Intent: I'm Still operating like I'm in phase zero. My goal today was primarily to improving gait quality - hobbling around sucks and I want this back first. The other thing I wanted to do was explore some movement combinations where I could use a yielding ISO on my injured right leg + an overcoming ISO on my healthy left leg, using the "cross-education" principle. The way we understand it is that training the healthy limb maintains strength, coordination, and muscle activation in the injured limb WITHOUT DIRECT LOADING. It's mainly a NEURAL adaptation not a muscular. -------------------------------------------------- Rehab / Training Session: A. BFR Bike-erg - 5:30min @ 2:20 pace, damper 3 • Wrapped BOTH legs here. I had to move the wrap on my right (injured) leg 3–4" lower than where I'd normally use my cuffs simply due to the location of the strain. • Wrap was a subjective 7/10 tension, minimal pain in the injury site, but got a REALLY strong pump / BFR response from this by the 5min mark -- I'm going to call that success. -------------------------------------------------- B. Contralateral Circuit - 4 Rounds 1min Ski @ R2 recovery pace 10sec Hand Assist SJ Stance Yielding ISO (injured leg = leg trail leg) 10sec SJ Stance Overcoming ISO (injured leg = lead leg) • My goal here was to try to reclaim the position of injury as soon as possible and start building confidence / strength in the rec fem with a safe / low-pain isometric. I had a lot of shaking, but no escalation in pain and a definite improvement in gait after this **note: I added a video of this movement paring -------------------------------------------------- C. Bilateral + Contralateral Circuit - 4 Rounds 10 Box Squats w/ Chains (18" Bench, up to 105#, with 40# chain) 15sec Hand Supported Low-lunge ISO (injured leg = trail leg) *deeper knee flex & hip ext, but less overall loading 8 Single-DB Split Squat (injured leg = lead leg) -------------------------------------------------- D. Finisher:

Rehab Day 5 Order was mixed because I wanted to train with Alexis and Haley. Priority was getting quality work in, even if the sequence wasn’t ideal. Conditioning Intensive Erg Intervals 3x sets; Rest 4:00 between sets Each set: • 8 rounds • 30 sec @ strong effort • 15 sec @ easy Rotation by round: - Round 1: Echo Bike @ ~74 rpm - Round 2: C2 Bike @ ~1450 watts - Round 3: SkiErg @ ~1200 watts no pain- but I can tell I haven’t don’t any hard breathing in like 3+ weeks with the weightlifting prep 😳 Rehab A. BFR seated, upright Leg Extension (Single-Leg) • 15-10-10-10 @ 5# • Rest 60 sec * so much pump!! Exactly what I was looking for. B. Isometrics • 2 x 20 sec each position 1. Seated upright 2. Seated with ~45 deg hip flexion 3. Supine with hip near neutral (approx 0 deg hip flexion). C. Hamstring Curl • 4 x AMRAP-2 @ 5# • Slight hip flexion * lots of hamstring cramping, first day I could rest my quad on the pad for this! Not a lot but this drove the best improvements in gait I’ve had so far !

Still in Phase Zero, walking around like Quasimodo since I can’t stand up fully due to the hip extension limitations. The intention today was simple: restore circulation, reduce swelling, and progress loading in the positions I tested yesterday. Mentally I’ve come to terms that this is going to be a long process and now my job is to bring my A-game to rehab every day. — PART 1 — BLOOD FLOW • 20 min BikeErg @ zone-1 (Pace ~2:19–2:20) *completely pain free today!! Goal was purely circulation, definitely have some temporary pain reduction after this each session. — PART 2 — MODALITIES Session with Dr. Ollie / Holly Springs Chiropractic • Microcurrent - Intention was to help clear edema in the fascial pocket around the rectus femoris. • Cold laser - inflammation control • Ultrasound - blood flow Subjectively felt excellent. Gait was noticeably improved immediately after. — PART 3 — TRAINING + REHAB 4 rounds 10 high handle trap bar DL 6 Left leg hip flexor eccentrics (video) 20sec right leg hip flexor iso (video) + 4 x 20sec rings hang in tucked position • Hip flexion to reduce rectus femoris involvement • Light quad and hip flexor engagement • Some midline compression — That is the full rehab exposure for the day. I did upper body training afterward - everything felt GOOD! Also got my quad sleeve and BFR wraps today! Quad sleeve is WAY more comfortable than the wrap. BFR is a no go for now, I tried wrapping and pain was like a 5-6/10 … going to have to wait :(

