Monday December 30th, 2013

A. Bench Press.  built to 260 with slingshot.  Did a board press with 260 two two boards as well.  Was a weird feeling and movement.

B. Incline DB Bench Press  45x18, 45x18.

C1. 1 arm row   65x12, 65x12, 80x12, 80x10
C2. Db rear delt fly  15x10 x 4 sets.

D1. Band face pull with external rotation 10,10
D2. incline bench curls  25x10, 25x10

E. Battle rope  20s on 2:00 rest x 5.

Sunday December 29th, 2013

19 days Post-op on ruptured achilles tendon.

Airdyne 30 minutes at Z1.  375 calories. 9.1 miles. 12.5 cals/min.

+
ankle stretches and banded rotator cuff work.

I am slowly increasing the pace on the Airdyne each session. The first day I was putting hardly any pressure on the pedals with my injured leg in the boot. Now I am pushing with it but not actually putting weight on it if that makes sense. This is still a very comfortable pace and I will continue to slowly build on it.

As far as the achilles tendon goes, it is feeling better every day. Each day I am more pleased that I got the boot. One it is great to be able to sit down and have a shower rather than having to use a bath. Then more importantly for recovery, it is excellent to have access to it. On day 1 with the boot (13 days post-op) I could barely move it in any direction as it was so stiff and felt foreign. I also could only put on a regular sock with great care. Now less than a week later I can put on any sock quickly, like normal, and can also move the ankle around. I have improved the dorsiflexion quite a bit and have started improving upon the plantar flexion as well. If this was in a cast it would be a a disaster. I would really like to get a massage on the ankle as it is swollen and stiff but the doctor advised no massage. So for now I will abide by this. I am looking forward to starting a structured PT program which I anticipate being able to begin after doctor appointment on January 13 (4 weeks post-op).

The tendon itself feels strong, but the swelling in and around the ankle seems to be the main limiter for moving it well. I've been told not to weight bear but there have been a few instances of light weight bearing while in the boot. It feels fine when this occurs.

Also on the goals front I took my OPT Level 1 Program Design test and passed, so thats a major hurdle accomplished. I completed the course approximately a year ago put had not completed the extremely long and time consuming practical that went with it. At that time I was working full time as LEO, studying for the Sgt. test, programming for our gym and a handful of private clients and had a 1.5 year old at home.  So writing ~40 make believe programs wasn't in the cards. I had basically resigned myself to the fact that I wasn't going to achieve the certification for Program Design. At the time I was a bit disappointed to take the course and not get the certification but there was only so much time in the day.
I enjoyed the course and took tons of information from it.

Then a few weeks ago I got an email and was notified that the Program Design course certification could be passed by taking an online practical examination. The test was tough and the student had to really have a good handle on the material. It was pretty amazing how second nature some of the questions were to me though. Having studied and applied this information for a couple of years left me with a very strong understanding of the material. I passed it with ease on the first try.

 I think back to what I knew in 2010 when I started training and what I know now. I know infinitely more. Knowing more in terms of training and designing programs is a good thing and a bad thing. It is one of those things where the more you know the more you realize you don't know. Continual learning is so important in terms of training and physical fitness. I plan to continue to learn and take courses at every opportunity to make myself a better coach and to learn more about how to train athletes and "weekend warriors" alike.


Next learning goal:  Read Eric Cressey's Performance Handbook. I am likely going back to work on January 2nd so this abundance of free time I have had will be disappearing. Gotta try and get this book read today through Wednesday.

Saturday December 28th, 2013

A1. Arnolds 10x30, 10x35, 10x35, 10x35.  Rest 20s
A2. swiss ball glute bridges  15 reps x 4 sets.  Rest 60s
B. Cuban Presses   45# barbell  x 6 reps x 3 sets. Rest 60s
C. l lateral raises   10 reps x 1 set with 10#/h
D1. side lying DB abduction 10-12 reps.  10# x 2 sets.
D2. banded external rotation 15 reps x 2 sets.
E1.  toes to rings 10-15 reps x 2 sets
E2. band pull aparts 20 reps x 2 sets.

