Just found out i'm gonna be off the bike for about 4 months. I've torn the medial ligament and some of the cartilage in my knee. Already been out of action for about 3 weeks and I'm going mad. Any suggestions as to how to pass the time without being able to go biking and how not to loose what fitness I have when I've been told no sports for 4 months after my opp which isn't happening till the end of the month. What makes it worse is my new bike is due to arrive tomorrow.
injured what to do
- Thread starter al-irl
- Start date
Wait for doctor approval and confirmation that your stiches are healed then find an indoor pool and swim. MASSIVE workout for cardio.
I swam and competed with teams for almost 10 years and one thing we would do to isolate our upper body and focus on technique was squeeze a kickboard between our legs (above the knee) for floatation and just swim a regular freestyle stroke. Keep the legs straight and tie a small towel around your feet to help keep them together.
Try swimming 1000m this way.
HELL of a workout.
I swam and competed with teams for almost 10 years and one thing we would do to isolate our upper body and focus on technique was squeeze a kickboard between our legs (above the knee) for floatation and just swim a regular freestyle stroke. Keep the legs straight and tie a small towel around your feet to help keep them together.
Try swimming 1000m this way.
HELL of a workout.
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I second the swimming. That's how I stayed in shape after my knee surgery.
LoL... OK so you may want to work on proper breathing technique first, then progress to combining that with your freestyle stroke.
Until you learn to trust "The Pocket" (it's the pocket of air you breathe from that is formed by the wake your head makes in the water. Once you get a little speed you can turn your head -not your body- and grab some air. Exhale through the nose first underwater, then as you turn your head out of the water, make a hard "Puh" sound while keeping your lips together - this clears water from your nose and mouth. Inhale quickly through your mouth only, then turn your head back into the water and look forward. What makes it freaky at first is that technically you are doing this below the water's surface.) - practice this breathing technique with your head in a sink full of water and find someone who is a swimmer to help you out. Hot female collegiate swimmers are preferrable.
If the proper breathing technique is giving you trouble and you REALLY want to get out there then do what we on the team used to call "Lifeguard Stroke" or "Tarzan Stroke". Swim freestyle BUT keep your head out of the water and looking down the lane the whole time. The problem with this is that you will get a REALLY stiff neck after a while.
Until you learn to trust "The Pocket" (it's the pocket of air you breathe from that is formed by the wake your head makes in the water. Once you get a little speed you can turn your head -not your body- and grab some air. Exhale through the nose first underwater, then as you turn your head out of the water, make a hard "Puh" sound while keeping your lips together - this clears water from your nose and mouth. Inhale quickly through your mouth only, then turn your head back into the water and look forward. What makes it freaky at first is that technically you are doing this below the water's surface.) - practice this breathing technique with your head in a sink full of water and find someone who is a swimmer to help you out. Hot female collegiate swimmers are preferrable.
If the proper breathing technique is giving you trouble and you REALLY want to get out there then do what we on the team used to call "Lifeguard Stroke" or "Tarzan Stroke". Swim freestyle BUT keep your head out of the water and looking down the lane the whole time. The problem with this is that you will get a REALLY stiff neck after a while.
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Swimming is that good huh?
I am terrible about training, I hate to 'workout', but I like to go for a run, a ride, a swim -- was thinking about some kind of pool membership.
Running rarely - just to X'train, not a huge fan, but its ok.
Riding - of course, provided some fun trails and a buddy its all good
Swimming - I havent been doing much, but it seems relaxing, even after a hard swim. Maybe this is the answer to my upper body fitness goals?
ramble - but am I on the right 'track'?
I am terrible about training, I hate to 'workout', but I like to go for a run, a ride, a swim -- was thinking about some kind of pool membership.
Running rarely - just to X'train, not a huge fan, but its ok.
Riding - of course, provided some fun trails and a buddy its all good
Swimming - I havent been doing much, but it seems relaxing, even after a hard swim. Maybe this is the answer to my upper body fitness goals?
ramble - but am I on the right 'track'?
if all else fails i always play some vid games, good to help you stay sharp and alert and keep your eye/hand condination fresh, good luck and get better asap! btw modern warfare 2 is sick!!!
