This past month I have been recovering from my latest hamstring pull. While I was rather frustrated after the most recent injury, I’ve been able to make the best of the situation. Brian Wilson developed a program called ‘The Working Wounded’. The founding members, LeeAnn Gedeon and I both have lower body injuries. Brian developed a workout program for us to do while our injuries heal. The goal of the program is simple, work as much as you are able and get back in the regular WODs as fast as possible. Each workout has a good warm up, a strength component, volume training, and recovery.
Here is the basic outline of our program:
Monday:
Wendler Press
Ring Dip Volume Training
Front Lever
Wednesday
Wendler Bench
Pull up Volume Training
Back Lever
Thursday
Suitcase deadlift
Pistol Volume Training
This addressed several weaknesses for me- gymnastics movements, pull ups, ring dips, press, pistols. Actually most things are weaknesses for me so this program allowed me to concentrate on a few of them for a while.
Progress:
-I have not done new 1RM for bench and press but I feel much stronger in both movements.
- With Pull ups I started doing 1 strict pull up each minute for 20 minutes. I was only able to do 4-5 before I had to start kipping and at 8 I switched to negatives. Last week I was able to do 2 strict pull ups per minute for 3 minutes and then went to singles for the rest.
- Ring Dips- I started doing 2 per minute and after 7 minutes I switched to singles. Last week I was able to do 2 per minute for all 20 minutes.
- Pistols- The first week, I wasn’t really able to do a pistol, then I was able to do them with a green band and a red band. Last week I was able to do 20 pistols with a blue band.
The biggest gain in my opinion is with the gymnastics movements, the front and back levers. The first week I attempted these, it was really ugly. I told Brian that it felt like the first day of foundations again. I had the same feeling as when I tried to do an overhead squat with a 45# bar. It was the same feeling of ‘Am I ever going to be able to do this?’ I needed lots of assistance to just get myself inverted, and once I was inverted I would basically freak out because I was upside down. Brian would tell me to look at the ground but I couldn’t figure out which was that was. I am now able to get myself inverted, and do a front lever and back lever with my knees tucked into my chest. At some point I hope to be able to straighten my legs but I am very happy with my progress so far.
Overall I am very happy with my progress during the past month. I am feeling better and I am eyeing a return to regular WODs, hopefully in the near future.
Big shout outs to Brian Wilson, LeeAnn and Dave Gedeon, DJ Hung Clean, and the rest of the working wounded crew.
Hootiehoo!!!
Where’s the update?