exercising with a broken leg

As the somewhat embarassed owner of a newly fractured tibia, I'm
looking at 6 to 8 weeks before I can put any pressure at all on my
right foot and pondering my exercise options. I have a home pullup
bar so this is a good time to really focus on those. I can still do
partial Turkish getups with a kettlebell. In theory I could work on
handstand progressions but right now I'm too afraid of falling. The
cast immobilizes the ankle but I can still bend both knees. I can lie
on my back and do hamstring stretches. Any other ideas? The goal is
to preserve as much mobility and strength as possible.

Also, I'm really glad I spent the time to learn how to do pistols.
The ability to plant one foot on the floor and drive up to a standing
position has suddenly become incredibly valuable.

--
Jim Janney

Dnia 2008-06-19 Jim Janney napisa³(a):
> As the somewhat embarassed owner of a newly fractured tibia, I'm
> looking at 6 to 8 weeks before I can put any pressure at all on my
> right foot and pondering my exercise options.

I remember reading an article by one guy in even worse situation than
you are. He had a broken tight bone, I think. He praised rubber bands
training. Supposedly he came back to the gym stronger than he was
before.

> I have a home pullup
> bar so this is a good time to really focus on those.

How about dips? I used to do them between backs of the chairs. You put
them back to back, with space in between, a bit like "d h", if you catch
my asci art attempt. At the beginning they may wobble a little, but
very soon you adjust your technique and they are fine. The downside was
that I wasn't sure how much additional weight my chairs will take, and
eventually I found that doing a bodyweight dips in between hanging
gymnastic rings are more challenging and that I can use differences in
technique to make them even harder, so no need to strap weights.

Both exercises take a little bit of learning to do them safely, but they
aren't as difficult as it may seem when you first try them.

> I can still do
> partial Turkish getups with a kettlebell. In theory I could work on
> handstand progressions but right now I'm too afraid of falling. The
> cast immobilizes the ankle but I can still bend both knees. I can lie
> on my back and do hamstring stretches. Any other ideas? The goal is
> to preserve as much mobility and strength as possible.

Rubber bands. Really. When you get better you may try side presses,
but for that you need to be able to support yourself on your injured
leg. No need to move it though.

> Also, I'm really glad I spent the time to learn how to do pistols.
> The ability to plant one foot on the floor and drive up to a standing
> position has suddenly become incredibly valuable.

;-)

--
Andrzej Rosa 1127R

Andrzej Rosa <bakters@yahoo.com> writes:

> Dnia 2008-06-19 Jim Janney napisa³(a):
>> As the somewhat embarassed owner of a newly fractured tibia, I'm
>> looking at 6 to 8 weeks before I can put any pressure at all on my
>> right foot and pondering my exercise options.
>
> I remember reading an article by one guy in even worse situation than
> you are. He had a broken tight bone, I think. He praised rubber bands
> training. Supposedly he came back to the gym stronger than he was
> before.

Very interesting idea, thanks. My brother started using those after a
bicycle accident and he's much stronger than me.

>> I have a home pullup
>> bar so this is a good time to really focus on those.
>
> How about dips? I used to do them between backs of the chairs. You put
> them back to back, with space in between, a bit like "d h", if you catch
> my asci art attempt. At the beginning they may wobble a little, but
> very soon you adjust your technique and they are fine. The downside was
> that I wasn't sure how much additional weight my chairs will take, and
> eventually I found that doing a bodyweight dips in between hanging
> gymnastic rings are more challenging and that I can use differences in
> technique to make them even harder, so no need to strap weights.
>
> Both exercises take a little bit of learning to do them safely, but they
> aren't as difficult as it may seem when you first try them.

I'm getting a fair amount of dip-like work just using the crutches,
but I may try that. Or maybe I'll get some rings and hang them from
my pullup bar.

>> I can still do
>> partial Turkish getups with a kettlebell. In theory I could work on
>> handstand progressions but right now I'm too afraid of falling. The
>> cast immobilizes the ankle but I can still bend both knees. I can lie
>> on my back and do hamstring stretches. Any other ideas? The goal is
>> to preserve as much mobility and strength as possible.
>
> Rubber bands. Really. When you get better you may try side presses,
> but for that you need to be able to support yourself on your injured
> leg. No need to move it though.

