As I sit here today in a massive knee brace contemplating how I acquired said brace, I thought I might share the story as a cautionary tale for those interested in fitness.
Last Thursday while performing 'hang cleans' in the gym, on the very last rep of the very last set, I landed and my left knee promptly gave way causing me to collapse and drop the barbell. I have performed this movement for 20+ years without issue, so it was surprising to say the least. It took about 15 minutes of sitting before I could hobble out, only to find I had blown my ACL and had a complex medial meniscus tear, a sprained MCL and some cartilege damage. I had surgery yesterday and the doctor is highly encouraged that I will make a full recovery.
I have been considering what went wrong and have come up with the following:
About 8 months ago, I hurt the knee while doing rescue training. I thought maybe a sprain or hyperextension, but the knee just never felt right afterwards. Always a bit unstable. I carried on my normal workout routine, through the peak and into the fall. I noticed it only when doing leg curls and sometimes lunges. Squatting seemed fine.
After a November dive trip, I took my normal month off from all workouts starting the first week of december. I got back into weights at the start of February after some conditioning work. I changed my routine a bit and actually did some more intense movements early in my yearly cycle. I also set a leg day followed by chest and back, just to keep things interesting.
After the initial leg day, I did the day with the hang cleans and had the incident. I think I have learned the following:
1. I need to take flexibility more seriously than ever. My January work should include not just CP conditioning, but a fair amount of Yoga/Stretching. I have always had the 'young man's' attitude about all this, but not any more.
2. I should leave the more advanced movements for the second or beyond programs of the year. This means hang cleans, power cleans, repetition jerks, all dynamic movements with weight.
3. I should have listened to my knee earlier and seen the orthopaedist. Might have been the same surgery, but it would have been worth it.
Overall, this could be simplified to a case of 'testosterone poisoning', but I really needed to understand why. Especially since it will be 60-90days before I am back in my doubles again...
Last Thursday while performing 'hang cleans' in the gym, on the very last rep of the very last set, I landed and my left knee promptly gave way causing me to collapse and drop the barbell. I have performed this movement for 20+ years without issue, so it was surprising to say the least. It took about 15 minutes of sitting before I could hobble out, only to find I had blown my ACL and had a complex medial meniscus tear, a sprained MCL and some cartilege damage. I had surgery yesterday and the doctor is highly encouraged that I will make a full recovery.
I have been considering what went wrong and have come up with the following:
About 8 months ago, I hurt the knee while doing rescue training. I thought maybe a sprain or hyperextension, but the knee just never felt right afterwards. Always a bit unstable. I carried on my normal workout routine, through the peak and into the fall. I noticed it only when doing leg curls and sometimes lunges. Squatting seemed fine.
After a November dive trip, I took my normal month off from all workouts starting the first week of december. I got back into weights at the start of February after some conditioning work. I changed my routine a bit and actually did some more intense movements early in my yearly cycle. I also set a leg day followed by chest and back, just to keep things interesting.
After the initial leg day, I did the day with the hang cleans and had the incident. I think I have learned the following:
1. I need to take flexibility more seriously than ever. My January work should include not just CP conditioning, but a fair amount of Yoga/Stretching. I have always had the 'young man's' attitude about all this, but not any more.
2. I should leave the more advanced movements for the second or beyond programs of the year. This means hang cleans, power cleans, repetition jerks, all dynamic movements with weight.
3. I should have listened to my knee earlier and seen the orthopaedist. Might have been the same surgery, but it would have been worth it.
Overall, this could be simplified to a case of 'testosterone poisoning', but I really needed to understand why. Especially since it will be 60-90days before I am back in my doubles again...