Lower body conditioning

Tumblequeensmom · 08-12-2008, 09:21 AM

I probably should've posted this in the "skills & drills" forum, but I really only wanted coaches to respond to this question!

DD broke her collarbone 2 weeks ago. The Dr. wanted her to STAY OUT of the gym for at least 4 weeks b/c he said that the temptation for her to do things she should NOT do would be too great as her shoulder started to feel better. (boy, what a run on sentence!)

Anyway, her coach wants her to work on keeping up her strength, but he didn't tell me anything other than that. I have not been back to the gym since the weekend that the accident happened.

I'm thinking that she's perfectly fine to work on leg lifts, etc. w/a 2.5 lb weight on her ankle.

Does anyone have any good exercises for her that will not cause any undue movement in her shoulder?? Any suggestions would be most welcome!

-Lynn

PS. She's wearing a "clavicle strap" if you know what I'm talking about. Her right arm is totally free, so we're not going to have to worry about her loss of mobility in her elbow or wrist.

**hammy** · 08-12-2008, 10:33 AM

I wouldn't think it would be any problem to work abs and legs while recovering. She could do general abs exercises such as: crunches, sit ups, hollow body (scoop) hold, leg lifts, tuck ins, v-sits, etc. She could also work general leg conditioning such as: chargers, power jumps, squats, etc. She could also do some general flexibility stuff: splits, kicks, etc. I hope this helps ya out.

Tumblequeensmom · 08-12-2008, 10:47 AM

Thanks Hammy... my only concern is that she is not to raise her arm yet. I know at our gym, when they do the v-ups, hollow holds, etc. they have their arms over their heads. I guess she could just do those w/her arms by her sides.

gymdog · 08-12-2008, 12:50 PM

I'd be careful of any upper body movement. If she does any lower abs I think she should lie back and focus on keeping her upper body still and flat and just moving the lower body. She can do varying degrees of leg lifts and holds on both stomach and back this way, straddle keeping legs tight and resisting going too wide, with legs held just off the floor, 45 degrees, and 90 degrees. Hamstring legs bent 90 degrees, upper body flat on the floor, drive heels into the ground and lift the bottom, do lifts, pulse, and hold, two feet and on each foot with the other extended. Then cross extended foot over the other leg at a 90 degree angle and extend hips fully and hold (be careful with arching and driving upper body into the ground in this case with these exercises. For her, focus on extension through the hips). Laying flat, kick one leg up controlled and use "slow muscles" to pull as close to upper body as possible without the other leg coming off the ground (do front and side). Point and flex toes.

ACoach78 · 08-12-2008, 01:11 PM

I'd be asking this question to her doctor, personally.

What does the doctor say that she can do?

gymkat · 08-12-2008, 06:57 PM

A lot of abs things would be difficult to do without moving or tightening the shoulder. Even if you do lay flat and do scissors or something, it's a natural tendency to tighten your shoulders.

**bogwoppit** · 08-12-2008, 07:10 PM

What about seated leg extensions with ankle weights? That way the upper body can be totally supported by the back of the chair and arms resting on the, well arms of the chair. Personally I'd be off to a Sports Medicine specialist, with the go ahead of the Doctor of course.

I know it seems like a long time to take of gym, but sometimes the long term price is much higher if injuries have not been allowed to heal properly. Speaking from experience of course.

Tumblequeensmom · 08-12-2008, 07:26 PM

O.K... I guess we just need to be patient and let things heal. Her Orthopedic dr. is a sports medicine Dr. as well, so I guess we just need to sit tight. I'm sure the next 2 1/2 weeks will fly by anyway! Thanks everyone!

-Lynn

BlairBob · 08-13-2008, 04:18 AM

Simple squats. If you isolate muscle groups ( leg extensions ), you're not going to have the hormonal release caused by a compound movement. We obviously don't want her doing jump and stick off height to be stressed with a load due to movement in the upper body, but a simple air squat will do.

Leg lifts on her back. Don't crunch up, just lift the legs up and down or in and out. I wouldn't even bother to do hollow body rocks/crunches due to engagement of the shoulder.

One arm pushups on her knees or against the wall. Don't worry about one arm developing over the other over such a short time period. Basically another compound movement to encourage the body to release a bunch of hormones to keep up strength levels.

One leg squats. You can have her use the good arm to hold on to something but focus on pushing with the legs. Another good compound movement.

Look up a " good morning ", on exrx.net . I don't have my kids deadlift actual weight, generally they just use sticks, a medicine ball or a girl's high bar or men's. Basically bodyweight only, using the movement as a stability exercise. This is basically a core and lower body movement. I use a few of these as core stability drills with my kids and adults ( including my dad ).

YouTube - Good Mornings

For the good morning, simply stand feet shoulder width apart. Bend the knees slightly but they will not bend in the movement. This chap does it with straight legs. Body will bend at the hip as if you were reaching down for your toes, BUT...

you will keep your back straight as in arched. She should be able to see herself and her back in a mirror. There will be a stretch in the hamstrings. Push the butt back while lowering. Now, return back to the standing position with the tight arched back squeezing the butt and stomach. It sounds more complicated than it is.

Many doctors will say do nothing to err on the side of safety. Look into possibly a sport doctor, especially one familiar with gymnastics if possible. Doctors love prescribing meds and do-hickeys to fix ills than simple preventative measures or proper rehabilitation.

If you have a yoga ball, let her do crunches there. However, this could be dangerous if she slips and falls. I'm not a big fan of, but the girls get a kick out of doing wall squats with these balls.

Tumblequeensmom · 08-13-2008, 11:45 AM

Thanks so much BlairBob. I actually went to my gym this a.m. (Gold's) and one of the a.m. staff members gave me a "temporary" membership for her. I'm going to take her in the a.m. and have her ride the stationary bike on a low level, and then use some of your ideas for her legs. There are a ton of leg press, leg lift machines where she can sit, lean against the back rest and just work her legs. I will definitely put either NO WEIGHT on the machines or just a very light (5 lbs) one. She can work one legged type squats on the "men's" leg press.... where you sit back, lean back and kind of push out and up against gravity. I was working these things this morning to try to see if there was any upper body movement on myself... and I didn't detect any, but then again, I'm not injured either. I'll just work REALLY carefully w/her and if there's ANYTHING at all, we'll stop. At least getting on the stationary bike will at least keep up her endurance! I'm printing out your suggestions to take with us!

-Lynn