Help With Injury Recovery Program Design

Daniel Malkiel · 01-06-2007, 01:21 AM

Until this past October, I'd been doing the WOD for a bit over a year with great results. That month I broke my thumb playing baseball and was in a cast for four weeks. After that I was diagnosed with rotator cuff tendinitis and had to continue to restrict my activity to running. As a result I lost some strength and may have gained some fat. I'm now ready to resume training, with the following goals:

1) Lose 5 lbs. of fat. I'm in pretty good shape (5'7, 160#, 11:23 Helen and 5:16 Fran), but I've carried excess abdominal fat for some time and would like to get rid of those stubborn love handles.

2) Return my strength to pre-injury levels where possible. Before my injury my deadlift 1RM was 365; today I could barely pull 300. I had previously done 40 kipping pullups; now I get stuck around 20.

3) Improve flexibility. This has always been my biggest weakness, and I'd like to see some progress. I'm especially tight in the groin and hamstrings.

I'm envisioning a program like this:
Mon: Muay Thai workout
Tue: Strength/Flexibility
Wed: Rest/Sport
Thu: Muay Thai
Fri: Strength/Flexibility
Sat: Sprinting/CF-style metabolic conditioning
Sun: Rest/Sport

I have a few restrictions: Pushing is still proscribed, so no push-ups, dips, overhead presses, or oly-lifts (cleans excepted). Also, squatting is difficult because my kickboxing studio does not have a proper squat rack, only a flimsy set of posts. I do have kettlebells, rings, med balls, and other standard CF equipment.

My questions are as follows: (1) Does the general layout of the program seem well tailored to my goals? (2) What should I do on my strength/flexibility days to cope with my restrictions and get the most bang for my buck? (3) Does anyone have any advice on training with rotator cuff tendinitis?

Since I'm sure I'll be asked about diet, here's my rough plan:
Breakfast: coffee, oatmeal with berries and protein powder
Lunch: good size portion of meat and veggies
Dinner: protein shake/small portion of eggs or lean meat
Snacks: I'll try to minimize these, but when I'm really hungry I'll have a handful of almonds, some beef jerky, and/or a piece of fruit.

Thanks in advance for any feedback.

(Message edited by dan_malkiel on January 06, 2007)

Jason Lopez-Ota · 01-06-2007, 03:18 AM

Don't forget to eat good fats w/ every meal if you can. Your personal quote is funny. I don't know much about this so I'll leave it to the more experienced people here.

Mathew F. Bunch · 01-09-2007, 01:45 PM

my question would be this: if you are ready to resume training, why have you been given restrictions? my advice would be to not worry so much about your goals until you are given clearance for full resumption of training. definitely avoid muay thai-if you can't do pushups you probably want to avoid a clinch situation or any type of punching or elbowing. imagine sparring and getting too carried away during a clinch, and tearing up an already weakened and vulnerable rotator cuff. this would sideline you for 6 months or more, so i would focus on things you can do such as running, jumping rope, rowing, etc, until your rotator cuff is up to speed. you have all your life to get back in shape, and it's a lot easier to get back in shape with a fully healthy rotator cuff than one that has been surgically repaired.

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01-06-2007, 01:21 AM	#1
Daniel Malkiel Member Profile: Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Oakland CA Posts: 6	Until this past October, I'd been doing the WOD for a bit over a year with great results. That month I broke my thumb playing baseball and was in a cast for four weeks. After that I was diagnosed with rotator cuff tendinitis and had to continue to restrict my activity to running. As a result I lost some strength and may have gained some fat. I'm now ready to resume training, with the following goals: 1) Lose 5 lbs. of fat. I'm in pretty good shape (5'7, 160#, 11:23 Helen and 5:16 Fran), but I've carried excess abdominal fat for some time and would like to get rid of those stubborn love handles. 2) Return my strength to pre-injury levels where possible. Before my injury my deadlift 1RM was 365; today I could barely pull 300. I had previously done 40 kipping pullups; now I get stuck around 20. 3) Improve flexibility. This has always been my biggest weakness, and I'd like to see some progress. I'm especially tight in the groin and hamstrings. I'm envisioning a program like this: Mon: Muay Thai workout Tue: Strength/Flexibility Wed: Rest/Sport Thu: Muay Thai Fri: Strength/Flexibility Sat: Sprinting/CF-style metabolic conditioning Sun: Rest/Sport I have a few restrictions: Pushing is still proscribed, so no push-ups, dips, overhead presses, or oly-lifts (cleans excepted). Also, squatting is difficult because my kickboxing studio does not have a proper squat rack, only a flimsy set of posts. I do have kettlebells, rings, med balls, and other standard CF equipment. My questions are as follows: (1) Does the general layout of the program seem well tailored to my goals? (2) What should I do on my strength/flexibility days to cope with my restrictions and get the most bang for my buck? (3) Does anyone have any advice on training with rotator cuff tendinitis? Since I'm sure I'll be asked about diet, here's my rough plan: Breakfast: coffee, oatmeal with berries and protein powder Lunch: good size portion of meat and veggies Dinner: protein shake/small portion of eggs or lean meat Snacks: I'll try to minimize these, but when I'm really hungry I'll have a handful of almonds, some beef jerky, and/or a piece of fruit. Thanks in advance for any feedback. (Message edited by dan_malkiel on January 06, 2007)

01-06-2007, 03:18 AM	#2
Jason Lopez-Ota Member Profile: Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Honolulu Hawaii Posts: 1,528	Don't forget to eat good fats w/ every meal if you can. Your personal quote is funny. I don't know much about this so I'll leave it to the more experienced people here.

01-09-2007, 01:45 PM	#3
Mathew F. Bunch Member Profile: Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Fort Campbell Kentucky Posts: 85	my question would be this: if you are ready to resume training, why have you been given restrictions? my advice would be to not worry so much about your goals until you are given clearance for full resumption of training. definitely avoid muay thai-if you can't do pushups you probably want to avoid a clinch situation or any type of punching or elbowing. imagine sparring and getting too carried away during a clinch, and tearing up an already weakened and vulnerable rotator cuff. this would sideline you for 6 months or more, so i would focus on things you can do such as running, jumping rope, rowing, etc, until your rotator cuff is up to speed. you have all your life to get back in shape, and it's a lot easier to get back in shape with a fully healthy rotator cuff than one that has been surgically repaired.