Achilles Tendon Rupture & Training

I ruptured my achilles tendon on December 22nd playing basketball. I am having surgery on January 10th to repair the injury. I was in the 9th week of the “Bring the Forum” program as posted by Zev & Jason Norcross. Since I can’t do any of the leg exercises for at least 8 weeks, I have decided to stop following that program.

I would really appreciate any suggestions for training ideas for my lower body until I can return to squats & deadlifts, etc. The only leg exercises I can really do are leg extensions and straight leg deadlifts, but after the surgery, I won’t be able to put any weight on the leg for 3 weeks.

My initial thought is to use the EDT arm specialization program starting today for the next 8 weeks.

There’s been a fair amount of debate over the years regarding whether or not training the uninjured limb can actually reduce/eliminate muscle atrophy, bone loss, and decreases in strength in the injured limb. It might be an interesting independent study to take some measurements and even have your bone density checked on the injured limb prior to the surgery to see if you can shed some light on the debate.


That being said, I think that the arm specialization program would be a great idea right now. Hit 'em Monday and Friday, and train your chest and back on Wednesday. Toss in some core work and unilateral leg work (check out Ian King’s Limping Series for more exercises) on the weekend and you’ll be golden. Good luck with your recovery, and keep us posted on your results!

stay away from leg excercises. You might think that you wont put pressure on your achilles but you always do since you are standing and shifting body weight. Focus on the upper body until you fully recoup. laters pk

Thanks for the input! I started the EDT arms program last night and I plan to do that workout on Monday & Friday like Eric mentioned. I’ll keep you posted on my results. I can’t wait to get the surgery over with so my achilles can start healing.