Little Known Knee Secret

Maximizing circulation, rebuilding strength and muscle, these are key milestones to hit in your ACL rehab.

But what if you could do more?

What if there was a way to strengthen the joint itself?

A was a way to make the tendons, ligaments, and connective tissue stronger and more resilient?

Wouldn’t that greatly improve your strength and confidence when you got back on the field?

Wouldn't that help you come back a BETTER athlete than before you got hurt?

This is the biggest difference maker between what I do here with The Athletic Transformation Project and everyone else.

This is how we get results with athletes who thought they had tried everything but still aren’t where they want to be.

This is the secret sauce.

Something many PT's and doctors will still tell you to NEVER do, but something we have down to a science.

That missing link is…

Training through FULL RANGE OF MOTION

Training through full range of motion (bending the knee all the way to your butt) allows us to do three things:

1. Improve Range of Motion

2. Strengthen the Joint Internally

3. Train the Full ‘Strength Curve’

Improve Range of Motion

This one's a bit of a no brainer but by actively training full range of motion allows us to regain that range much quicker.

Now I do mean 'train' here. This isn't just passive stretching (although we use that too!).

I'm talking about loading these positions (the slant board squat and deep split squat) first with a little bit of weight, then your full bodyweight, then external weight on top of that.

This is how I was able to help Caleb, a soccer player who was stuck at 90-degrees of flexion for 3 months after his ACL surgery, to get full range of motion back in his knee and get back on the field a month early to win the 7A State Championship.

Strengthen the joint Internally

Did you know it's actually possible to strengthen the joint itself not just the muscles?

One way is with isometrics. This is highly beneficial for the tendons specifically and can be very beneficial for athletes with patella tendon grafts.

Another, less talked about method is training full range of motion specifically flexion (bending).

Bending the joint all the way (especially actively under load) allows us to stretch and strengthen the internal structures of the knee -- the tendons and ligaments -- in addition to training the muscles around the knee.

This also improves the circulation of synovial fluid, the thick liquid floating between your joints that lubricates the joint and diffuses nutrients into the ligaments and connective tissue.

Consistent circulation of this fluid is key for the delivery of nutrients to the internal structures of the knee that otherwise have no blood supply or way of receiving nutrients.

Circulating this fluid is kind of like changing the oil in your car, it keeps things lubricated and running smoothly and prevents wear and tear.

This combination of benefits allows us strengthen the joint from the inside and the outside to improve the strength and health of your connective tissue and improve your recovery.

Strengthen the Full Strength Curve

"Strength is gained in the range it is trained" -Charles Poliquin

If you only ever train a specific range of motion, that's the only range you're going to adapt and get stronger.

You are missing out on so much strength gain and adaptation by not training these 'extreme' ranges.

Not only that, the body is smart and has certain proportions it wants to maintain. That means your progress can slow down even if you are training hard, if you have other areas that are lagging behind.

You're only as strong as your weakest link and your body won't let you progress past a certain level if you have a weak link that could cause you to get hurt.

This is why powerlifters train with a variety of exercises even they only compete with 3. They know that if they just train those 3 exclusively their progress will stall even though it's more 'specific'.

What This Means For You

For many years medical professionals advocated against ever working through these ranges of motion and many still do.

It is only very recently that this out-dated paradigm is starting to change, but most medical professionals are still well behind the curve and even the ones that are don't have a strong grasp on HOW to actually use and apply this knowledge.

How to scale it back to make it accessible to someone just a couple months off of surgery.

How to progress it safely to challenge an athlete getting ready to get back on the field.

It is this knowledge and skill set that allows me to help people like Abby, a skiier coming off her NINTH (yes ninth) knee surgery get back to skiing a month after meniscus surgery.

Despite working with all the 'experts' and professionals in the field she kept getting hurt again and again.

It wasn't until we started working together and introduced her to full range of motion training that she was able to make rapid progress and get back to skiing, mountain biking, crossfit, and everything else her very active lifestyle demands.

It doesn't matter how hard you work, if you're missing a piece of the puzzle you're always going to struggle to get the results you want.

My mission with every athlete I work with is to help them get back to a level greater than before they got hurt.

How else can you move forward with confidence and without having the fear of injury always lingering in the back of your mind?

This is my goal with every athlete I work with.

If you are looking for help with that process check out my training application below. It's not a commitment nor is it a guarantee you'll get a spot in my program but it is a great way to start a conversation.

If you know someone going through their own recovery it would mean the world to me if you could share this with them and provide them some helpful information in their time of need.

If you have questions you can always find me on Instagram @zakwoodwardATP

Until next time, bye ✌🏼