Cardio after an injured ankle?

[chef]

I badly sprained my ankle along with a stress fracture, chipping the bone. It has been 6 1/2 weeks. I have gone through the crutches, boot cast, and ace support. My doctor gave me the go a a month ago to work my upper body while in the boot cast. He thought it would also be a great distraction and help my moral after losing my Dad.

I recently started back slowy with lower body workouts and have done three karate workouts as well, trying to be careful....but am incredibly frustrated.

During this time out I have started getting that tummy fat...not sure if it's from the inability to do more cardio or the cortisol that stress seems to produce by all the stress, that results in fat in the mid section.

Arrrrrrrgggghhhh! What can I do? Is there cardio that won't hurt the ankle as it finishes healing. I can walk on it well but if I push it too much, it doesn't like it and is sore and still.

I am going nuts and need to find a way to get off this new stomach that has decided to show up in a rather ugly fashion.

Any ideas?

Regards,
Vicki

[mhosea]

I guess what I would do is weight training, just omitting anything that stressed the ankle too much. Obviously it won't help cardio-wise if you can only get in one set every 5 minutes, so forget the social life for the duration of the workout and forget the ecstasy of long, luxurious rests between sets. You're on a mission. If you need more rest between sets than what you can take without letting your heartrate drop below the training zone, use less weight or work the opposing muscle groups instead of lollygagging. You should be able to get your heartrate up as high as you want and keep it as high as you want this way. In my experience it's easy to over-exert this way, so I pay close attention to my heartrate and manage it.

[chef]

I have been weight-training since I was 25, I'm 52 and still weight train. I do super-sets, not taking breaks in between, doing atleast 7+ different weight exercises...and always throw in stomach for lower and upper abs (variety of crunches, knee lifts, plus target obliques and lower back). I also always try to throw in the hip abductor/aductor machine every time....stretch afterward, sometimes between (but usually afterward. I work out hard for usually an hour.

Not sure why it's not jump starting the weight loss, because I have always, once disciplined in workouts and diet, lost weight. This is different.

Will keep everything you said in mind. Thanks, Mike, for the encouragement.

Regards,
Vicki

[jorvik]

I don't really see a problem. Punching a bag is cardio and yet you don't move around..........well not much. Think of it as a time to concentrate on your upper body
One of my training tricks is to do chain punches ala wing-chun. Basically I do 100 with emptyhands then another 100 with a small weight in each hand and finally a further 100 with a slightly heavier weight ( these are the type of weights that women use for aerobics)..I then do three sets of 10 reps on one of those wrist roller thingies that Bruce Lee popularised....... were you raise a weight up by turning your hands....you can also work out with escrima sticks, and again you don't move around that much, it is the striking with the sticks that is the cardio workout.
If you think about it most types of real world fighting doesn't involve that much moving around......so it's a great opportunity to train for that

[mhosea]

This is different.

No doubt, but what it "is" is just a snapshot. The perfect storm is over.

[chef]

Heck, Mike, it could just be age and another drop in my metabolism. I have seen a noticeable metabolism drop about every 10 years and this may just be one of those.

Jorvik, I love those ideas using the weight and will most definitely try them. Thank you. The other thing I will start doing is to add small weight to my hands while doing all of my katas. I think I will also use the velcro ankle weights as well. That should add more cardio to what I am doing.

Alas,
Vicki

[Bill Glasheen]

Hey Vicki!

As this thread evolves, I'd like to share some thoughts.

Cadio isn't necessarily the best way to lose weight. Let me repeat that. Cardio isn't necessarily the best way to lose weight.

The problem with cardio is that it doesn't build muscle mass. So all your weight loss must come from the exercise. With resistance training, you are ameliorating what age is causing - the loss of muscle mass with age. On average, people lose about 10% of muscle mass per decade of life after the 20s unless they intervene. And the lower the muscle mass, the lower the basal metabolic rate. So... DO THOSE WEIGHTS.

For a karateka, also consider low-impact interval training. Those eliptical trainers in "interval" mode are just the ticket. It's low impact on the ankles, will work the whole body, and keeps your metabolism in the high-energy anaerobic band.