Little less overall work than I wanted to do today but I also was watching the kids while Mandy worked out today. Upper body a bit sore from previous days so mostly did rotator cuff work. Will do light AD work tomorrow.

December 27th, 2013

Airdyne 30 mins @ z1.   346 calories. 8.7 miles.  11.5 cals/min.  ~59 RPM.

A1. lying banded external rotation  15 reps/ arm x 4 sets.   Rest 30s
A2. seated med ball twists w/ 20# ball  30 reps x 4 sets.  Rest 60s.

B1. standing banded external rotation 15 reps/arm x 3 sets. Rest 30s
B2. Defranco's ab circuit x 2 sets.     Abs a bit sore from yesterday and today's work.

I am looking forward to making progress on the Airdyne. Until I get cleared to weight bear I won't push it too much. Just some Z1 efforts to keep moving.

Thursday December 26th, 2013

A. Ring Push Ups  AMRAP (-2)   Rest 2 minutes.  26,25,16,15.
B1. Strict Pull-ups AMRAP  12,12,10,10
B2. Banded Face Pull with External Rotation.   10,10,10,10
C. L lateral raises w/ 10#  10,10,10,10
D1. Banded Triceps Pushdown with 20# power fit band.   25,21,16
D2.  Toe touches  25x 3.
E. Battle Rope alternating arms Max effort 30s.  Rest 1:30 x 3.

Tuesday December 24th, 2013

2 weeks Post- Op.  In a CAM boot. No weight bearing.

A.  Airdyne 30 mins @ Z1.  303 calories and 8.3 miles. Felt good to sweat a bit. Super conservative, never breathed hard at all. This was a nice easy to start. Will progress the intensity and duration over time.

B1. ab wheel roll out 15,15,15
B2. 45# plate hold AMSAP,  65s,60s,45s

+
at home 20 dorsiflexion movements with injured leg.

Monday December 23rd, 2013

A. Bench Press - Build to a 3RM.   252# with sling shot. Up from 242# last week. Bit of a struggle on 3rd rep. Will be switching the pressing movement for 3 weeks now.

B. DB bench press   65# x 16, 65# x 15.
C. Ring Rows x 10 reps x 3 sets.

3 sets:
D1. Seated banded row x 15 reps.
D2. band pull aparts  x 15 reps

E. Incline DB curls  35# x 10 reps per hand x 3 sets
F. Band Tricep pushdown to failure   BLue band x ~20 reps per set x 3 sets.
G. Cuban Presses x 10 reps x 3sets.  15,25,15.  First time with this movement. Felt good. External rotation work and strengthening the external rotators is going to be a priority for me the next couple months.



A photo of the cut from surgery. The bandages obscure it a bit, but you can see it decent enough. Probably will leave a gnarly scar. In other Achilles news, Jeffrey Taylor of the Charlotte Bobcats just tore his Achilles. He is 24. Seems young. It will be interesting to follow his recovery, as his surgery date was 13 days after mine.

I went to the doctors today and am now in a CAM walking boot. This appointment was 13 days after surgery. I was told to not weight bear at all while in this boot until another follow-up appointment in 3 weeks. I will follow this protocol as I do not want any setbacks with the surgical aspect. The nice part about being in the boot is that #1) I can wash it. and #2) I can sweat, because I can wash it. During tonight's workout I tested out the Airdyne and I will be able to use that so now it is time to start building up the aerobic pace. I can't stand while pedaling but I should have no problem doing a nice 30 min AD session. I will try to do this 2x a week minimum. Tomorrow I will pair it with some ab work and grip work. This will make for a nice little workout and some breathing.

On the work front I believe I will be able to go back to "Modified Duty" in 2 weeks. That's good as I did not want to keep burning through sick leave.

Training priorities:
1.) Mobility in shoulders and t-spine.  6x a week.
2.) Strengthening rotator cuff.  Cuff exercises 3x per week and band work 3x per week. Pain free shoulder movement.
3.) Bench.  Goal:  Can I get to 300 by end of February?
4.) Aerobic base
5.) 3 weeks from now # 1 will be PT on achilles, but until then I am limited to 20-30 reps of dorsiflexion a day.