Swimming is great, hanging on RM is a good way to pass the time as well.......... If your in Socal, we should have a crippled gimp rider convention.....
You burn an INSANE amount of calories provided you set goals and don't punk out on your scheduled routine. I don't know what the stats are for guys like Michael Phelps but he must be burning calories like a blast furnace during the peak of his training cycle. Put it this way: when I was on the team in high school, breakfast would be a T-Bone steak with 3 scrambled eggs, then oatmeal with peanut butter and raisins for dessert. That would be around 8am. By 11 my stomach would be empty and growling... and that was just breakfast. I don't know what my body fat % was but I was cut to the point where you could see my obliques perfectly. Yeah - I was 17 back then but considering my daily caloric intake... plus swimming 2 miles as a warm-up BEFORE practice even started... THAT was a serious kick in the a$$...
It can be if you: 1)Don't have an pre-existing shoulder problems. 2)Are doctor approved for swimming 3)Don't partake in voluntary respiratory abuse like say... smoking weed.
Google search Swimming, Beginner Routines... should come up with some good stuff to follow.
lol
I just got that game for my PC......
it has cause more stress than anything lately. I'm tired of getting shot in the back by some smuck
I did high school swim team too... I actually ran the numbers. My daily caloric intake was generally around 8,000. Rundown:
Wake up--> meal
morning (6am practice, 1 hour)--> meal
classes
lunch
classes
afternoon snack (small meal)
afternoon practice (3 hours)
dinner
homework
dinner #2
bed
I was as tall as I am now (6') but only weighed about 155lbs (for reference: i'm about 196 now). Had my body fat calculated and it came out to just under 8%. My doctor told me I needed to start eating more and gain some weight.
But yea. Swimming is great cross training. Its good for aerobic (cardio), lower body strength, core strength, upper body strength, and respiratory.
I hardly use my lower body at all since I use it so much for everything else so I've turned swimming into almost a core and upper body only workout!
slacker!!!I hardly use my lower body at all since I use it so much for everything else so I've turned swimming into almost a core and upper body only workout!
Hey man, no problem!
Glad I could help.
Damn... so you guys did two-a-days... I did that for a while with one team but it conflicted with my studying time. Yeah - 8,000 cal. sounds about right. Man that's just nuts by my current diet and training regimen. 6ft. tall and 155lbs.?! Jesus... sounds like this guy Pete I used to swim with - super lanky and tall. He was one of the best breast-strokers on our team.
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the morning practice wasn't mandatory. We also had a 4 hour practice Saturday mornings, which we normally spent the first half of doing weight training.
Haha yea I was lanky and tall... and I was a breast stroker too
I also did butterfly because I was one of the few guys on the team who could actually swim a 100m fly and not get DQ'd.
seriously right? i only got another 6-8 months before i can ride again
aside from excersize, play guitar or some other instrument(if you don't, learn) if youre like me you will have to have something to focus creative energy on and keep your mind off your injury and how it limits you from doing what you love(biking).
I was laid up nearly the whole summer with a shattered elbow and got really depressed because I couldnt ride and missed a sweet trip with some friends as well as any races and on top of that I couldnt work because of the injury.
I was laid up nearly the whole summer with a shattered elbow and got really depressed because I couldnt ride and missed a sweet trip with some friends as well as any races and on top of that I couldnt work because of the injury.
Another vote for swimming. I swam for years, and all through high school. it's a rediculously good workout and you get really good at using oxygen efficiently since you can't just take a breath whenever you want to. only problem is it is so f'ing boring to suffer in a pool while staring at a black line at the bottom for hours at a time with a max speed of a couple mph. at least if the gym is boring i can find a nice butt to look at.
There were some good tips in here http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=227325 for me and my recently busted ankle.
Think I'll give the swimming a go too once this puppy (and matching one on the other side) are healed and I'm out of the cast (?5 weeks?).
Think I'll give the swimming a go too once this puppy (and matching one on the other side) are healed and I'm out of the cast (?5 weeks?).