As you alluded to, you can also do weight training in an "interval training" mode. In a busy gym this is difficult. But if you are working out late or working out around the house, this is a good thing. In addition to the calorie burning aspect of being anaerobic, you're also maintaining and perhaps increasing the muscle mass.

You should have a weight rehab program specifically for the ankles. Your body is out of balance, and you need to get it back to specs. The sooner things come back to "normal", the sooner you will be able to exercise without limitations. Come talk to me...

Also consider swimming laps. It's easy on the ankles.

A little variety on the exercise front is good. It keeps both your body and your brain from getting in a rut.

As for the belly fat, well it can be part hormones (which change with age) and part stress. Cortisol - the stress hormone - is known to increase the amount of the very harmful belly fat.

Booty fat may be asthetically unpleasant, but it's not anywhere near as harmful for your health. FWIW...

- Bill

[Shana Moore]

Vicki,
Some questions for ya. Do you always do the same weight routine? Do you vary the muscle groups worked and the angles they are worked? Have you tried intervals? Have you thought about intensive workout to exhaustion by muscle set? On the last, I mean doing upper body workouts one day and lower body the next...but spending more time working the muscles form a lot of different angles and in superset mode without lots of rest.

Before I recently got pregnant, i lost about 50 pounds over two years, and I've been doing lots of reading on ways I can get back to (and beyond) my starting level after delivery. Some of the recent stuff I've been reading points to those dreaded plateaus and "shaking up" your routine.

Something I tried last week and intend to incorporate steadily into my training post baby is cardio blasts intervals. My workout partner and I did a slow (preggers speed) version of this and were both drenched and "good-tired" afterwards. I swear it made the weight portions more effective as well as the cardio! I wasn't sure the small cardio blasts would give me a full cardio benefit, but I actually had to lower the intensity half-way through. My partner was greatful, but could have gone on harder...so you might be able to do a full workout like this.
<><><>
Start with a full set of weight reps.
(We started with large muscles and then moved to
smaller groups as we went).
Immediately follow with a 2-3 minute cardio blasts at high intensity
(we were working weights and doing step intervals
in between)
Without restgo to the next weight reps and repeat weights/cardio blasts
Keep this cycle up, with little or no rests for at least 3-4 cycles
rest briefly, if needed, and then continue with weights/cardio blasts until the end of the workout.
<><><><>
I've been reading that interval training, even if you just do short blasts during a regular cardio workout have some beneficial affects to heart and system in general.

Also, on the wrist and ankle weights, make sure to go slowly, especially on the ankle weights, as that can put unexpected stress on the knees and elbow joints. Not sure if that would add more issues to your knee, so be careful.

I've gotten some good books that show muscle groups and some variations on weight excercises...one that is particularly directed to women and thier anatomical quirks...let me know if you want to borrow!

Hope some of this is helpful and not a repeat of what you already know!
Shana

[Bill Glasheen]

By the way, Vicki... You are doing great. I'm very proud of you, and what you've been able to accomplish in the last few months.

- Bill

[Bill Glasheen]

I forgot to mention this...

I highly recommend AGAINST using ankle and wrist weights in karate training. Unless you are doing very fluid motion (like tai chi), this is going to be very hard on your joints. Consider this... have you ever heard anyone in the weight room tell you to jerk an exercise?

Ankle and wrist weights with walking? Fine. With karate? Please, don't do it.

My strength coach at UVa preached adamantly against these kinds of "sports specific" weight exercises.

Bill

[Shana Moore]

Vicki,
I have to agree with Bill. You're spirit and progress after such trauma to knee and ankle (and heart) has been amazing....did I mention I LOVE watching you train?

See you soon!

[AE Moores]

Vicki,
You may want to try this method of Interval Training. It was developed by Dr. Tabata, who was a coach for the Japanese National Speed Skating Team.

Tabata Interval Training

20 seconds of training with 10 seconds rest

6-8 sets of the exercise.

Important key points: Pay strict attention to the 10 sec. rest. Not 11 or 12 seconds.... 10 second rest. By the third set you will see why.