Other goals:
1.) Take OPT Program Design Test.
2.) Read Eric Cressey Handbook.

tomorrow morning : Airdyne, abs, grip.

Looking forward to seeing Sean's reaction on Christmas. He is 2.5 now so I think he will enjoy Christmas immensely this year.

Friday December 20th, 2013

A1. Arnolds 10x25,10x30, 10x35, 10x35.  Rest 60s
A2. Swiss Ball Glute Bridges   15 x 4. Rest 60s
B. 1-10 unbroken CTB chin-up ladder.  2:49.
C1. Triceps Pushdown with Bands.  15x red, 15x blue x 2.  Rest 60s
C2. Toes to Rings AMRAP (-3).  15,12,10.  Rest 60s
D1. Band shoulder raise from knees with orange band   10,10,10
D2. Defranco's Ab circuit x 10 reps x 3.
E. Face Pulls with External Rotation. 15x 3 sets
F. Band Pull Aparts 25x3.

Thoughts 1 week after surgery achilles tendon rupture.

A timeline of my thoughts and emotions regarding achilles tendon rupture.

December 5th - Achilles tendon ruptured playing basketball. Definitely pissed off and upset. Lots of time spent wondering why this happened. Lots of time spent researching and figuring out exactly what it meant, how long recovery would be, options etc., 

December 6th- December 10th.  Pissed off and feeling sorry for myself. There is no two ways about it. I was not happy. Mandy made me bathe the night I injured it ,a Thursday, otherwise I wouldn't have. After all I had been playing basketball so I was soaked with sweat. I didn't bathe again until Sunday or maybe Monday. I didn't shave until Monday and that's only because I was going up for surgery on Tuesday and didn't want to look like a complete slob. Bathing was a pain in the ass because I couldn't get below my knee wet. So if I didn't sweat, I didn't bother to bathe.  I was concerned with how this would affect my work as a LEO. I was frustrated that a lot of hard work in training was going out the window. I had finally moved my back squat and clean up to numbers I was pleased with and thought I could continue to improve upon. I had finally fixed my shoulder and was having more success going overhead than ever before. I had a nice slate of competitions lined up for the next 8 months that I was excited to participate in. A good mix of OPT online comps, local comps, the CrossFit open and Toughest Competitor Alive. 

December 10th- Date of Surgery.  I didn't mention this in my previous post because I guess I overlooked it or forgot. The day before the surgery Mandy got sick with a 24 hour flu type thing. I of course picked it up overnight. So the night before the surgery I had body aches pretty bad. We got up and went to the hospital and I was in pretty rough shape. Body aches were so bad I wasn't even feeling my achilles. I thought I might puke at any moment.  Sure enough I puked my brains out around 11:30 or so. I obviously withheld this information from the nurses as I was determined to have surgery that day. Once the surgery was complete I was in a pretty good mood. That was probably just the drugs, but I was excited that the road to recovery had begun. At least I was no longer standing still or going backwards. Now I could focus on recovery. This mood lasted a few days as I dealt with the pain and got settled at home. 

December 13th-December 19th. Once the pain subsided and I got into a routine, my mood kind of changed. I realized the surgery was not going to be a magic fix and I wasn't and am not recovered at all. All the hard parts and the MONTHS of relative inactivity are ahead of me, not behind. I have watched something like 17 episodes of the television series "The Wire. " I've already seen the "The Wire." It's a great television show, but I would prefer to be doing more than crushing 3 episodes a day of a television show. I've done a whole lot of reading and Individual Design programming. Not going to work has essentially freed up 50 hours a week between commute and actual working. I used to spend approximately 7 hours a week working out. That's down to about 2-3. Some people would take an injury to be a mini-vacation and enjoy some time off from work and put their feet up. While time off form work is great at first, once I caught up on the things I could it got boring real quick. 

A silver lining is that I have been able to spend a bit more time with the kids. But that obviously brings complications too. I can't take baby Sarah out of her crib or get anywhere far with her. Sean is 2.5 years old and can't sit still for two minutes. That was perfect when I was mobile as I could chase him around the house, take him outside to play soccer, baseball to the park etc., Now we sit to read a book and get through 4 pages and he wants to do something else. 