I can sit comfortably in a wide second position (not quite a side
split), so I may eventually try to do some pressing from there. Right
now the partial TGUs are good enough. And I can do rollouts with an
ab wheel, and "girl" pushups (knees on the floor). Anything is better
than lying in bed all day :-)

--
Jim Janney

"Jim Janney" <jjanney@xmission.xmission.com> wrote in message
news:2pfxr9ukme.fsf@xmission.xmission.com...
> Andrzej Rosa <bakters@yahoo.com> writes:
>
>> Dnia 2008-06-19 Jim Janney napisa³(a):
>>> As the somewhat embarassed owner of a newly fractured tibia, I'm
>>> looking at 6 to 8 weeks before I can put any pressure at all on my
>>> right foot and pondering my exercise options.
>>
>> I remember reading an article by one guy in even worse situation than
>> you are. He had a broken tight bone, I think. He praised rubber
>> bands
>> training. Supposedly he came back to the gym stronger than he was
>> before.
>
> Very interesting idea, thanks. My brother started using those after a
> bicycle accident and he's much stronger than me.
>
>>> I have a home pullup
>>> bar so this is a good time to really focus on those.
>>
>> How about dips? I used to do them between backs of the chairs. You
>> put
>> them back to back, with space in between, a bit like "d h", if you
>> catch
>> my asci art attempt. At the beginning they may wobble a little, but
>> very soon you adjust your technique and they are fine. The downside
>> was
>> that I wasn't sure how much additional weight my chairs will take,
>> and
>> eventually I found that doing a bodyweight dips in between hanging
>> gymnastic rings are more challenging and that I can use differences
>> in
>> technique to make them even harder, so no need to strap weights.
>>
>> Both exercises take a little bit of learning to do them safely, but
>> they
>> aren't as difficult as it may seem when you first try them.
>
> I'm getting a fair amount of dip-like work just using the crutches,
> but I may try that. Or maybe I'll get some rings and hang them from
> my pullup bar.
>
>>> I can still do
>>> partial Turkish getups with a kettlebell. In theory I could work on
>>> handstand progressions but right now I'm too afraid of falling. The
>>> cast immobilizes the ankle but I can still bend both knees. I can
>>> lie
>>> on my back and do hamstring stretches. Any other ideas? The goal
>>> is
>>> to preserve as much mobility and strength as possible.
>>
>> Rubber bands. Really. When you get better you may try side presses,
>> but for that you need to be able to support yourself on your injured
>> leg. No need to move it though.
>
> I can sit comfortably in a wide second position (not quite a side
> split), so I may eventually try to do some pressing from there. Right
> now the partial TGUs are good enough. And I can do rollouts with an
> ab wheel, and "girl" pushups (knees on the floor). Anything is better
> than lying in bed all day :-)

Seated press (on the floor in your wide position) is great if you can
keep your back straight, floor press is also great.

Heal fast.

-S-
http://www.kbnj.com

Dnia 2008-06-19 Jim Janney napisa³(a):
> Andrzej Rosa <bakters@yahoo.com> writes:
>
>> Dnia 2008-06-19 Jim Janney napisa³(a):
>>> As the somewhat embarassed owner of a newly fractured tibia, I'm
>>> looking at 6 to 8 weeks before I can put any pressure at all on my
>>> right foot and pondering my exercise options.
>>
>> I remember reading an article by one guy in even worse situation than
>> you are. He had a broken tight bone, I think. He praised rubber bands
>> training. Supposedly he came back to the gym stronger than he was
>> before.
>
> Very interesting idea, thanks. My brother started using those after a
> bicycle accident and he's much stronger than me.

