Cardio with a sprained ankle?

[Wild Dan Hibiki]

Hey guys i've got a sprained ankle from Judo last week (anyone know how to treat this btw?) and i want to do some cardio but i can't run or use my feet much. What can i do to work my cardio? I was thinking of pushup or situp tabata sessions. Anything else? Also i can't do Bas Rutten's MMA workout because the weight shifting causes pain in my ankle.

 

[skeet]

Ground and pound! I have a 50 pound heavybag that I use for G&P workouts. Hug that thing and work short hooks. Put your mouthpiece in, make sure you are breathing with your hooks. Don't bother timing it, go until you feel like you are ready to vomit. Rest one minute, and continue =)

 

[panda_strike2**]

With an ankle wrap and/or something like basketball or wrestling shoes you could probably ride an exercise bicycle. I've done that many times with a sprained ankle.

If you're ankle is a little stronger, a seated rowing machine would work.

 

[Ian Coe]

I did my ankle about 3 weeks ago and I've been having to cycle and use the eliptical machine.

I'm slowly introducing boxing again

 

[Centaur]

Hey guys i've got a sprained ankle from Judo last week (anyone know how to treat this btw?) and i want to do some cardio but i can't run or use my feet much. What can i do to work my cardio? I was thinking of pushup or situp tabata sessions. Anything else? Also i can't do Bas Rutten's MMA workout because the weight shifting causes pain in my ankle.

For the sprain, you probably already know, but RICE. I got a tensor for mine after I did it in and it helped for getting around. Once it's healed up do some proprioceptor exercises to get the balance and strength back.

As soon as I saw the first thing I was thinking Tabata style stuff. Pushups, pull-ups, maybe do the half ups (Legs on chair) so you can do the 4 minutes, sit-ups. that should get you 16 minutes, which is decent and definetly better than nothing.

How bad is it anyhow? Can you walk on it, or is it still pretty sore?

 

[R. Flagg]

What a coincidence. I sprained my ankle last week and was just about to post the same question.

A friend of mine recommended exercising in a pool-- e.g. running in chest-high water; it gives resistance but minimizes ankle impact. I don't have access to a pool, but maybe you do...

Keep the suggestions coming-- the ones so far have been helpful.

 

[Anarkis2**]

Swimming

 

[king-tony]

As the proud survivor of 13 ankle sprains and two broken ankles I certainly feel your pain. As to treating and cardio, it will somewhat be determined by the type of sprain. High ankle sprains are a bitch and can give you problems for a while. In the first couple of days after the sprain, it is best to keep your foot elevated and use as much ice as you can stand to get the swelling down. After a few days, if your sprain is severe, your foot will turn black. At this point it helps to alternate hot and cold treatments. Cardio is tough. If you happen to know someone who works in a PT office you can use their hand bike (used to treat arm and shoulder injuries). You can get a little bit of a workout from that. You could try swimming, but if you try and kick you could easily aggrivate the injury. The best thing that I have found is an air cast. You should have a prosthetics maker in your area and they stock these things. They can be worn under a tennis shoe and would probably be stiff enough to ride a stationary bike. I would stay away from recumbants because of the angle.

 

[Wild Dan Hibiki]

thanks for the replies guys, i'm gonna do some tabata this week, but im a bit scared since it was BRUTAL the last time i tried it. but i'll man up and do it again.

i can walk around but i cant run

 

[Wild Dan Hibiki]

hey i found a 4 minute tabata file on my comp. it has cycles of 20 seconds max with 10 seconds rest, so 8 sets of these. how many times do i play this over?

and i just used it with pushups but my arms got fatigued like fuck in the first 2 sets so i switched over to situps. is this ok?

 

[2LT]

Not sure what type of ankle sprain you have, but if your ankle is up to it, and you put an air cast on it, you may be able to do Tabata squats as well. Only you know if your ankle is up to it. On the Tabata sets for pushups and situps, you can switch between pushups and situps. If you can find a pool in your area, you can also do interval swim sprints where you Sprint like hell on two lengths and swim easy on the third. Just use your arms, don't kick. This will kick your butt after about three iterations. A great source of reference for the Tabata exercises and other high intensity conditioning exercises is www.crossfit.com. Good luck with your training.