SND's Training Journal

Friday at gym was treadmill, lower body workout, cycle then I played squash for 45 mins.
 
I've now had three days complete rest over the weekend (and while we were down country) in preparation for my squash teams event tournament this week.  This is serious stuff and playing for my club so I want to put on a good show both for the club and for my team mates.
 
My food at the weekend was all over the place but today was clean and healthy and moderate.
 
Looking forward to a good week.

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At gym at 0930 with Gymguy.  We started out doing some lifting etc but then got bogged down in squash training and discussing shifting weight around on my legs as I move and trying some stuff out like that.
 
I did 25 mins cardio at the end on the cycle and treadmill but wasn't really into it to be honest.  Don't often feel like this but  Gymguy pulled me through.  He wants me to keep up the cardio this week even though I am competing in my squash teams event W, Th and Friday this week.  Not sure if I can organise the childcare.  My training is about to change alot as I start studying full time in 12 days and I'll have to work much harder to keep to my 5 x per week schedule.  Where there's a will there's way.
 
Food - good today, clean, healthy, low GI, on track.  Finally.
 

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Went to gym, did 15 mins on the cycle, then some abs and stretching then 15 mins walking on the treadmill.  That's all for today as I have a serious squash match tonight.
 
Food OK.
 
Plan for tonight is to relax, have fun, play my own game, NOT serve any out of court serves and do my best for my team.  Wish me luck !!

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GOOD LUCK!

TY Won my first match last night (altho team lost 3 matches to 2).  Second round tonight.  Had good focus last night and I was out to win, serious but I had fun.  Roll on the top seeds tonight.  I am ready to kick some butt !!
 
At gym today I boxed for one hour with GymGuy.  We concentrated again on footwork and weight transference.  I love the boxing fitness.  It really challenges me and there's so much to learn as well as feeling strong in terms of punching and moving.  Again didn't overdo it as I have another squash match tonight......
 
Food good, ate some carbo at 3pm, will do some nuts/fruits at 6pm and probably be playing around 8-830pm tonight so that should give me energy.
 
See ya...

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OK, sitting here, right leg up on chair, plaster cast from toes up to knee, yep, I did the typical squash thing - I've ruptured my achilles tendon.  Did it 5 minutes into my squash match on Friday night.  We started very late at 9:30pm and I just exploded off from mid-court to reach a short ball and over flexed my shin towards the top of my right foot and I heard (and felt) my achilles snap !!  Ouch, ****, damn, bugger, blast, ****e, and **** again !!
 
Still to see specialist next week but prognosis is 6-8 weeks in plaster, another three months of rehab, no more squash this season (goodbye to my B Grade), NO skiing this winter (and we hadn't even started yet), AND worse of all is No driving.  Now I have three small kids, we all have active lives, Auckland's public transport is crap and I am a solo mother.  I also start full time study next Thursday.  Obviously if God NEVER gives you more than you can handle, then he thought I was very, very bloody strong !!
 
Yes, I have family and friends, and yes, one of them gave my ex-husband a talking too and he's been very helpful all weekend and will drive the kids to school next week.  Hmmmmmmmmmmm  really I didn't need this.
 
However I've already had GymGuy over (with a lovely fruit basket thank you) and we've got our regular Monday morning training session tomorrow and I'll hop along on my crutches and do exactly what I am told to do and no less or more.  This too will pass.  I will play squash again and I will ski again and I will have patience with the rehab process.
 
Any achilles rupture advice appreciated...............
 
Regards Jill

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Rehab 1 at gym this morning with GymGuy
 
Bear in mind I have the lower half of my right leg in plaster.......  (there's no pain to speak of though)
 
We did warm up by doing crunches, crisscross abs, press ups in two forms
 
Then did some upper body weights with me sitting on a swiss ball and then a little machine work.
 
I now see the specialist tomorrow and will find out what the prognosis really is on my particular achilles tendon rupture.  Can't wait.
 
Life sucks.  But I got to gym (taxi) and got home, managed to wash and feel better for training, albeit in a form I am not used to and much less energetic than normal.  I will try to stay grateful that it's a temporary injury and I'll only be immobile for a finite period of time.  Others cope with much more serious stuff in terms of disability so I will not whinge, or complain.

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Tuesday I trained at home using the rehab programme GymGuy had set on Monday and telephone books for weights, was kind of fun but the novelty will wear off I suspect quickly I suspect.
 
Yesterday I had a 1pm session with GymGuy and I got a second rehab programme that concentrates on leg work (upper leg work for the plaster-cast leg even).  It was fun and I will be able to do that at home tomorrow.
 
Today I start my teacher training course so I've got four hours at university and then I'll go to gym on my way home and have a go at the upper body rehab programme without any assistance.
 
Last night I got cramp in my right calf twice which given that it's in plaster (toe to knee) and I can't flex my foot or toes, this was excrutiating and all I could do was moan until it went away.  Hope that doesn't happen again soon !!
 
Eating moderately and well.  Hope my much better metabolism and eating moderately will help with not too much weight gain over the next 8 weeks.  One week (almost) down, seven to go.  Am I counting, you bet I am !!  I have moaned about all the cardio in the past and now that I can't do any I miss it alot.  As soon as my cast is off I can start to cycle again.

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Thursday I trained with my upper body rehab programme at gym.  Friday I had a rest day.
Saturday I trained lower body and today I trained upper body rehab programme - both sessions at home making as best I could with adapting the exercises.
 
One week and three days down, only six weeks and 4 days to go in plaster.  Man, am I counting.  I am such an active person that this crutches-thing is gonna kill me.  Only thing keeping me sane is continuing to train and my new teacher-training course which I've just started in.
 
