Repetive Exercises for Rehab

Career Interrupting Injuries
R epetive Exercises for Rehab
Jumping routines

Emphasis on high number of reps, downplaying weight training. Supplement or alternative to gym weight equipment.

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I use a lot of repetitive type training exercises, like jump rope and jumping. I believe that the hundreds or even thousands of reps that you get from these exercises is more effective than the few reps that you can stand with weight training.
Repetitive exercises can supplement free weights or Nautilus weights, if you want variety.
I like to use exercises that involve jumping for rehab. There are lots of forms that I use. I take a basketball and bounce it off the backboard at a court. I jump up and tap the ball off the backboard. Or I jump up and tap my hand on the backboard. Another object I like is the picnic bench. I jump up onto the seat, then back off.
Following are some detailed routines that I use for rehab. I use these exercises for training and strength building as well.
Jumping exercises.

Backboard and basketball.
Find a court with no one on it. Stand to one side of the basket and toss the ball off the backboard and catch it. Gradually start to jump up as you shoot the ball off the board. Then jump as you catch it. You can jump to tap the ball, hang up there as it rebounds, then tap it again. Keep count of your jumps and try to keep it organized in sets of twenty.
You can also do this without a ball. Jump up and tap the backboard, if you can reach it. You tend to have to jump higher to tap the board than you would to bounce the ball off the board. It requires more of a jump but less coordination
Jump up two or three times and touch the board, with a very short pause in between jumps, only enough time to recoil and jump. Try to work up to a set of ten.
Jump rope.
Start with two foot jumping. Then go to one foot hopping. Then hop from one foot to the other in a sort of jogging step while you keep the rope going.
Hopping on one foot is usually the most strenuous. Jogging from one foot to the other while turning the rope is the least strenuous. Two foot hopping is mildly strenuous. Switch between the most strenuous and least strenuous jump rope routines.
If you can, try to get more complex in your hops. Start with the right foot crossed over the left. Now hop. Come down with feet side by side, and hop. Last, cross the left over right. This is a three step routine. Do a set of ten of these groups, which will make it a set of thirty hops.
You can also cross your arms in front and get the rope going. The rope will shorten so it's tricky. You can swing the rope from side to side next to you without actually jumping over it, as a sort of rest. Make up arm patterns while jumping. Try the patterns on a jog, then a two foot hop, then a one foot hop. The arm and foot patterns help build isolation and coordination.
Late stage rehab: Jumping exercises.
Dont do this stuff until you're really healed. This is for phase five as described in the schedule. This is for testing the injury and building up to better than you were before. You should probably wear pads when doing this. You can wear elbow pads and your knee brace, or wear a knee pad on your hurt knee with no knee brace.
Standards of jumping ability
Jumping standards should be measured from two-planted-feet jumps, not running leaps. One step into a planted feet jump is allowable. For reference, my jumping ability was always considered by coaches and players to be pretty good, but my best current jump with knees tucked is only about four feet. I've seen this height greatly superseded by a lot of the athletes I've trained with. Good jumpers will leave the ground by at least three feet with legs extended, not tucked. I've witnessed jumps of over four feet with legs extended. I've only seen this with basketball players. Players of average height will dunk easily with this level of jump. I've never seen a skater who could do it, but I'm sure some are out there.
I tailor my routine to three foot jumps, knees tucked. A person with decent jumping ability should be able to handle this height. A person with excellent jumping ability, like a competitive basketball or volleyball player, will gear their routine to four feet. A person who is improving should work from about knee height, or two feet if measuring.
Picnic benches or bleachers, picnic tables
I like these obstacles because there are a bunch of jump exercises you can come up with them. The wooden ones are usually pretty springy and great for jumping on and off. Picnic tables in particular are great because this object has two levels.
You have to be pretty far along in your rehab to jump up on a bleacher seat or picnic bench seat. If it's too high, use a curb.
The idea of this is to do a bunch of reps and build strength without using any weight. A lot of times, reps are more important than weight. Some guys who run a lot who never lift weights can jump better than guys who lift like crazy. The runners have far, far more reps in their routine.
Start by jumping up onto the bleacher or bench and then off. Take a pause after you've jumped on then off. Do a set of ten. If you have a basketball or volleyball, hold onto it for a set. This puts more attention on your legs, and adds the coordination of holding the ball. Then do one without the ball. Without a ball, I sometimes hold my skateboard and jump.
If you can hack it, jump on, then off, then back on without pausing. This may take coordination as well as effort. Then pause after this set of three jumps. Repeat this routine ten times forming a set.
Try this routine on a picnic bench. I like the picnic bench because you can use the table to hold onto or get some support with your hand while you're jumping.
Picnic tables
This is for when you're really trying to push your jumping ability and strength. I used this during the last stages of my last knee injury, when it didn't hurt too much. I found I could jump almost as well as the year before, when I wasn't injured. So I was pretty sure my rehab routines worked.
Start by jumping up and putting one foot on the side of the top of the table, bracing it at an angle, then push off with the braced foot. Your other foot remains extended, near the ground, so you have some backup support if you miss with the raised foot. Once you've built up some confidence and strength, go for a jump up with both feet coming up.
Gather yourself into a coiling crouch and get a good jump off both feet. Jump up and brace both feet on the side of the table. You should have lots of room for error, because you can hit the whole length of your feet. You'll be suspended for a second with your feet angled on the side of the bench, then push off and land.
Next, crouch and swing your arms back, let your arms come up and explode into a jump. Tuck your feet to your chest and land on the picnic table. Climb off the first couple of times. When you can consistently jump onto the table, jump off after you jump on.
You've now made a good push up on your jumping ability. Use the bench and table to make up a jumping routine. Work on it daily.
Other high rep exercises

Other exercises that you can do that utilize a high number of repetitions to build strength and endurance are exercise bicycle, cross country ski machine, walking, and, to a lessor degree, running.
If you have access to an exercise bike, use it for rehab, by all means. Don't use a regular bicycle. The ease of riding a bike due to gearing, except for hill climbing, makes it almost useless as a form of rehab. It's also not steady. Use the stationary bike.
Stationary bike can be adjusted while riding. Warm up with low resistance. Then add more resistance. Then warm down. You should work in patterns similar to the workout schedules shown before. Use light workout, heavy, day off, light. And so on.
Cross country ski machine is a good workout, as good as running, and doesn't impact the knees. It also uses the upper body.
Use walking as a form of exercise. Walk at a good clip, on a path of some sort, where you don't have to stop and go for traffic.
In late stage rehab, especially to build jumping muscles, I use running. I've used it less lately than in the past. The only problem is it's pretty high impact. It's jarring. It works the whole body, but partially by jarring the whole body. The benifits of running are somewhat compromised by the pounding. Personally, I think jump rope is better for your coordination, and only slightly less beneficial for endurance.
Another thing you can do is to skate in a form you usually don't do. If you're a skateboarder, skate on inline skates. Or maybe on a razor scooter, if you hate skates. Push with both legs, and alternate. This will give you some skate time, while giving you more down time off your usual sport.

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