After the injured triathlete has gotten clearance from the treating doctor, and progressed from stretching, strength training, to endurance training for the NON-INJURED leg, then progression to more challenging exercise protocols may be indicated. While Doug Landau’s free sports training advice is worth what you pay for it, he counsels the injured triathlete as follows:

If safe to do so, you can use the exercise or spin bikes to do 1-legged cycling. I do it religiously to perfect form and teach my body to cycle in “COMPLETE CIRCLES”. Most injured cyclists can “mash down” on the pedals. Few triathletes have a smooth, circular cycle pattern. Concentrating on the “pull-back,” “pull up” and push forward” stages of the 360 degree pedaling circle will pay dividends come race season. Triathlon Trial Lawyer Doug Landau DOES NOT recommend one-legged cycling on the roads. If you do, you might wind up a client at Abrams Landau, Ltd., and I would rather not meet by accident ! Plus, sports scientists will tell you that exercising the NON-injured side speeds recovery in the injured side, for reasons that are still not well understood in the medical community.

Lastly, once your physician allows, running in deep water with a flotation vest or belt is a great form of exercise. Then, when the healing has progressed and again, with your doctor’s assent, shallow water training, aquatic pylometrics and, eventually running on soft surfaces. I shattered my ankle 20 years go and have been “water running” once or twice a week ever since. I also try to run on sand, grass and trails whenever possible. While most races are run on hard paved surfaces, the W&OD Trail horse path near the Abrams Landau office provides a wonderful, safe surface to “pound out the miles.” Triathlon Trial Lawyer Doug Landau has competed in the US National Championship Sprint Triathlon races that were also contested on trails and grass in New Jersey. Injured athlete lawyer Landau has even been known to run races barefoot when the course (like the Hagerstown biathlon) is mostly grass or he wants to save time on his transitions ! Do not try barefoot running in a race unless you have trained to do so.