Do you have a “get well deadline”?
I’d like to say “ASAP” but I don’t want to push too hard, especially with the chunking in the knee.
I would like to be functionally normal in a month as I may be moving to Boston then and I need to get around. I have gotten as much improvement in walking as I will get just walking so I will be carefully increasing strength work and bending. I dug out my copy of ATM so I will be restarting Feldenkrais.
Have you thought about going to an ARP clinic or something to speed up the recovery by weeks/months?
The stuff I’ve seen for far makes me dubious. The claims the guy was making (in the video I saw) were BS. There might be something to it but I really don’t have that much of a muscular issue – it’s more what the knee will let me do.
I am seeing a bodywork guy this week. We’ll see. I need to build up some coordination since my left leg and my body don’t know what each other are doing.
I’ve been keeping a journal at Power & Bulk since the tech issues here. I’ll do both for now. Here’s an update.
7/10
Felt more clunking in the knee as I did extensions but no problems later. Stopped midway through my 30 lb. set though due to a sudden ache up the leg. I went away after icing so I probably was dehydrated, not warmed up or both.
Just to see what “acceptable” is in extensions, I tested and my right leg, which is also weaker than before I got hurt of course, can do 70 lbs. My right leg is strong enough to do everything so I suppose that’s a reasonable standard to shoot for for now.
Had an alarming surprise when I stepped on the scale. I’ve been cutting cals the last month to lose fat (trying to keep protein high) and took about three inches off the waist, or at least I thought I did. I’ve been careful not to cheat that but I weighed 10 lbs. more than I did 6 weeks ago??? I’m baffled and pissed. I’ve been easing into Lyle M. 's rapid fat loss plan. I’ve been taking in 1700-1900 cals a day at a hugely fat 250, whoops, now I’m 260! I’ll have to reevaluate everything. I figure if I take in 1200 a day with 180g of protein I can’t get fatter and might actually take some off. I can walk a little more as well. I don’t know why I’m still so damn fat at this new caloric intake level but fuck it, I’ll just cut more cals. I’ll be more careful to measure everything and basically cut out everything that isn’t lean protein or veggies. If it means greenface, so be it.
Last week I went too hard and was feeling weird stuff in the knee at times. So I took a few days off training. I felt OK yesterday so I’ll back it off a bit and go again today.
The thing that did it was (I think) going to hard/fast on the bike. I will do easy biking today after extensions, which will be done for more reps at a lower weight. I will also do fewer easy reps with SLDLs and more sets with a little more – not heavy but a little more than I’ve been. I felt good with those. It also occurs to me that I should set up my EMS unit before I go in there.
Lapsed a little on diet last week due to tiredness. I’m back at it. So goals for today are clean up a lot, train, bend, and go to sleep early.
7/22
I always did take a long time to warm up and I’m slower than ever. So my new procedure is to get to the gym at least an hour before “closing”. Meaning they close the weight room 30 minutes before the rest of the place? Grrr. Last night’s extensions were a little affected by having to hurry but I did get some good reps in once I warmed up. Had no clunking for the first time Very Happy
Was weak on SLDLs so took it easy and didn’t do bike due to time but will take it easy on that anyway.
I have to use some force to bend the knee past where the scar tissue from surgey and immobility let it go easily. I am now at about 120 degrees which is a ways from full ROM. Last night’s bend wasn’t as good as it could have been so I need a new procedure. I failed at getting to sleep early due to poor planning/preparation. Food was good though. I’m doing Lyle’s PSMF or as close as I can.
7/24
Did good extensions today. Took more warmup sets which felt good. Did 20 lbs. for 2 sets then 30 for 1. It felt hard, with a little touch of clunking but nothing like last week. I felt the tendon more than I’d like so I stopped that set short, did one 20# set which I also cut short for the same reason then finished with an easy 10# set then just some unweighted easy slow reps. Did just the right work today – progressive but sensible. SLDLs felt better than last time but I didn’t add weight since I felt a little gassed CNS-wise.
I’m neglecting UB. I’d like to do some BP but my CNS is doing about all I can handle with what I’m doing. That is the balancing act. I’ve been alternating between doing too little and too much. Today’s extensions hit the sweet spot --now to do that with the rest of the day.
I thought I might bend tonight after the lift but my tendon is feeling damn tight so I’ll take it easy. Nothing troubling, just tight. I did quality work earlier so I can see how the knee’s had enough for one day.
