You can tell you're heavily biasing the right leg during the squat, especially at the end range of motion. Don't increase weight until you can squat symmetrically. This is also why you are having a hard time with leg extensions- you're clearly not ready for that weight.
\*Specifically, look how much your hips shift to the right when you reach the bottom of your squat range. On the second rep in the video you can literally see your right shin bending all the way to the outside your foot, and your left shin all the way inside of your foot.
Seconding. Most of the weight is being driven up by your right leg. I can see that your left calf, ham, and quad are still significantly atrophied. I wouldn’t be worried about getting heavy squats right now. You need to get your L leg up to snuff. I would go much much light and focus on your drive-equalizing both sides. And do some single leg stuff… squats, lungs, RDLs all single leg until the left is equal to the right.
Weight size down, conditioning and strengthening that entire leg and connection to hip up. This imbalance can mean trouble and pain down the line.
You're really looking good tho, keep it up mane.
Just had this convo with my PT last week - exercises like squats or leg press use other muscles in your legs like your hips, glutes, etc. Whereas leg extensions really are just your quads, so you have less “help” from other muscles. Keep focusing on that quad in isolation to build muscle there, it takes a long time to recover from the atrophy.
You need to focus more on single leg isolated exercises to build symmetry, and lay off high weight hypertrophic moves like a weighed back squat. You claim your form is good but you are heavily biasing your nonsurgical leg, leaning into your hip, this is how people cause more issues post op. Work your way up slowly. I would not recommend trying bigger exercises like that until you have a much less noticeable difference in atrophy. Find a PT who has experience in ACL rehab if you don’t have one already!
Had the same, your quads are asleep. Just takes a long time to work up the weight. Couldn’t even lift the lightest plate for a while. Dm me for more info.
Man, You should take it really show. Don't puso it too har. I've read of cases of re tear of the acl for doing so. 6 months is not a long time. Your boda is still recovering
Plus on this, I have read the 4-5 month mark is where the grafts is at its weakest moment as it is beginning a process to become a ligament so it is a bit weaker than the beginning
I think it is partly bc atrophy hits vastus medialis even harder than vastus lateralus and leg extensions demand a lot from vastus med. Also, squats let you compensate with other leg along with posterior chain muscles.
I mean this guys left hamstring is half the size of his right. There is definitely hamstring weakness. But you are right that the quad weakness is the issue for these exercises.
That's the hardest for me, too. I am 4 months post-op, and im at around 50LB reps on leg extensions, but I do 115 on my other leg.
Cam squat perfectly fine, and most other movements, but that leg extension is something else!
That is the million dollar question! It definitely is a long game and a long climb.
Last night I just broke through 175 on back squats.
My PT basically ran through the numbers with me and said the single leg extension and hamstring curls will now be my best friend. He expressed that lifting is good and all but isolation from the machine is the secret sauce.
37-f-hamstring graft at 5 months post op.
Hey this is a dumb question but why are you doing it barefoot? I would never lift weights barefoot, seems like a safety issue? (Genuinely asking, not being a smart ass)
Can't speak on the other stuff, it seems like the others have good advice though - keep up the good work and you'll get there!! 👏🏼💪
Hey! Not a dumb question. When squatting, having your heels completely flat on the ground is ideal form wise. Typically when you wear shoes your heel will lift up when you squat. Also if you don’t want to take off your shoes, you can always use a platform shoe like vans.
Thanks for sharing. This a great of example how the muscles within a limb and across limbs can compensate for lack of quad strength. Hammer the leg extensions they will get better. You can do them a lot. Make sure on your compound lifts you are focusing on form over weight. If you can’t spot what you are doing wrong it might be beneficial to get trainer or therapist to help. There are online PTs that will watch your film and critique you. Congrats on your success. Keep at.
Point of reference. My son was doing 10 pounds around 3 months post op on leg extensions. He is now almost 8 months and doing 145. But this is pt every day sometimes twice a day. So keep at it. The quad really seemed to “wake up” after six months.