Examples of exercises that it can be done with:
Sumo squats, step ups, push ups, mountain climbers, sprints, eliptical sprints, Thrusters (over head press mixed with squats....wow what a overall body killer)

The equation may look pretty easy and simple, but if followed precisely it is one of the best ways to get in shape.

Dr. Tabata studied how this method of interval training would work on athletes vs. traditional "cardio" methods. He found that the 20 sec. on 10 sec. off "equation" was better at increasing cardio functioning than running 45 min. a day/5 days a week.... better at increasing anaerobic functioning than sprint work. It also was found to lose fat better than traditional cardio exercises.

Any questions or if you want some video clips of the Tabata method just let me know.

Best,
Andrew

[IJ]

Hey V, I've sprained my right ankle 16 times and cannot stress the importance of proper ankle rehab. When I did it just casually years ago, the problem ceased. All gone.

As for the tum, you can't burn many calories doing cardio. I used to kill myself on bikes at UVA and got 550 at most, nearly puking after 30+ minutes on max settings. When I do that on my bike at home it says 1000, but I don't believe it. That's as fast as I can pedal on max resistance too. Most people burn a few hundred at best. What's that, an ounce or two or deadly starbucks juice?

You'd lose more weight building muscle with resistance and burning more calories while resting--or just eating less. You will learn to eat a little more when you exercise regularly, you have to learn to eat a little less when you're not. It's a lot easier to have 500 extra calories a day than 500 fewer than your body wants.

Good luck!

[Jason Rees]

After messing up first my knee, then my shoulder in judo, I sympathize with having to adjust training around healing those injuries.

Cardio that isn't hard on ankles: swimming, stationary bike, rowing machine. Doing any of these for 30 minutes or more is as good or better than running, especially if you haven't done these before to any great extent.

I do have to reply to one thing posted here:

Cadio isn't necessarily the best way to lose weight...
The problem with cardio is that it doesn't build muscle mass. So all your weight loss must come from the exercise. With resistance training, you are ameliorating what age is causing - the loss of muscle mass with age. On average, people lose about 10% of muscle mass per decade of life after the 20s unless they intervene. And the lower the muscle mass, the lower the basal metabolic rate. So... DO THOSE WEIGHTS.

Research is showing that lifting weights hardens arteries, and that cardiovascular exercise makes them more supple. If you lift weights to the exclusion of cardiovascular workouts, you increase your risk of anneurism, stroke, and a host of vascular issues. It's not the same as putting a gun in your mouth and pulling the trigger, but why take chances? Adding cardiovascular workouts, along with weightlifting, is a sure way to increase your health. Muscle burns more calories than fat no matter how you cut it.

Eat smaller portions, eat fruit for snacks instead of packaged junk, lift weights three days a week, and perform some kind of cardiovascular workout four times a week until you hit a plateau; then bring it down to three days a week, and do something different every few weeks to get your muscles responding to something new. You'll shed pounds. It's as simple as that.

[Bill Glasheen]

Research is showing that lifting weights hardens arteries, and that cardiovascular exercise makes them more supple.

I haven't seen a body of work in the peer-reviewed literature which supports that statement. If you could provide some references, I'd appreciate it.

I have however seen quite a bit of work which shows the dangers of aerobic work for women in the absence of resistance training. One of the biggest problems is bone demineralization.

In addition, interval and resistance training are a much more efficient way to stave off or reverse obesity, which is the biggest driver of metabolic syndrome. And that is more strongly associated with cardiovascular disease, heart attacks, and strokes for a whole host of reasons.

You will find the odd bit of work which points to problems in extreme athletes. That would include world class power lifters. But the same is true for the extreme aerobics crowd which suffers from amenorrhea and serious bone issues. People who do anything to an extreme will suffer some consequences. Just check out the knees of many retired NFL players.

And often these associations turn out not to be causative. For instance if an NFL lineman eats mass quantities of saturated fat and does years of steroids, we can't say anything about the effect of weight lifting on his cardiovascular health later in life. This turns out to be the case as well for the power lifting crowd, which is very heavily into the steroid scene.

Bill