Workout:
Physical Therapy Circuit - 1 hr
- Hip Flexor Stretch
- Adductor Stretch with Trunk Rotation
- Piriformis (supine)
- Adductor Stretch with Strap
- Eccentric Hamstring Strengthening (SLDL)
- Hip Flexion Extension - Ball
- Banded Side Shuffles
- Side-Lying Banded Hip Abduction
- Side-Lying Weighted Hip Abduction
- Resisted Hip Adduction
- Side-Lying Weighted Hip Adduction
- Split Squat Foot on Ball
- Eccentric Hamstring Curl - Ball
- Single-Leg Bridges - Ball
- Wall Sit - Ball
Reading:
No Reading.
Notes:
Prior to 2013 I did not consider mobility, core & hip strength, or eccentric strength to be priorities as I trained for ultimate. I would go through the motions in warm ups, use a foam roller after hard workouts or tournaments, and deal with soreness as it cropped up in a reactionary way. My primary goal at that time was basically to move as much weight in the gym as possible. My thought was more weight lifted -> more explosive -> better player. I was following a modified version of stronglifts, squatting in the low 300s, deadlifting in the 400s, doing front rack RFEs at over 200. But I was also chronically injured. My training had done a good job of making me faster, but I was also struggling with recurring hamstring and groin issues. I spent more than half of 2013 on the sideline for various different tweaks and pulls. This was frustrating mentally and physically. On the 2nd to last day of the 2013 season, this proved to be too much for my body to take, and I tore my ACL on a non-contact play. As anyone who has been through a surgical procedure like this knows, this tends to serve as a wake-up call for even the most stubborn people (like me).
After surgery, I spent the next six or seven months working with a physical therapist building basic function and strength. The goal of these months is not to prepare someone for playing ultimate, it is to prepare someone for basic tasks like running, squatting, balancing, using stairs, and other simple day-to-day tasks. When you are "cleared" by your surgeon, they are not saying you are "ready for ultimate", they are saying you are "ready for basic life tasks". Once you are cleared it is up to you to prepare yourself for sports. There is no set path or guideline for this, you are on your own.
So after I was cleared by my surgeon, I focused on the kinds of basic footwork and strength that are needed for ultimate. I went to Long field and did workouts regularly with Jack and Walden to work on this. I also hit the gym to build up basic strength. I knew I wanted to get ~3 months of field work and lifting in before I returned to playing in real games - the thought here being that playing in a game is unpredictable, and I want to trust that my body is capable of moving and reacting in the correct ways in-game. I also knew that it is very easy to overcompensate with the opposite leg, which can result in an increased chance of injury to that leg, and I wanted to avoid this as best I could.
About two months in to this field work, I was starting to have the same groin issues that I had had prior to my injury. In my infinite wisdom I felt that I was past this injury, and that the stiffness and soreness was nothing to worry about. A few weeks later, during a field workout I strained my groin again. Not wanting to deal with another knee surgery down the road, I got a referral to Athletico and stopped all other training to focus on this. My physical therapist had played NCAA Lacrosse with Northwestern, winning a number of championships, and also had personally torn both of her ACLs and dealt with groin issues for much of her athletic career. I explained my injury history, what ultimate was, and my goals for recovery, and told her I did not care how lengthy or difficult the rehab circuits were. I asked her not to take it easy on me at all, to give me something that an NCAA athlete would be expected to do. I went to PT three times per week for the next four weeks, and on days when I didn't go I would do the circuits she gave me 1-2 times per day, religiously. She made me work very hard, and it was well worth it.
All told I spent about 6-8 weeks solely focused on physical therapy for my groin. These weeks directly pushed back my ability to play ultimate, which at the time felt like a massive sacrifice. But if I had not dedicated myself to this during those weeks, it is very likely this injury would have haunted me for the remainder of my playing days.
The circuit I did today was one of the circuits from 2014. There are movements that I find easy and there are movements I still find very difficult. No part of this workout is as "sexy" as a max squat or deadlift. But I would argue that if you are worried about how "sexy" your training is, you have lost sight of what's important. I would attribute my ability to be injury-free for the last two years to understanding my body better, recovering better, to circuits like this, and doing more of the critically important un-sexy stuff that goes into training.
