Saturday 30 January 2010

Pec major rehab - week 6 post op

It is now 6 weeks since my last op and rehab is progressing well.
My daily treatment/therapy for this past week has included:
Physiotherapy (Monday, Wednesday, Friday) - gentle assisted range of movement of the shoulder joint/girdle (flexion & extension, external & internal rotation, abduction & adduction), soft tissue massage of the pec muscle and scar, upper traps, rhomboids and scapular trigger point release;
Massage (Tuesday, Friday) - neck, back, non-injured shoulder, gluteus and hamstrings;
Chiropractic adjustment (Thursday) - realignment of cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine and pelvis.
My training has been as follows: Friday – Rehab + Upper body strength (non injured side), Saturday – (no rehab as my chest was very tender after yesterdays physio) + Cardio (50 mins), Sunday – Rehab + Upper body strength (non injured side), Monday – Rehab + Legs strength, Tuesday – Rest, Wednesday – Rehab + Upper body strength (non injured side).
My rehab exercises have picked up a little in intensity and I am using the Red Theraband for most exercises. I usually start with the grinder (arm erg) for 5-10 mins at ~110W (mainly pushing with non-injured arm and following with injured), then pendulum swings and gentle rollout stretching on knees with a FitBall, then I do a three circuits of band exercises, beginning with lateral raise (thumb down) x20, front raise (thumb down) x20, upright row x20, horizontal scapular retraction and row x20, external scapular rotation x20, internal scapular isometric pulsing 30s, biceps curls x20, triceps pushdowns x20, shrugs x20, shoulder extensions x20, forearm spring grips x100.

Tuesday 26 January 2010

The America's Cup - marketing genius!?


Over the past 12 months, where ever I have gone in the world and everyone I have spoken to has had an opinion or commented on the current 'state' of the America's Cup. Many wonder whether the America's Cup will ever truly recover from the past two years of litigations and disputes. One of the greatest concerns for pro-sailors, teams and commercial partners is the long-term affect that the current situation of the America's Cup will have on sponsorship. But, what amazes me is the number of people that are aware of the ongoing crisis and aware that the 'Americans' and 'Swiss' are going to be sailing against each other in the world’s most technologically advanced racing yachts. In fact, people that may previously have had little idea of the America's Cup are now intrigued. So, apart from the fact that more than 2500 sailors and support staff (me included) have been out-of-work for the past two years, the current state of the America's Cup may just have increase the marketability of the event...
Sponsorship is all about exposure and increasing revenue; if the Deed of Gift race between BMW Oracle Racing (USA) and Alinghi (Swiss) on February 8th in Valencia is half the spectacle we are all expecting, then Russell Coutts (skipper BOR) and Brad Butterworth (skipper Alinghi) may actually succeed in elevating the global exposure of the sport way beyond what may have otherwise occurred. Call it what you will, but in my opinion, history may just look back at this event and call it “marketing genius”!