I tore my ACL and my meniscus a few weeks ago playing basketball. I will have reconstructive surgery sometime in the next few weeks. Basketball was really the only physical activity I did to keep halfway in shape. Obviously basketball is out of the question for a while now, and so I need to start a fitness program to 1)strengthen the leg before surgery and 2) prevent from being a total couch potato, which I have been the past 3 weeks. The default thing for people to say is, get on the stationary bike or the EFX machine. That's what I intend to do, but my question is, what is a good program to start out with? How long do I have to pedal away, and at what speed, before I get a decent workout? I know this sounds kinda weird, but like I said, the only cardio work I have done in the past 10 years or so has been on the court or on the track. I don't think I have been on a stationary bike in over a decade. Any suggestions are welcome.
I have a stationary bike in my apartment for when I'm too banged up to play ball. I would just say use as much intensity as you can, but time is more important than intensity. Try to do it in 15 - 30 minute intervals, vary your intensity, when you start to get tired, slow down. You'll know that you're burning calories when you're sweating. Swimming isn't that bad an activity to do either, though I have no "workout" suggestions for that other than to have fun.
phase 1: get off the couch pahse 2: walk to fridge (alter speed of walk to fit your needs) phase 3: open fridge while consentrating on your shoulder muscles phase 4: grab case/six pack/sinlge of beer (depending on your weight class) * lift witht the legs, not your lower back phase 5: return to couch phase 6: lift beer to mouth, drink , return to resting position and exhale on the way down. phase 7: rpeat until tired. *i always use swimming for rehab but i dont know how that will effect strength in your knee?
