need to build quads

LEGEND24

ok, well here it is, ive a torn anterior cruciate ligament an i`m waitin on an op. the doc says i need to build my quads up before the op cos it can aid the rehad n recovery but i cant seem to get them any bigger. i`m doin single leg lunges,leg extensions,leg presses but they dont seem to get any bigger.
any help appreciated thnx

brianthebard

Is there a limit to the amount of weight you can use, or the exercises?

LEGEND24

spose to an extent,dont wanna push it too far cos be afraid of knee giving way on me,also,i had my cruciate in other knee operated on 3yrs ago as well,an that leg aint the strongest still either

brianthebard

Can you do squats?

LEGEND24

ye,havent been doin much of em tho. i was doin single leg lunges wit 40kg on a 20kg bar, thought single legs be better than double leg squats

brianthebard

Have you noticed any increase in strength? I doubt the doctor expects you to add inches to your legs tbh, just to strengthen them in preparation for rehab. Any size gains would be nice though. How many sets/reps are you doing on everything?

LEGEND24

i`m usually doing 4 sets of 15 reps each leg. havent noticed any size gains at all really

Colm_OReilly

brianthebard is on the money thusfar.

Do Front Squats, as these place more emphasis on the quads and glutes, rather than the hamstrings.

For reps and sets, you can't beat 5 x 5 range. 4 x 15 is far too high for strength/mass gain.

And now, a video on the Front Squat: http://media.crossfit.com/cf-video/CrossFit_FrontSquats.wmv

spiral

OP Front squats for quads.
I partially tore my ACL last year and just rehabbed didnt want to go down the road of surgery. I was lucky that nothing else in my knee was damaged.

I think you need to get a proper assesment and program from a sports physio who is familiar with ACL prehab/rehab
Strengthening the quads sounds wrong to me. I was told to hammer my posterior chain to strengthen my glutes and hamstrings , hamstrings especially as they are active in dynamically stabilizing your knee even more so now that your acl is damaged.
RDL'S , deadlifts , back squats, stifflegged deadlidfts.
Also I did a lot of one legged work for strength and proprioception.
one legged squats, boxsquats, knee drops, rdls, step ups, lateral step ups, lunges.

Ease into it and stop if you feel any pain.

amazingemmet

spiral wrote: »

I think you need to get a proper assesment and program from a sports physio who is familiar with ACL prehab/rehab

This is the best piece of advice on this thread.

Also drop the leg extensions as they mimic the stress that cause acl injuries

Pro-Nutrition

LEGEND24 wrote: »

ok, well here it is, ive a torn anterior cruciate ligament an i`m waitin on an op. the doc says i need to build my quads up before the op cos it can aid the rehad n recovery but i cant seem to get them any bigger. i`m doin single leg lunges,leg extensions,leg presses but they dont seem to get any bigger.
any help appreciated thnx

The guys are giving you some good advice, a friend of mine is big into football and did his cruciate a couple of years ago. Have a look at the link below, there you will find some good advice and different exercises to suit. Its important that you build up the quads and hamstrings. If leg extensions are feeling ok I would continue but make sure that you are not locking out focusing on high reps with an easy weight, if you experience any pain what so ever "STOP" and that goes for all exercises. Front squats will really help build the quads and gluts AGAIN no locking out at the top of the movement.

Best of luck and I hope that everything works out for
ya

http://health.yahoo.com/musculoskeletal-treatment/pretreatment-exercises-for-an-anterior-cruciate-ligament-acl-injury/healthwise--ug2544.html

puntosporting

Qaud work is essential before and after the op but dont forget about your hams and calfs basicaly all of your leg muscles as they all play a role in supporting your knee!
Had the acl done a couple of years ago an excercise bike is essential with heavy resisitance for as long !
I sqauted with decent weight before the op and felt it helped me a bunch quads where nice and strong going in for surgery which helps to speed up your recovery!