Post surgical mental skill experiment: shorter protocol
1. Breathing exercise (same as always)
2. “Experiencing injury area” – less symbolic spontaneous images, increased actual awareness of injured area
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Post surgical mental skill experiment: greater awareness
Same as yesterday, except some higher awareness of the injury itself. “Experiencing the injury” was not so hard, although still somewhat formless.The lifts are still a problem. Experiencing the squat was again unsuccessful and insisting on it resulted in an ugly accident imaged scene (one I never had, falling facedown). Benching again was easy and better than yesterday. The deadlift was different: although I managed to approach the bar, grab it and start sumo-lifting it, the experience immediately became observer-like.
I failed to mention that until Monday I had a hard time with what I can only understand as a post-surgical depression. I managed to keep the breathing exercises every day, but depression and a weird disconnected feeling came in waves. Monday was the first day I went back to the gym and used machines for some resistance training. If for that or because surgery meds just wore off, I feel pretty stable since then.
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Post surgical mental skill experiment: injury consciousness
1. Breathing exercise (7 X 7 reps, holding in)2. Injury “consciousness” exercise: focus on injured knee while sitting. This proved to be quite difficult, since I don’t feel any pain or anything weird. In fact, I am not exactly conscious of having anything wrong with my knee except when I have to move it. So I tried for a few minutes, failed and decided to flex my leg. Flexing the leg causes discomfort and a very intense experience of having something wrong inside my knee. However, one can’t hold an operated joint flexed for very long. As soon as I resumed the extended leg position, the “very wrong” sensation disappeared again. However intermittent, I believe I was able to experience my knee injury in a more focused attitude.
3. “Cleansing” exercise – lying down. Dangerous (because I might fall asleep). Creating a continuous flow image was more effective than the inspiration-accumulation, expiration-flush-it-down
4. The lifts – failed to experience myself squatting, again. Succeed, however shortly, in experiencing benching; the deadlift is a mystery: the imagery distorted itself against my will again and again, forcing me to DL traditional, while my DL has always been sumo-style and I was attempting to sumo DL.
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ignore - just a code
Post-surgical mental skill experiment: first attempt at lifting imagery
1. Breathing exercise: 7 X 7 reps, holding
2. “Cleansing” imagery exercise (as before)
3. First attempt to lifting imagery:
a. Very hard to concentrate on the “first person” role
b. Kept seeing my back while squatting
c. Hard to feel the squat to depth (possibly because of the knee injury and different self-perception, or maybe just lack of practice, have no idea)
d. IMPORTANT: fell asleep before reaching the deadlift. Woke up feeling a cool breeze and rain outside.
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Post-surgical mental skill experiment: breathing + visualization
Did some breathing exercises (7 X 7 reps - sorry about the strength training type of report) and a visualization exercise. This was a "cleansing" type of visualization, with breathing: I imaged inhaled air as water cleaning whatever there was to clean and beling flushed down to the earth.Pretty traditional exercise.
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ACL reconstruction surgery – on with the mental skill experiment
It has been a long time since I have not written anything on this blog. It sounds like the perfect moment to resurrect my mental skills experiment: in June the 8th I had an accident at the gym and suffered total anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture, meniscus amputation, cartilage damage and a minor injury to the tibia.
At the time, with cautious support from my physicians, I maintained the plan to participate in the GPC Powerlifting Worlds. We started a rehab program that can be roughly observed through the following videos, designed by my physicians, my physiotherapist, myself and Gilson Clemente, powerlifting coach.
ACL injury rehab - Experimenting with the Deadlift - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arwfa3WSaCA (July 24)
ACL injury rehab - Squat evolution, light wraps, chains, sus - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=et_GshT71QE (July 24)
ACL Rehab - tests on balance and control - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdHSFW3dSQo (July 16)
ACL rehab - using loose knee wraps, deeper squat - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsRV-2CYaa4 (July 16)
ACL Rehab - flexor - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rp48dsVWWeM (July 16)
ACL Rehab - GCA, São Paulo - first squats - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opk-kHO8KOU (July 16)
Along the program I recovered proper control and strength. I was squatting practically unequipped with 150kg, which meant that my expectations for an over 200kg squat were realistic. However, considering the peculiar biomechanical aspects of powerlifting gear, especially the lifting suit, which acts like a harness, I figured the risks of any imbalance produced during the lift could have catastrophic results. I gave up the Worlds, and lifted in minor bench-only meets.
The surgery was planned for early November. Due to insurance conflicts we succeeded to do it in November the 10th, Tuesday.
I will report my mental skill training for recovery since then in this blog.
Tuesday – breathing exercises, too sedated and still coming from anesthesia
Wednesday, 11th – breathing exercises, went home. Had a Reiki session, breathing exercises and slept (still quite sedated).
Thursday, 12th – no pain at all. Knee flexion up to 90o. Weird depression. Breathing exercises. Physiotherapy.
Friday, 13th – No pain, walking with no crutches. Decreased depression. Breathing exercises. Physiotherapy.
Saturday, November 14 – no pain, walking with no crutches. Breathing exercises.
The plan here is to employ mental skill techniques to improve recovery quality. Speed is ok – I wouldn’t worry with that.
Training and rehab journal is registered elsewhere (http://bodyspace.bodybuilding.com/marilia05/ ).
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