Rehab Training - With a snapped achilles tendon

[WeeMan]

well as the title says my brother snapped his achilles tendon and has to start getting physiotherapy to get his legs back in shape for work. (he works repairing roofs)

hes asked to train with me so that he can regain his upper body strength, and make his physio a little easier as he has been sitting down for about two months now, on his doctors orders.

so is ther any advice u can give me as to how to help him. should i opt for machines over free weights, what kind of rep range, what are the best excercises, etc, etc??

thanks guys

[Pizzalamp]

well as the title says my brother snapped his achilles tendon and has to start getting physiotherapy to get his legs back in shape for work. (he works repairing roofs)

hes asked to train with me so that he can regain his upper body strength, and make his physio a little easier as he has been sitting down for about two months now, on his doctors orders.

so is ther any advice u can give me as to how to help him. should i opt for machines over free weights, what kind of rep range, what are the best excercises, etc, etc??

thanks guys

if it were me id do exercises that take the legs out of the equation
ie preacher curls, smith machine presses, etc

hope your friend's recovery goes well

[Tron]

if it were me id do exercises that take the legs out of the equation
ie preacher curls, smith machine presses, etc

hope your friend's recovery goes well

x2

[killyouintheface]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but a bad achilles tendon means that he can't really do anything involving plantar flexion, right?

My right calf, because of nerve damage, works but is so weak that I can't rely on it.

He'll have to do some feeling around to get his balance and stuff, but he can deadlift and do standing exercises and whatnot just like anybody else. Let him find his own limits, but here's what a typical week at the gym for me looks like right now:

Monday - Shoulders/abs
Standing overhead press
upright row
front barbell shrugs
rear flys
crunches
DB side bends

Wednesday - Back/biceps
deadlift
barbell rows
dumbbell rows
standing t-bar rows
CG low pulley row
chinups
preacher curls

Friday - chest/triceps
flat BP
incline BP
DB flys
pulldowns
CGBP
dips

Saturday - legs/forearms
leg press (replacement using a squat stance on the board, since I can't squat)
romanian deadlifts
seated hamstring curls to failure (might replace with good mornings)
leg extensions to failure
calf raises (I use a theraband on the right, because that's all it can do)

All the compounds I do 5x5 and shoot for an increase every time (even if it means the 2.5lb plates), and a lot of the isolations I go to failure, like the pulldowns.

I hope that helps, if you have any other questions, I'll do what I can to answer them.

[WeeMan]

thanks killyou, he still has a 'moonboot' on, i dont know if u know it, its like a plastic boot that keeps his leg safe, so he cant put much weight on it so we need excercises that keep him off his feet, just upper body work.

[killyouintheface]

I've never seen one, but I gather from your description that it's kinda like a removable cast.

How long ago was his injury?

Even if he can't do standing exercises, there's usually more seated stuff to do than one can shake a stick at in a good gym. I'd let him try whatever he's willing to try, and you basically be a form coach for him.

Has his PT given him a list of therapy exercises to do for it?