We are hosting the OPT online competition at our gym this weekend. We are doing it a week late because the weekend of 14th and 15th was a work weekend for me and I wanted the opportunity to compete alongside our gym members. My role now will be as organizer, judge and coach. I'm excited to do so but when I dream at night it's not about organizing, judging and coaching. It's about competing. Competing WITH and against others. Competing AGAINST myself. Competing against what I think I can do and what I can do. Competing against what I have done in the past. 

I LOVE coaching but it is not the same. They provide different levels of enjoyment. One is not better than the other, just different. Doing both makes me whole. It excites me to do both. 

The key is to try and keep things short term. Next up, is my appointment on Monday the 23rd to hopefully get into a boot. In the meantime I'll just keep benching.

Short-Term goals fitness:  One more upper body session on Friday, shoulders, tri's, abs, grip.  Followed by tanning and oiling up. <---kidding .="" div="" mobility.="" nbsp="" xtra="">

Short term goals Dad/Husband:  enjoy and cherish any extra time with the kids, even if it means just watching them pull the TV off the stand, knock over the Christmas tree, and generally take advantage of an immobile father. Help Mandy by doing what I actually can do. Be there for her as support, since this is every bit as hard for her as it is me, since she has taken on extra responsibilities to make up for what I cannot do. 

Short-Term goals self improvement :  Read Eric Cressey "Performance Handbook." Take OPT Program Design test online. 

Wednesday December 18th, 2013

A. DB bench  55x21,55x16, 55x9.  Short rest ~60s
B1 supinated chins  12, 12, 9x10#, 11x10#.  rest ~60s
B2. band face pull with external rotation.   15x4. rest ~60s
C. muscle-ups AMRAP (-3)  7,5,4.  Rest ~60s. Was super cautious here and came off the rings well before failure.  Obviously with A and B before it the MU's were a bit harder.
D1. Seated DB military press 35x12, 35x12,  Barbell Press 12x 95#. Rest 60s
D2. ab wheel roll outs   15 x 3.
E. DB hold max time 80# x 45s, 80#x40s, 80#x 33s.   rest ~60s between.
F. DB finger curls  various weights reps.
G. DB wrist curls.  various weights reps.

Will E,F and G help?  I don't know for sure. I often know that grip is a limiting factor for me in a CF workout so I'm going to do some grip work and see if it helps.

Tuesday December 17th, 2013

At home:

T-spine and shoulder mobility. 

A. ab wheel roll-out x 15 reps x 4 sets. 

B. Side planks 40s. x 3.  Left side from knees

C. plank from elbows 60s x3

D. ankle mobility exercises.

E. rotator cuff strengthening exercises with bands

F. Band Pull-aparts  20 x 3. 

going to push up the Upper Body volume day to tomorrow as it fits better with my schedule. Friday's work TBD.  6 days until follow -up appointment. 

Monday December 16th, 2013

Training 12/16/13

Upper body and shoulder mobility

A. Bench Press up to a 3RM.   242# with sling shot on. Movement pattern feeling more natural as result of using sling shot. Did warm-up with empty bar w/o sling shot. Will try for 250 next week.

B. DB bench   55# x 21 reps.  Rest 2 minutes.  55# x 18 reps. Will use 65# next week.

C1. DB row 70#   15,15,13 per arm.   Will use 80# next week.
C2. Banded face pulls with Ext. rotation.  20,20,20.  

D. hammer curls  35x10 x 3.

I have a follow-up appointment next week on 12.23.13.  Hopefully will get the stitches out and cast off. Will then hopefully be able to add some aerobic conditioning of some sort.

Bench strength is going up quick. Will do these same workouts in 3 week cycles then change the movement.

Friday December 13th, 2013

12-13-13.  3 days post-op. 

