# BigDyl's Road To Recovery Journal



## BigDyl (Apr 26, 2014)

So, I just had ACL surgery 3 months ago, and my leg is finally coming back.  It's crazy, it literally atrophied 2 inches in less than 4 weeks initially after the surgery.  I still can't really do legs yet, so I guess my PT workouts will have to suffice for legs even though I'm not squatting 400 lb's like KelJu or FuFu.


Stats
Height: 6'6
Weight: 220 (need to be 205, so I can cut under 200 for my weight class)
BF% 15 ish.  It could be more...


PT Workout (Friday):

Bike 10 minutes
Wall Squats BW X 15 reps (hold 15 seconds at bottom, parallel) <----- try doing that without an injury
Treadmill 10 minutes (alt jog 6.0 mph / walk 3.5 mph)
Shuttle Leg press full stack X 25 Double leg X 2
Shuttle Leg press full stack X 25 Single leg X 2
Elliptical 10 minutes
Single leg balance on memory foam (10 X 10 second hold)
Lunges on Bosu Ball (10 X 5 sec hold)
Machine leg hyper extension lockout  60 LB's X 10
Standing leg curls (20 lb's weight attached) 1 x 15
Standing leg swings (30 lb's weight attached) 1 x 15
Marching step ups (30 lb's weight attached) 1 x 15
Kick backs (30 lb's weight attached) 1 x 15
Single leg partial squat from 10 inch box X 10
Seated Ball squeeze between knees (20 X 5 sec hold) <-- min0's fav exersize
Lying Leg raises with 10 lb's X 20 (hold 5)
Side Leg raises with 10 lb's X 20 (hold 5)
Lying leg kickbacks with 10 lb'x X 20 (hold 5)
Knee drives into folded towel for flexion X 20 (hold 5)

The PT then does various leg manipulations to stretch the calve, hamstring, and pushes the foot toward the hamstring for flexion.  They also do a massage of the knee cap for patella mobility.  Then they put a 10's unit on each muscle around the knee, jack up the current, and put an icepack over top for 10 minutes.

The whole process takes 1.5 hours.


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## BigDyl (Apr 26, 2014)

Since I can still do upper body, I'm like those guys at the gym that only do upper body.  So now fit in with the brah's.


Flat BB Bench Press (4 min rest)

135 x 8
185 x 5
205 x 3
225 x 3
245 x 7 
275 x 2
245 x 6

Rest Period Changes to 2.5 min

225 x 9 BB Bench Superset with BW Pullups X 11  (I can blast chin-ups, but I suck at pullups)
225 x 8 BB Bench SS BW Pullups X 9


Barbell Dorian Rows Superset with BW Dips
2 min rest

225 x 10                    BW X 20
225 X 10                    BW X 20
225 x 10                    BW X 20


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## BigDyl (Apr 29, 2014)

Chin-ups (more like speed chin-ups, almost full rom, but no pausing at top or bottom)
BW X 20

5 min rest

Machine Wide grip pulldowns (2.5 min rest)
180 x 8
170 x 8
170 x 7

Seated Rows (2 min rest)
170 x 8 
150 x 10
150 x 10

Dumbell shrugs (2 min rest)
115's X 15
115's X 12
110's X 12

Captains Chair
BW X 30
BW X 25
BW X 25

Cardio (Treadmill)
10 minutes (Alternating jogging/walking, 5.7 mph / 3.5)

Arm Cycle (10 minutes) resistance set to 12


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## KelJu (Apr 29, 2014)

Sorry to hear about your injury. How did you blow out your ACL? 

Glad to see you back here man, I just wished it were under different circumstances. Hang in there and you will be back on top.


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## BigDyl (Apr 29, 2014)

It was actually a stretched ACL.  I was nursing a torn meniscus for 2 years, then after I stopped having cortisone shots to mask the pain, the doc mentioned I had a stretched ACL.  I didn't even know it was stretched, but they replaced it when they fixed the meniscus.  

And, thanks bro.  I'll try to stick around.


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## fufu (Apr 30, 2014)

I thin what your ACL needs is some weighted single-leg jump squats, stat!!!

Just curious, what did they do to surgically repair the stretched ACL?


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## BigDyl (Apr 30, 2014)

fufu said:


> I thin what your ACL needs is some weighted single-leg jump squats, stat!!!
> 
> Just curious, what did they do to surgically repair the stretched ACL?




They cut out the old ACL, and replaced it with an allograft (cadaver ligament).  I think it was an Achilles tendon which is 4x as thick as a normal ACL.  They don't repair stretched ACL's from what I was told.


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## fufu (Apr 30, 2014)

So now you are impervious to inverted heel hooks due to your super ACL?


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## BigDyl (Apr 30, 2014)

fufu said:


> So now you are impervious to inverted heel hooks due to your super ACL?



Yeah, pretty much.  But seriously, I've always been wary as hell of heel hooks (esp reverse).  It's so easy to blow a ligament with someone's knee with one, as Ryan Hall demonstrated so many times in competition.  Under IFBJJ rules you're safe, however, since they are not allowed.  You ever watch any of the cobrinha/mendes ADCC matches where they heel hook the hell out of eachother back and forth and no one taps?  Insane.  Rafael Mendes is the best ever, btw.

Here's rafa at his gym casually destroying heavier world champ opponents.

Watch the sequence around 4:20.  Slick.


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## fufu (May 1, 2014)

BigDyl said:


> Yeah, pretty much.  But seriously, I've always been wary as hell of heel hooks (esp reverse).  It's so easy to blow a ligament with someone's knee with one, as Ryan Hall demonstrated so many times in competition.  Under IFBJJ rules you're safe, however, since they are not allowed.  You ever watch any of the cobrinha/mendes ADCC matches where they heel hook the hell out of eachother back and forth and no one taps?  Insane.  Rafael Mendes is the best ever, btw.
> 
> Here's rafa at his gym casually destroying heavier world champ opponents.
> 
> Watch the sequence around 4:20.  Slick.



That triangle was a thing of beauty. They looked to be moved really fast for being in the gi. 

I haven't seen any of the ADCC matches you mentioned, but I have seen some nasty heel hooks ala Palhares. I would tap out instantly if anyone put me in a heel hook, even before they started applying torque.

Do you mostly gi or no-gi? or both?


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## fufu (May 7, 2014)

Where are your updated recovery workouts?


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## BigDyl (May 7, 2014)

Yeah, Im slackin'.  

Back Workout:



Wide Grip Pullups (4 min rest):
BW X 12
BW x 10
BW x 8
BW X 7

Bent over rows--dorian style (2 min rest):
185 x 12
185 x 12
225 x 10
225 x 10

BW Squats:
+50 LB dumbbell X 15
+50 LB dumbbell X 15

Rehab Bike for 20 minutes


I think I have adrenal fatigue.  I was using a lot of stims and stuff like ECA, insane amounts of caffeiene a few weeks ago, then I started having weird things happen like low blood sugar, tired, then wired, weird sleep patterns.  So now my adrenal gland is probably shot and not producing enough cortisol.  Thing is, I can still workout, just don't have that "extra" energy I usually have...


EDIT:  The other night I went to practice and got in 4 sparring sessions.  I wore my ACL brace and "flow rolled," although some people weren't "flowing...."


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## fufu (May 7, 2014)

An update!

How much caffeine were you taking in?


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## BigDyl (May 8, 2014)

fufu said:


> An update!
> 
> How much caffeine were you taking in?



Probably a gram a day... randomly threw in 25-50 mg ephedrine a day.

Been having weird burn out symptoms since.


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