Return to running following a serious lower limb injury (eg. ACL injury, lower limb tendon injury) is a key milestone for most athletes/patients.
However I hear and see a lot of people aggravating their injury within the first 1 month of running despite putting in a very solid rehab.
Although they've built up a solid strength base, they've lost the "spring in their legs" to regularly produce and accept forces in their lower limbs - which ultimately gets the better of them.
In order to bridge the gap between the rehab room and the running track, here's a few exercises that I use prior to the planned resumption of a running program.
💥 Tall to Shorts (and varieties)
💥 Skipping (and varieties)
💥 Pogo Jumps
💥 Vertical Jump + Land
💥 Leap + Land
For the majority of these exercises, 2-3 sets of 6-10 reps performed 3-4x per week in the 2-4 weeks prior to the resumption of the running plan should prepare your athletes/patients to handle the demands of running better - and importantly, keep them running, rather than breaking down after 2-4 weeks.
If you're interested in learning more, or after something specific for your rehab, email me at mickwhughes@gmail.com 👍