7/29
Today’s extensions were just OK. 20s went easily enough that I tried 30. Fuhgetaboutit. Had the feeling in the knee that it wasn’t ready for that even if the quad were strong enough, which it ain’t. Did some easy BP, 5x185, just to slow down the UB atrophy. SLDLs felt a little hard but that may have been due to not warming up enough. Going up stairs continues to improve. Doing ice & Advil now. Will do bending later if the knee feels up to it.
I am trying to not get too negative, but damn. All the suffering, all the $$, all the bullshit I had to put up with, all I’ve missed out on and continue to, and the crapola hasn’t ended yet. I am such a piece of shit for having hurt myself and there is no end in sight to what it has cost me. In a way it never will end since I will never be the contacter I could have been.
Just got done with an OK bend. Got to 11 inches from ass which is not much of an improvement in the last month but I’m after it with renewed enthusiasm since my session w/ the rolfer yesterday. Too cooked now to post details of that but I feel and move better already.
Also did extensions. No improvement there strengthwise but the knee is feeling a bit better.
Did just a good session of extensions. Did one solid set of 5 @ 30 after 3x10 @ 10 and again @ 20. Then 2 easy backdown sets, 20 and 10. No real clunking or anything w/ the lighter weight. A little shifting @ 30 but way way less than a month ago.
Felt weak on SLDLs so didn’t do much of those and bagged everthing else to focus on the extensions. Not the best but I got the main work in at least.
I’ll do an aggressive bend in a little while. I’ll carefully push it harder than last time. At my peak progress of bending I was getting 15 degrees every 2 weeks, which is what I should be shooting for now.
I’m doing rest, ice and Advil as always then will bend in a few hours.
It’s interesting that sometimes I can do a bend after extensions and sometimes I’m too swollen. I was planning to bend but find that my knee won’t have it. So tomorrow. Sometimes I’m not swollen that much even from a good w/o; other times it’s still puffy and stiff after ice, etc. and waiting a while.
And not waiting is not an option. The knee needs to rest for a while after exercise. So I’ll do it tomorow and recover Wednesday for the rolfing Thursday.
Did an OK bend last night. Got to about 9 IFA.
Scored a big jar of fish oil at a good price so loaded up on that as well. I’m still feeling better from the rolfing.
Haha man, I see where you went in my journal.
Im not the best guy in catching picks bare hand. I prefer playing with gloves.
I decided of going for football midway through my GPP and didnt want to change the program a lot.
Did a grueling session of rolfing Thursday. Completely wiped and am still discombobulated. The first one I did I felt great after. This time I’m all over the place. I do one more with this guy before the move to Boston.
Did my last session of rolfing with this guy before moving. He did loosen up my shoulder some more which is great. As far as overall coordination and mobility, that remains to be seen. I did a Feldenkrais class right after which wiped me out but I do feel somewhat more mobile. I’ll take one or maybe two more lessons with this teacher before I go.
I didn’t do any strength work or bending last week. I was super tired and I felt the lack of strength last night. Extensions were harder than the last few sessions. Did 3x5 @ 20 and the knee was telling me enough so I bagged it. Quad strength wasn’t the factor. I actually sort of felt the attachment a little. Not quite but sort of. So that was that. SS w/ SLDL. Just 4-5 sets of 135. Could have done more weight but I felt tired both from poor sleep and the day before. I think 185 is reasonable for now on those.
Won’t bend tonight since I felt that tension in the knee last night. Not a sign of bad things but it’s best to be careful. I’ll probably bend Saturday night and do extensions Monday.
I have been unsure whether to keep posting about my frame of mind during all this. I think I mostly won’t since the more I think about the neg the worse it gets. I’m just going to get moving and not stop when I slow down which I will. I’ll slow down if I have to but keep working.
The end. Apparently it’s OK for everyone else to post whatever drivel they want and I got 2!! neg reps, one from CF it seems, for nothing worse than what people post every day. Fuck it.
I’m still :mad: about getting dissed for nothing really but it helps me to record my progress so I’ll keep at it.