Something super important in the very beginning of my recovery has been the help of others. It is a pretty helpless feeling hobbling around on crutches all over the place. Small tasks like going to the bathroom or preparing a meal are a large pain in the ass. I've been very lucky that Mandy works part-time and has been able to help me out with making sure I'm comfortable, have my foot elevated, am well fed, am remembering to take my medications etc., My parents live only two miles from here so they have stopped by to help on occasion or help by watching our two children, 2.5 years old and 5 months old. The pain is getting much better and I was able to get out of the house for a few hours to workout and watch our class at CrossFit Binghamton. Earlier in the day while watching TV I did a rehab routine on my right (healthy) leg. I plan to try and keep up with utilizing the routine on both legs as I want no part of rupturing the other achilles, and from my understanding once you rupture one, your likelihood of rupturing the other increases. And plus simply watching TV is too boring for me.


workout:

foam rolling and t-spine, shoulder mobility routine. feel great through here.

A. DB bench press x 15 reps. Rest 2 minutes x 4.    55#/h.  Up from 45#/h last week. Felt good, no forced reps.

B1. Strict Pull-ups  12,12,12,11.     Up from 12,10,9 last week.
B2 Band Pull- Aparts  20 x 4.

C. Seated DB military Press  12 reps x 3 sets.  35#/h.  This was light but I was wobbling all over.

D1 KB Shrugs ---couldn't do standing. will try seated on a bench next time.
D2.  DB hammer curls  x 10 reps.  x 3 sets.  35#/h.  Slow and controlled.

It has been really helpful reading Nathan Holiday's blog  http://nathanholiday.com/?p=388 from ~20 months ago when he had the same injury. I look ahead to see what he was doing to get an idea for how I might feel and what I may be able to do on that day. I'm trying not to look too far ahead but it is encouraging to know he is back and better than before.


Saturday goals :  Upper body, t-spine mobility.  Rehab routine for healthy leg.
Sunday goals:  Upper body, t-spine mobility.  Rehab routine for healthy leg.

1st and 2nd day post operation, Achilles Tendon rupture.

Wednesday 12-12-13
Pain was pretty high today. It got so bad at ~24 hours post-op that I called the Drs. office to see if I could get something stronger than the pain meds they were giving me. I'd put the pain at that time at about a 9/10. I was almost hyper ventilating from pain. The pain meds were lowering the pain from about a 9 to a 7 and that was lasting only about 3 hours, while the doses were every 6 hours. The nurse called back and said I could take Advil in addition to the pain meds and to stagger the Advil with the pain meds. I did so and it helped tremendously. Talk about information I could've used earlier in the day as I was moaning in agony. Since then I've been able to manage the pain just fine and it is about a 4/10 which is plenty tolerable and expected.

I was not able to do any mobility work or stretching today as I was in too much pain. Sleep was restless at best. The pain meds make me jittery and doesn't allow for restful sleep.


Thursday 12-13-13- 2 days post op.
Now that I am mixing in the Advil with the pain meds the pain is tolerable. Keeping my injured leg elevated is key. When I get up to go to the bathroom or drop the leg below my heart, all the blood rushes to leg and is quite painful. I had wanted to go to the gym tonight just to observe our class workout but think I am better served staying home and keeping it elevated. Starting with my 4pm dose today I am weaning off the pain meds.

As far as "exercise" today I was able to get in an upper body/shoulder mobility session. Only takes ~10 minutes. Works great, feeling good. Hopefully feel up for going to the gym tomorrow and getting in an upper body volume workout.

As far as updates I plan to try to write every couple of days for two reasons. Too document how I'm feeling and how I'm coming along. Second to possibly provide inspiration or a timeline for others who have this injury. I know for me it is invaluable to have seen a similar blog. It provides a timetable and inspiration and helps see the light at the end of tunnel.

As far as long term goals I might as well make a couple now. These are goals to show me I am back to the level I was at before the injury. I want to hit a 50" box jump and clean 300#. When I hit those 2 numbers I will know my explosiveness and strength are completely back. Will I hit them? I honestly don't know. As for a timeline, I'm not setting one but hitting those in 10-12 months from now seems like a good place to start.

Achilles Tendon Rupture

I realize to most this will be boring, but it is as much for me to get thoughts down as it is for anyone reading.