Physical Therapy Circuit - 1 hr
- Hip Flexor Stretch
- Adductor Stretch with Trunk Rotation
- Piriformis (supine)
- Adductor Stretch with Strap
- Eccentric Hamstring Strengthening (SLDL)
- Hip Flexion Extension - Ball
- Banded Side Shuffles
- Side-Lying Banded Hip Abduction
- Side-Lying Weighted Hip Abduction
- Resisted Hip Adduction
- Side-Lying Weighted Hip Adduction
- Split Squat Foot on Ball
- Eccentric Hamstring Curl - Ball
- Single-Leg Bridges - Ball
- Wall Sit - Ball
Reading:
No Reading.
Notes:
Prior to 2013 I did not consider mobility, core & hip strength, or eccentric strength to be priorities as I trained for ultimate. I would go through the motions in warm ups, use a foam roller after hard workouts or tournaments, and deal with soreness as it cropped up in a reactionary way. My primary goal at that time was basically to move as much weight in the gym as possible. My thought was more weight lifted -> more explosive -> better player. I was following a modified version of stronglifts, squatting in the low 300s, deadlifting in the 400s, doing front rack RFEs at over 200. But I was also chronically injured. My training had done a good job of making me faster, but I was also struggling with recurring hamstring and groin issues. I spent more than half of 2013 on the sideline for various different tweaks and pulls. This was frustrating mentally and physically. On the 2nd to last day of the 2013 season, this proved to be too much for my body to take, and I tore my ACL on a non-contact play. As anyone who has been through a surgical procedure like this knows, this tends to serve as a wake-up call for even the most stubborn people (like me).
After surgery, I spent the next six or seven months working with a physical therapist building basic function and strength. The goal of these months is not to prepare someone for playing ultimate, it is to prepare someone for basic tasks like running, squatting, balancing, using stairs, and other simple day-to-day tasks. When you are "cleared" by your surgeon, they are not saying you are "ready for ultimate", they are saying you are "ready for basic life tasks". Once you are cleared it is up to you to prepare yourself for sports. There is no set path or guideline for this, you are on your own.
So after I was cleared by my surgeon, I focused on the kinds of basic footwork and strength that are needed for ultimate. I went to Long field and did workouts regularly with Jack and Walden to work on this. I also hit the gym to build up basic strength. I knew I wanted to get ~3 months of field work and lifting in before I returned to playing in real games - the thought here being that playing in a game is unpredictable, and I want to trust that my body is capable of moving and reacting in the correct ways in-game. I also knew that it is very easy to overcompensate with the opposite leg, which can result in an increased chance of injury to that leg, and I wanted to avoid this as best I could.
About two months in to this field work, I was starting to have the same groin issues that I had had prior to my injury. In my infinite wisdom I felt that I was past this injury, and that the stiffness and soreness was nothing to worry about. A few weeks later, during a field workout I strained my groin again. Not wanting to deal with another knee surgery down the road, I got a referral to Athletico and stopped all other training to focus on this. My physical therapist had played NCAA Lacrosse with Northwestern, winning a number of championships, and also had personally torn both of her ACLs and dealt with groin issues for much of her athletic career. I explained my injury history, what ultimate was, and my goals for recovery, and told her I did not care how lengthy or difficult the rehab circuits were. I asked her not to take it easy on me at all, to give me something that an NCAA athlete would be expected to do. I went to PT three times per week for the next four weeks, and on days when I didn't go I would do the circuits she gave me 1-2 times per day, religiously. She made me work very hard, and it was well worth it.
All told I spent about 6-8 weeks solely focused on physical therapy for my groin. These weeks directly pushed back my ability to play ultimate, which at the time felt like a massive sacrifice. But if I had not dedicated myself to this during those weeks, it is very likely this injury would have haunted me for the remainder of my playing days.
The circuit I did today was one of the circuits from 2014. There are movements that I find easy and there are movements I still find very difficult. No part of this workout is as "sexy" as a max squat or deadlift. But I would argue that if you are worried about how "sexy" your training is, you have lost sight of what's important. I would attribute my ability to be injury-free for the last two years to understanding my body better, recovering better, to circuits like this, and doing more of the critically important un-sexy stuff that goes into training.
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