Damn, that sucks. My brother has a bike, which only feels stronger
than mine, and I tuned the beast to boot, but it still sucks. I'm
feeling for you, guy. ;-)

[...]
>> Rubber bands. Really. When you get better you may try side presses,
>> but for that you need to be able to support yourself on your injured
>> leg. No need to move it though.
>
> I can sit comfortably in a wide second position (not quite a side
> split), so I may eventually try to do some pressing from there. Right
> now the partial TGUs are good enough. And I can do rollouts with an
> ab wheel, and "girl" pushups (knees on the floor). Anything is better
> than lying in bed all day :-)

When I injured my ankle I hopped around on the other one. I used to get
cramps at the beginning due to extra work my calf had to do. When my
ankle got better and I started using it carefully, I still got cramps,
in my recovering ankle this time. A month of complete rest meant that
my muscles got all weak, and even careful walking was too much at once
for them. It's logical, but it felt strange at the time.

--
Andrzej Rosa 1127R

On Jun 18, 10:58 pm, Jim Janney <jjan...@xmission.xmission.com> wrote:
> As the somewhat embarassed owner of a newly fractured tibia, I'm
> looking at 6 to 8 weeks before I can put any pressure at all on my
> right foot and pondering my exercise options.
[...]

I remember reading that by exercising your good leg that your injured
leg will actually maintain some of the strength and size. Much moreso
than if you do no leg exercises during your recuperation.

So get to it on the single-leg calf raises, leg extensions with your
left leg, leg curls with your left leg, leg press with your left, and
on and on.

Wishing you a speedy and full recovery!

--

Dnia 2008-06-20 Curt napisa³(a):
> On Jun 18, 10:58 pm, Jim Janney <jjan...@xmission.xmission.com> wrote:
>> As the somewhat embarassed owner of a newly fractured tibia, I'm
>> looking at 6 to 8 weeks before I can put any pressure at all on my
>> right foot and pondering my exercise options.
> [...]
>
> I remember reading that by exercising your good leg that your injured
> leg will actually maintain some of the strength and size. Much moreso
> than if you do no leg exercises during your recuperation.

IIRC it was based on a research done on frogs. They bound one leg of a
frog and later found, that by trying to hop around on the other, the
injured leg got bigger too, though to a smaller extent than a healthy
one. Well, why I'm not "human aren't mice" kind of guy, I suspect that
frogs are too damn stupid to not use their bound leg while trying to hop
around. In this case no external movement doesn't mean no stimulus
provided.

[...]
--
Andrzej Rosa 1127R

Curt <curtjames@gmail.com> writes:

> On Jun 18, 10:58 pm, Jim Janney <jjan...@xmission.xmission.com> wrote:
>> As the somewhat embarassed owner of a newly fractured tibia, I'm
>> looking at 6 to 8 weeks before I can put any pressure at all on my
>> right foot and pondering my exercise options.
> [...]
>
> I remember reading that by exercising your good leg that your injured
> leg will actually maintain some of the strength and size. Much moreso
> than if you do no leg exercises during your recuperation.

I like the idea, and even if it doesn't work I'll still have one
strong leg.

> So get to it on the single-leg calf raises, leg extensions with your
> left leg, leg curls with your left leg, leg press with your left, and
> on and on.

Just tried some single-leg calf raises and deadlifts, and they worked
nicely. If I stand in a doorway I don't have to worry about losing
balance. And I can still do pistols on the good leg.

> Wishing you a speedy and full recovery!

Thanks.

--
Jim Janney

"Steve Freides" <steve@fridayscomputer.com> writes:

> "Jim Janney" <jjanney@xmission.xmission.com> wrote in message
> news:2pfxr9ukme.fsf@xmission.xmission.com...
>> Andrzej Rosa <bakters@yahoo.com> writes:
>>
>>> Dnia 2008-06-19 Jim Janney napisa³(a):
>>>> As the somewhat embarassed owner of a newly fractured tibia, I'm
>>>> looking at 6 to 8 weeks before I can put any pressure at all on my
>>>> right foot and pondering my exercise options.
>>>
>>> I remember reading an article by one guy in even worse situation than
>>> you are. He had a broken tight bone, I think. He praised rubber
>>> bands
>>> training. Supposedly he came back to the gym stronger than he was
>>> before.
>>
>> Very interesting idea, thanks. My brother started using those after a
>> bicycle accident and he's much stronger than me.
>>
>>>> I have a home pullup
>>>> bar so this is a good time to really focus on those.
>>>
>>> How about dips? I used to do them between backs of the chairs. You
>>> put
>>> them back to back, with space in between, a bit like "d h", if you
>>> catch
>>> my asci art attempt. At the beginning they may wobble a little, but
>>> very soon you adjust your technique and they are fine. The downside
>>> was
>>> that I wasn't sure how much additional weight my chairs will take,
>>> and
>>> eventually I found that doing a bodyweight dips in between hanging
>>> gymnastic rings are more challenging and that I can use differences
>>> in
>>> technique to make them even harder, so no need to strap weights.
>>>
>>> Both exercises take a little bit of learning to do them safely, but
>>> they
>>> aren't as difficult as it may seem when you first try them.
>>
>> I'm getting a fair amount of dip-like work just using the crutches,
>> but I may try that. Or maybe I'll get some rings and hang them from
>> my pullup bar.
>>
>>>> I can still do
>>>> partial Turkish getups with a kettlebell. In theory I could work on
>>>> handstand progressions but right now I'm too afraid of falling. The
>>>> cast immobilizes the ankle but I can still bend both knees. I can
>>>> lie
>>>> on my back and do hamstring stretches. Any other ideas? The goal
>>>> is
>>>> to preserve as much mobility and strength as possible.
>>>
>>> Rubber bands. Really. When you get better you may try side presses,
>>> but for that you need to be able to support yourself on your injured
>>> leg. No need to move it though.
>>
>> I can sit comfortably in a wide second position (not quite a side
>> split), so I may eventually try to do some pressing from there. Right
>> now the partial TGUs are good enough. And I can do rollouts with an
>> ab wheel, and "girl" pushups (knees on the floor). Anything is better
>> than lying in bed all day :-)
>
> Seated press (on the floor in your wide position) is great if you can
> keep your back straight, floor press is also great.
>
> Heal fast.

Thanks. As injuries go, it's a good one to recover from, but I'd
still rather not have done it.

--
Jim Janney

"Jim Janney" <jjanney@xmission.xmission.com> wrote in message
news:2pmyliuo4k.fsf@xmission.xmission.com...
> As the somewhat embarassed owner of a newly fractured tibia, I'm
> looking at 6 to 8 weeks before I can put any pressure at all on my
> right foot and pondering my exercise options. I have a home pullup
> bar so this is a good time to really focus on those. I can still do
> partial Turkish getups with a kettlebell. In theory I could work on
> handstand progressions but right now I'm too afraid of falling. The
> cast immobilizes the ankle but I can still bend both knees. I can lie
> on my back and do hamstring stretches. Any other ideas? The goal is
> to preserve as much mobility and strength as possible.

I've had to lay off heavy weights for the last month, so I'm trying to work
around that to get an upper body workout. My gym has an upper body ergometer
(UBE) which gives a pretty good upper body workout. I can get over 150 bpm
and I get an OK pump after a session. Sorry about your accident.

Andrzej Rosa <bakters@yahoo.com> writes:

> Dnia 2008-06-20 Curt napisa³(a):
>> On Jun 18, 10:58 pm, Jim Janney <jjan...@xmission.xmission.com> wrote:
>>> As the somewhat embarassed owner of a newly fractured tibia, I'm
>>> looking at 6 to 8 weeks before I can put any pressure at all on my
>>> right foot and pondering my exercise options.
>> [...]
>>
>> I remember reading that by exercising your good leg that your injured
>> leg will actually maintain some of the strength and size. Much moreso
>> than if you do no leg exercises during your recuperation.
>
> IIRC it was based on a research done on frogs. They bound one leg of a
> frog and later found, that by trying to hop around on the other, the
> injured leg got bigger too, though to a smaller extent than a healthy
> one. Well, why I'm not "human aren't mice" kind of guy, I suspect that
> frogs are too damn stupid to not use their bound leg while trying to hop
> around. In this case no external movement doesn't mean no stimulus
> provided.

A Google search on contralateral training effect turns up a bunch of
good stuff. The effect seems well established, but there isn't much
agreement on how it works, other than that (surprise!) it's probably
neurological...

--
Jim Janney