This was not a blog post I wanted to write. This is not the direction I wanted my training or this blog to go in. I've seen the recovery from injury, the inspiration blogs, and I wanted no part of one of those. I'm not going to the CrossFit Games or Regionals, I'm not a professional athlete or anything remotely close. Lately I've paid more attention to my body than at any other time in my life. Feeling beat up? Extra day of rest. Sore shoulders? Get it sorted out, take 6 weeks off from any pressing or snatching, work mobility, be diligent with stretching etc., I have stepped down from every box for years. I have closely monitor all sprinting and double unders. It's not worth it to get injured exercising.

All that care is out the window now. Thursday night, 1:30 left in a REC league basketball game. I catch an inbounds pass and prepare to square up and drive on the man overplaying me. And then I feel it and crumble to the ground.

All the following thoughts race through my head in ~2 seconds. WTF I just got shot in the ankle.  Actually no I didn't because I didn't hear a shot.

 Someone must have thrown a basketball at me and hit me right in the heel. Why would they do that? Nope that didn't happen.

The man guarding me just kicked me in my heel as hard as he could. Ok nope that didn't happen because he is right in front of me.

I looked quizzically at the our bench to figure who had struck me in the heel. They look quizzically back, like they had no clue what happened.

And then I realized what happened. Immediately. I tore my achilles. I knew it without a doubt. I even said it to them when they came out to help me off the court. I said "I just tore my achilles, I can't believe it. " It was a play extremely like how Kobe Bryant tore his. I wasn't landing or loading for a jump or anything. Just catching a pass and starting to move.

Go to orthopedics for x-rays that night, blah blah blah. It was explained that I tore my achilles and that I was in a splint.

Follow up with a doctor on Tuesday and surgery right after that. I chose to have surgery at Upstate Medical in Syracuse because I believe in their care, surgeons ability and customer service compared to mine and others past experiences in the Binghamton area. This could be another blog post but I'll leave that alone for now.

My thoughts Friday:

Where do I go from here: The light right now is very faint at the end of the tunnel. 6 months minimum for full recovery. I'm extremely active and most of the enjoyable activities I participate require physical exertion. Basketball season is obviously done, hunting season over, Mistletoe Mayhem CrossFit competition at our gym done, CrossFit Open done, Can-Am Toughest Competitor Alive competition in July done as I won't be able to train the running events as needed.

My goals will be small and day to day. I have nothing to rush for and nothing to hurry back to participate in. I will have small things I wish to accomplish every day. Generally I participate in a few competitions a year and this gives my training focus and direction. I was really looking forward to the Toughest Competitor Alive competition at the Can-Am games in July. It was 8 events I felt generally good about and would be competing against other Police/Firefighters in a MASTERS age group (30-35). I guess that's why they have Masters age groups though. Because Masters go and tear their achilles. Now my next competition is unknown. Maybe the OPTathlon in October? I don't know right now.

Laying out my goals in small increments works best for me. Right now they are day to day
Thursday 12-5-13 - date of injury.
Friday 12-6-13.  Upper body volume work. DB bench, pull-ups, band pull aparts, shurgs, curls.
Saturday 12-7-13  Upper body mobility and shoulder mobility.
Sunday 12-8-13.  Upper body mobility and shoulder mobility.
Monday 12-9-13.  Upper body max effort. Bench Press up to 225x3 with sling shot on.
DB bench, DB row, band pull-aparts, KB shrugs, curls.


Picture before surgery:

Tuesday 12-10-13 Surgery

Thoughts starting immediately after surgery: let's get this thing healed. Recovery is in my hands now and having the right mindset is important. Plus I was on pain meds so I felt like I could take on anything. Pain was not too bad immediately after surgery and when I went to bed. I'd say about a 2 or 3 on a scale to 10.

Wednesday 12-11-13 Recovery. Pain is now very high. Probably a 7 or 8. The meds knock it down a bit and that last for about 3 hours.

Thursday 12-12-13 Recovery.   Upper body mobility and shoulder mobility
Friday - 12-13-13  If I'm up for moving, Upper body volume.


A final note on perspective. I know in the grand scheme of things, this is not a huge deal. I realize people have it infinitely worse than this. This is just my thoughts and emotions and my place to organize things so that I can come back and be an active person again.