One of my main concerns with recovering from this injury is maintaining as much strength as possible. One of the first areas that can be focused on to maintain strength in is the Central Nervous System (CNS). To maintain as much strength as possible I have continued to train the top end of powerlifts intensely at the level that does not cause any increase in pain. These consist of exercises such as high box squats, pin pulls, and pin good mornings. I set the boxes or pins at a level where I could successfully hinge and not increase symptoms. This has allowed me to still train with high loads, and keep the CNS primed and ready to move big weight once the injury is recovered.

I also utilized different techniques in order to train at all the intensities that are needed to produce maximal force. At the highest level pin pulls and box squats that cause no pain at all I used the max effort method to move maximal weight in the 1-3 rep range. At a level slightly lower in which there was still no significant increase in pain I used various rep effort methods to still work on total volume, and try hit rep personal records. Lastly I used the dynamic effort method for the most range of motion movements I could use. I did this because it allowed me to still work on power and explosiveness at lighter weights, but with a decreased chance of re-injury. With this type of injury, quick explosive movements (especially the eccentric portion,) yield the highest risk of re-injury. This means I was most conservative with dynamic training initially.

Using these methods allowed me to still train hard and make some gains even while recovering from injury. Unfortunately, with any sports, injuries happen. It is up to the ability of the athlete to do all they can to speed up recovery, and maintain as much strength and skill as possible.