protein and not so much carbs. So RPM was around 60-80 rather than 100+ like Sunday.

Although the long term energy stores weren't there, I had plenty in me for leg press. Which I did like I have been: 3 sets of 10 on each leg then 3 sets of 10 combined.
160x10
180x10
200x10

380x10
400x10
420x10

After which my right leg felt amazing. I was stretching between each set on the combined and I could get both legs equally as far up in flexion. To stretch my PT suggested that I go up against a table and rest my leg on it then sit back rather than grabbing my ankle and pulling. I was doing this but against the arm curl machine (the leather than you rest your arms over). I was getting a nice deep lean into into it. Everything feels great for 5.5 weeks. Atrophy is nil.

1st surgery: I was about at this level. I remember being amazed that I was cleared to run at 5 weeks, however I was pushing myself to make senior track season.
2nd surgery: Recovery, flexibility started great out of the gate but stagnated around this time because well, I had nothing to work for. I was going to take a whole year off Rugby and I was in the middle of school.
3rd: I seem to be combining the best of both.

A tip for everyone:
Atrophy is horrible. I'd have to say that I'd rank atrophy above flexion as the worst thing that could happen to an athlete trying to return. Even if you steadily work on it your flexion will return, it's a slow process as is. But once you lose that muscle, it's gone and it's not going to come back over night. Now obviously one has to precede the other, you're not going to stop that atrophy if you can't bend your leg to 90 degrees.

What is atrophy? It's when you start losing your muscle due to inactivity. Even if you don't actively lift your legs do. Imagine every step as a short rep of your body weight. A football field would be 50 reps per leg of what ever you weigh. Now imagine completely stopping that.

What did atrophy feel like? Guys, grab your favorite lady friend. Ladies you already have two simulation atrophy legs. Yes, I'm serious. That's what it felt like. Subcutaneous fat on the stomach doesn't have the right 'texture'. Grab your thy and 'jiggle it' with your quads loosened. With atrophy you can try as hard as you want to tighten those quads, but it still jiggles a little bit.

Get Flexion Back.
Stop Strength Loss.

Day 38. Double Dutch

Years ago in freshmen wrestling we had to do 500 jumps before we could even begin to warm up.

The first week was painful. Flip rope over. Step over Rope. Flip rope over. Step over Rope. Flip rope over. Repeat to 500.

I steadily improved until 500 was either a 1 or 2 series set of jumps.
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I recently found my jump rope after unpacking in my new house. I used it for my CryoCuff lift, but it was too elastic.

I recently started taking it back to the gym. I've been doing a few hundred a day in the 'activity room' of the gym (before attempting my yoga headstands.)

I've been warming up with typical jumping, but I've been doing at least 50 a day, consecutively, on only my right leg. It feels just as strong and as tight as my left.

A metric that I didn't think of recording was atrophy using a cloth ruler. (And here's to hoping I don't ever get the chance to find out). At 2-3 weeks under full quad tightening I could still pinch off a bit more off of my right leg than my left. Tonight before yoga I did a full quad tightening (by tightening everything I could and then lifting my heel 1/4" off the ground) and I honestly couldn't tell a difference between my left and my right. Meaning all 'atrophied' material must have been reabsorbed into my body or turned back into muscle. I'll have to dig it out later and measure the difference in size to see if it's just tone or if it actually regained everything I lost. Given how well I'm doing on leg press I'm hoping it's the latter.

40 minutes on the bike today.

Day 35: 5 full weeks.

Today was another leg day at the gym. Only 20 minutes on the bike, mainly because I was tired. Which is probably my own fault I came home dead tired from the gym last night and passed out, missing dinner and consequently I only had 1130 Calories for the day. Every night this week I've done 40-45 minutes on the bike or elliptical.

My left leg is definitely stronger, but only because it feels more steady and sure of itself when I lift.

Each leg individually:
160x10.
180x10.
200x10.

Then a group effort:
380x10
400x10
420x10

Much more and I'm going to have to move over to the sled...

Day 25. Heavy Lifting.

I hit the gym tonight and did my usual aerobic warm-up in front of the TV. Then did some stretches on my knee and found a Yoga mat and went down into child's pose. Rested for a few seconds came back up and went down a few more times.

Since I haven't taken a break from my upper body and it's been since Sunday that I worked on my leg, I decided to do legs today. The last time I did leg press was Sunday, but given that it was a day after rock climbing I think I over did it.

I moved from the incline rack with the loose weights to the other side of the gym to the one with the pin and all the weights already attached. I started out very easy:

Left: 60x10.
Right: 120x10.
Ok. That was too easy.

Left: 80x15
Right: 140x20
Ok. Still too easy. My knee has warmed up very well (I'm working out in sweat pants).

Left: 100x15
Right: 140x30
This can't be right less than a month out and this is too easy.

Left: 120x14.
rest.
Left: 140x20.

I got off of that machine and felt amazing. Grabbed my ankle and did a full flexion - heal of my shoe. Rest of the day I felt great (and still do). Between every set of things I did for the rest of the night I would either go down into Child's pose or just standing hamstring stretch. On the way home I think my left knee may have been aching a bit more due to the weather.

As soon as I got home and showered I got ice on it to keep any swelling down. Unlike last night where I just made contact, tonight I actually got my heel indented my butt. Not quite as far as my left leg, but it's definitely close.

Day 24. Down in a Yoga like position.

2/15:
40 minutes of bike riding while watching Law & Order. No leg workout but I did stretch during my upper body lift. Got my heel to touch my ass for the first time in 3 weeks. 3 weeks to the day much better than the last 2. (To be fair, I wasn't trying the 2nd time)

2/17: 40 minutes of running forwards and backwards in the water with rugby. Then to the gym for 20 minutes of the bike and then leg press and curls and regular upper body. Pushed my knee to a bout the limit. It's stiff and there's a bit of pain below the incision when moving.

2/18: Yoga tonight. Was able to do child pose and pigeon on both knees.
http://www.sissel-online.com/exercise/yoga_pigeon.php




http://www.abc-of-yoga.com/yogapractice/childpose.asp


Bit of numbness when kneeling. Not too much pain. Slight amount of pain when biking, but on the knee isn't caching. I gets close but it just passes.

Day 20. Gym!

Joined a gym on 2/10.
Day 1 leg press and leg curls. No weight on the leg press, but it was the inline type.

Tuesday PT: same as week 2 but bike for 5:00. No more leg workouts at gym until Thursday. (Every other day). Knee continually makes improvements. Still some minor flexibility on flexion almost to equivalent to left leg.

Wednesday went to Yoga. Could not do exercises requiring sitting on the ankles. Everything else the knee held up.

Thursday: leg press, worked up to a 25lb weight (in addition to the weight of the shuttle). Leg curls. Everything feels good, no pain, just no muscle. There is a sitting leg press that I will switch to next time I'm there. I won't have to rack my own weights and it's oriented such that I can do some low weights on it and it goes up to 495 lbs.

M, T, Th: 20 minutes of bike riding. W, 20 minutes of elliptical.