T Nation

Pure Upper Body Training

Christian Thibaudeau Coaching
#1

Hello Everybody.

Today during my wrestling training i fucked up my ankle and will be out any lower body or fighting training (I am amateur MMA fighter) for next few weeks (my hope is 3-4 weeks… hopefully) So at least i want use the time and put on some upper body mass. Enjoy the feeling of pumped biceps, i didnt make a single curl in last 2 year or so, so really gona enjoy that :slight_smile: But mainly i would like to focus on back hypertrophy. i am used to 8-10 traing sessions a week, from which 2 are weights. So my work capacity isnt that bad.

My question is how would you approach ??
some ABCABCR back/chest-shoulder/ arms split 6 days a week or 1+1 whole upper body. ?

In case you have a good experience with some programs let me know.

I am gona make the most out of it :smile:

Thank you

#2

Just find leg exercises that you can do without effecting your ankle. No need to change much around. I’ve always believed that increased blood flow to the area will help the injury heal faster as long as it doesn’t get agitated.

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#3

^This,
and always work the uninjured side. It’s easier to build the strength/mass back up in one limb rather than two

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#4

If nothing else, you can do leg extensions and leg curls.

#5

There is actually truth to this, especially for strength as there is a side-to-side cross-transfer from training only one side (the other side also gets stronger). It wont add muscle but it might help preserve some strength. And don’t worry, it will quickly catch up when you resume regular training.

And I also agree with doing leg curls and leg extensions if you can. While not functional, they can help you prevent muscle loss.

#6

This is where machines come into play. I’ve trained through a broken ankle, dislocated patella, and shoulder surgery. Use your 3 good limbs. I even did single-leg leg press with my bad leg when I was in a walking boot. An injury doesn’t have to lead to de-training.

I’m still in support of lifting more if you’ll have more time but don’t neglect your conditioning. When your ankle heals the only thing you should have to worry about is that joint–not getting back into shape after taking time off. Lifting is great but you need more than that to maintain conditioning for your sport.