This is the second post in this rehab series. This is not meant to be instructional or prescriptive. This is simply me documenting how I am thinking through the earliest phase of rehab and what I am learning in real time. Right now, I am about 48 hours post injury and firmly in what I am calling Phase Zero. For me, Phase Zero ends when normal gait returns. That is the only marker that matters right now. Until I am walking normally, everything else is secondary. (see the attached video of my current gait pattern) -------------------------------- (1) PHASE ZERO INTENT The intention of Phase Zero is simple. Reduce guarding. Restore circulation. Maintain movement patterns. Gather information. With this phase, I'm not trying to drive adaptation. I am trying to understand what ranges, patterns, and positions are currently available so I can build a plan around my current reality. At this point, I can barely walk due to a lack of hip extension. That keeps me squarely in Phase Zero. -------------------------------- (2) CURRENT TREATMENT MODALITIES These are the modalities I am using right now. • Red light therapy as the primary modality • Compression boots used post workout to control swelling • Tight compression wrap worn throughout the day • Compression recovery tights worn overnight (until my quad sleeve arrives) The goal here is simple. Reduce background inflammation and stabilize the tissue while I explore movement options. -------------------------------- (3) MORNING SESSION | BLOOD FLOW AND PATTERN EXPOSURE The morning session was intentionally unstructured. The goal was blood flow and pattern exposure, not training. I went into the gym and tested equipment to see what I could tolerate without pain or compensation. What I learned: • I can ski with near normal mechanics • I can ride the bike if the seat is slightly higher and I stay in a forward position • Battle ropes feel safe and effective • Hip extension is the main limiter for movements - and is creating some lower back fatigue / compensation

This weekend was a win and a reminder at the same time. Three USAMWL American records in my age group and weight class, along with a grade-2 rectus femoris strain near the insertion. I’m sharing this as a snapshot of my initial rehab process. Basically how I think through the first 24 hours as both an athlete and a coach. This isn’t a template or advice, just context for discussion. (1) Starting framework Initially my goal was to minimize bleeding - with a grade-2 strain, limiting the bleed means limiting the size of the scar tissue that develops. So as soon as it happened I had medical wrap it tightly with a compression bandage. I avoided the ice and NSAIDS that were offered sing both can potentially delay the healing process. (2) The first night After I got back to the hotel and a took a shower, the priority shifted to calming the area and setting myself up to sleep. I used my red light therapy pad for 30min, then wrapped the leg lightly to create some compression for sleep. Hip extension wasn’t tolerable at all, so I had to try to find a sleep position that worked around that. (3) Current modality and supplement checklist: ✅ Red / near-infrared light ✅ Compression (tight during the day / loose at night) ✅ Phytosome Curcumin (moderate dose) ✅ Pro-resolving mediators (a form of fish oil that helps the body shift from inflammation -> healing) ✅ PEA (Palmitoylethanolamide - reduces inflammation and modulates pain without delaying healing) ✅ Collagen (double my normal dose) ✅ Positioning that avoids aggravating the injury. (4) What I’m avoiding right now ❌ Aggressive stretching ❌ Soft-tissue work near the insertion ❌ Repeated icing ❌ Testing ranges to “check” on pain ❌ NSAIDs I’ll post another update in 2 days once I start BFR / isometrics. If you’ve found certain approaches helpful, or problematic, in the first 24-72 hours, I’d love to hear how you think through it.