The Feldenkrais has helded with coordination and mobility already. I know many people think that speed, strength, RFD, etc. exist but that coordination somehow doesn’t. I’m not going to get into that here but I’m amazed that anyone can doubt it. I’ve been too tired since then and still am today but inspired by several other people’s willingness to bust ass no matter what I will do the Feldenkrais lesson again today. It was doubly hard Wednesday because I really think that if I had taken this teacher’s classes last fall I would not have gotten hurt. And it didn’t “just happen”. If I had been more diligent physically, emotionally, mentally, in preparation, etc. I might have not had such a disastrous moment of stupidity. I chose to slack and it destroyed me. We all make a choice as to how much work to do and how important it is. As anyone who has read my journal knows, I have been all over the place and it is more a battle with myself than with my knee, or with the iron before that or with juggling 
before that. The crazy thing is I’m not even done with juggling yet. I know this may sound wack but I really think I am better at teaching jugglers than almost anyone out there and I kind of like it. So I will trot out some videos and see if there’s any response.
Goalwise I am here for the next week and must work hard to get everything ready and improve as much as possible. I will have to figure out another place to lift, another way to bend, and improve my walking a lot before the Boston winter sets in.
I’ll write up my experience w/ Feldenkrais and Rolfing next time. For now I’m off to clean and pack.
Last night was my best session yet with extensions. 3x6@30, with long ROM and no clunking. I actually felt strong enough that I thought about 40 but wisely just did the 3rd set and stopped before feeling any wonkiness. Also SLDL – 135,145,165, for 6 then 185x3. I certainly could have done more reps but I don’t feel like I have the coordination or supporting strength to gut out hard lifts, especially lower body lifts. Did shrugs at the end of each set for 5 with everything but the 185.
As my work capacity improves, same day bending is over. Which is OK, I just have to do different planning.
I seem to have struck a silent deal w/ the girls at the rec center that they don’t charge me for renewing membership and I don’t dime them for leaving early. One hand washes the other, plus we’re both getting over on the man.
Hit a new high w/ extensions: 5x40 lbs. for 2 sets, the first easy, the second a little hard. I probably should have bagged it after the 3rd rep in the 2nd set though, because today it feels a little tender. Not like I hurt it exactly but stressed it a little much. Good thing I just did 2 easy sets of SLDL. I felt weak on those so didn’t push it. I should mention in case anyone’s curious that these are hybrid SLDL/RDLs. I haven’t seen these done but it seems to work my post. chain without stressing the knee. Seems to be working well so far.
I realize today that it was a mistake to do those extra 2 reps since I’m still tight today. I felt too tight to lift and thought about bending but it’s too tight for that. I’ll massage it before bed – have already iced once and will again. I don’t think I damaged anything but did stress it a bit much.
Cleaned the kitchen for GPP 
Moving like that actually does give the legs a workout. I am still not quite connected to my left leg but it is better in the last few weeks.
Damn. Sitting here I contracted the quad a little and I feel too much pulling in the tendon. Note to self:
SHUT IT DOWN if there’s doubt about whether to continue.
I’m putting official rehab work on hold for this week so I have all my energy and mobility to devote to cleaning, packing and doing a hundred things before the move to Boston. The cleaning does demand a lot of mobility so I will still be working it, just not w/ extensions and bending. I will take the first week there to look for a place to do extensions and set up a safe way to bend. So why bother with a log entry, you ask? Because I find that if I don’t write things down they don’t get done.
I feel like I’ve been lagging but when I read back just to last month I see that I have made much progress. I will keep at it. I really need to get recovered, not only in general but to do CI again. I really need it and have been bumming without it 
Just a note to remind myself that my work capacity is way way down and I need to not go as hard/long as I think I can. I was shredded yesterday after doing not really that much work. I added it all up and it was not an amount that I thought would tool me but it majorly did. So I’m going to pace myself and be much more realistic with tonight’s cleaning/packing/moving so I won’t be in danger of getting hurt.
Good news is the knee didn’t bother me until it suddenly told me enough after many hours. So I have improved my mobility a lot even though I’m still really limited compared to normal.
I’m in Boston now. I haven’t kept a log since I’ve had so much up in the air but rehab continues. I rode a bicycle this week for the first time since getting hurt and it was hard, especially since it’s a fixed gear :eek: But I rode around a little without problems. I did however bang my foot into something last night and my reflexive jerking my leg away hurt the tendon like hell. So it isn’t as good as it sometimes seems.
I’m going to a weekend Contact Improv event this weekend. Extremely fraught with peril but I really like CI and am bumming without it. So I’ll take it slow and careful.