Food a little haywire and needs tightening up.

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OK now I have 5 weeks and 5 days to go before I get my achilles tendon rupture cast off my right leg.  Last Wed I had the heavy plaster of paris cast changed for a nice light fibreglass one (in purple no less) and that has made training easier too.
 
I managed to train Monday, Tuesday, Wed and Friday this week.  Thurs and Sat rest days.
 
Today I trained at home with both the upper and lower body rehab programme that gymguy has set me.  It's not strenuous and I seriously miss the cardio and the sweating and the heart beating heavily for an extended period and I definitely miss those endorphins running around my body.
 
Gymguy is buying me a swiss ball to use at home and I think I might invest in a small no. of hand weights around the 6-12kg range for doing stuff at home too.  With my full time study course I simply won't get to the gym enough and home based training will have to do.  I will still do two sessions a week with GymGuy and 1-2 at gym on my own with the make up ones being at home.
 
As soon as my cast is off I will be back on the cylce and into the pool.  Ho hum.
 
Had fun weekend !!!  Life goes on and my social life seems busy despite me being on crutches.  I've tightened the food up a little bit but there's more room for improvement definitely.

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Today is Sunday.  I've trained Mon, Tues, Thur, Fri, Sat last week and am about to go upstairs and do some training now which will complete my 5x a week goal.  I am still working on rehab programmes that take into account my right lower leg in plaster due to rupturing my achilles tendon playing squash.  It's 3 weeks and two days since I ruptured it which means 4 weeks and 5 days left in plaster (8 weeks in total).  Apparently I have to do the 8 weeks in full regardless of how well I am healing because it is just a time thing so I have no control over this at all.  Just have to be patient.
 
My lower and upper body programmes are machine- and floor- based although GymGuy did introduce some swiss ball work on Friday, now that he thinks my balance is getting better.  I get a new cast on Wed with my foot at right angles to stretch out the new tendon growth which will alter my balance a little again too.
 
My food is fuzzy and I need to tighten up on the carb at breakfast/lunch but not in the evening rule.  This seems to suit my body type.  No refined sugar at all too.  We weighed on Friday and I was 63.8kg incl. my cast which is OK and within the target 60-65kg range that GymGuy wants me to keep in over this rehab period and while I can do NO significant cardio.
 
I get my heart rate up with floor based ab exercises and press up type exercises, doing them continuously without breaks.  I am not bored but I do miss the sweating that goes with the cardio and the feeling of achievement that all those endorphins produce.  And not being able to walk properly is just damn frustrating for someone as active as me !!!!
 
But I am here and I am at the gym still and keeping my attitude as positive as possible.  This too shall pass.

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Monday Trained at gym with GymGuy - had a new upper body programme with much heavier weights despite the achilles cast.  Was a good workout.  We re-trained my ab work since I am doing so much of it and I tend to work more with my thigh muscles sometimes than making sure my abs and transversers are actually working.  This was hard work !!! but this floor-based ab work does get my heart rate up which is important since I am immobile.
 
Food was OK for breakfast and lunch but dinner went haywire with chocolate mousse at the restaurant AND I am out to dinner Tues night as well.
 
Life is stressful but gym and working out is essential to my physical, emotional and mental balance.  I love it still.  My decision is strong.
 
 

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OK last week I trained Tues, Thurs, Friday and had two days off at the weekend.  Finding it hard to this week too but went yesterday and today so that Mon and Tues out the way.
 
Am driving again and this is the last week in my plaster before I get my walking cast and life will be slightly easier.
 
I can't wait to get up a sweat again.
 
Food is crappy and I don't wanna talk about it LOL !!

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This week I trained Monday with gymguy on a new upper body programme.
 
Tuesday I trained lower body on my own at gym.
 
Wed and Thurs were rest days since it just didn't happen.
 
Today I was supposed to train with gymguy but he cx so I trained upper body again on my own.
 
It's five weeks today since I ruptured my achilles and I've got 2.5 weeks to go in plaster thank god.  I get my walking plaster next wednesday.
 
My food has been crap !!
 
I have alot to train and care for myself for.  I have life, I have study, I have 3 beautiful children, I seem to have an active social life despite being husbandless, in fact more social life than I can actually handle so I just going to continue, one day at a time, being grateful and not whinging about my achilles and my crutches too much.
 
That's me.  I intend to train Sat and Sunday to make my 5 x week goal with the training.  For the next three weeks I am full time on practicum in a primary school so my training will have to be weekends and 3 times during the week.
 
Over and out Jill

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Update - got my cast off my snapped achilles one week ago.  I had 8.5 weeks in plaster altogether.  I had about 80% range of motion the day after I got my cast off and one week later I have 90% range of motion.  When I hit 100% range of motion I can start to rebuild muslce and start my cardio programme.  So looking at next week.
 
I continued to train with weights, abs, press ups and lots of swiss ball core work right through the 8.5 weeks and I think the benefits are showing now.  My weight and body fat moved up only slightly and I am walking really well one week later altho still hobbiling a tiny bit.  Both trainer and physio really pleased with me so that is cool.  Can't wait to get back into the really challenging sweaty stuff next week.
 
Going on holiday now to the South Island of NZ here which is very beautiful.  School holidays so it's with my three kids.  Am taking my programme and my exercise bands with me and I'll keep up the rehab.  It's amazing how unstable my knee and ankle have got over such a short period of time.
 
Hope you are all going well.  Will check in next week when I am back.
 
Regards Jill

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