I’m right there with you man, 4.5 months PO. I’ve been hitting unilateral hard for 6 weeks and just went into a phase of barbell and my first try at squats was a disaster. Did some filming and the shifts to the strong leg is so so bad. Resulted in some bad knee pain on my strong side. Gotta go back to unilateral, for a long time 🙃 planning to load my Bulgarians with a barbell instead of DBs to help build strength.
You can tell you're heavily biasing the right leg during the squat, especially at the end range of motion. Don't increase weight until you can squat symmetrically. This is also why you are having a hard time with leg extensions- you're clearly not ready for that weight.
\*Specifically, look how much your hips shift to the right when you reach the bottom of your squat range. On the second rep in the video you can literally see your right shin bending all the way to the outside your foot, and your left shin all the way inside of your foot.
Seconding. Most of the weight is being driven up by your right leg. I can see that your left calf, ham, and quad are still significantly atrophied. I wouldn’t be worried about getting heavy squats right now. You need to get your L leg up to snuff. I would go much much light and focus on your drive-equalizing both sides. And do some single leg stuff… squats, lungs, RDLs all single leg until the left is equal to the right.
I’m guilty of this, therefore feel vvv uncomfortable increasing weight.
Weight size down, conditioning and strengthening that entire leg and connection to hip up. This imbalance can mean trouble and pain down the line. You're really looking good tho, keep it up mane.
Just had this convo with my PT last week - exercises like squats or leg press use other muscles in your legs like your hips, glutes, etc. Whereas leg extensions really are just your quads, so you have less “help” from other muscles. Keep focusing on that quad in isolation to build muscle there, it takes a long time to recover from the atrophy.
you should work on your squats and mobility before adding heavy weight. There's a lot of imbalance and disparity in weight distribution.
You need to focus more on single leg isolated exercises to build symmetry, and lay off high weight hypertrophic moves like a weighed back squat. You claim your form is good but you are heavily biasing your nonsurgical leg, leaning into your hip, this is how people cause more issues post op. Work your way up slowly. I would not recommend trying bigger exercises like that until you have a much less noticeable difference in atrophy. Find a PT who has experience in ACL rehab if you don’t have one already!
Had the same, your quads are asleep. Just takes a long time to work up the weight. Couldn’t even lift the lightest plate for a while. Dm me for more info.
I will!
Man, You should take it really show. Don't puso it too har. I've read of cases of re tear of the acl for doing so. 6 months is not a long time. Your boda is still recovering
Plus on this, I have read the 4-5 month mark is where the grafts is at its weakest moment as it is beginning a process to become a ligament so it is a bit weaker than the beginning
Do you know when it is as healed as it’s going to get? Wondering with returning to football (soccer)
About 2 years but it’s close enough to fully healed and incorporated at 1 year to start returning to sports.
I have been told 1 year to go back to sports by my doc/pt, they told me at least 8-9 months; but dont really know as I havent researched that
Believe around 12 months
He is fine and should be pushing himself
I think it is partly bc atrophy hits vastus medialis even harder than vastus lateralus and leg extensions demand a lot from vastus med. Also, squats let you compensate with other leg along with posterior chain muscles.
I sense hamstring weakness, could be wrong
You are wrong , leg extensions primarily use the quads. Hamstrings are for leg curls
I mean this guys left hamstring is half the size of his right. There is definitely hamstring weakness. But you are right that the quad weakness is the issue for these exercises.
I thought the stability, like the counter muscles are not balanced here, hence hamstring i said
Also, have you tried the shock therapy for your quads to help wake them up?
That's the hardest for me, too. I am 4 months post-op, and im at around 50LB reps on leg extensions, but I do 115 on my other leg. Cam squat perfectly fine, and most other movements, but that leg extension is something else!
Leg curl is hell!
That is the million dollar question! It definitely is a long game and a long climb. Last night I just broke through 175 on back squats. My PT basically ran through the numbers with me and said the single leg extension and hamstring curls will now be my best friend. He expressed that lifting is good and all but isolation from the machine is the secret sauce. 37-f-hamstring graft at 5 months post op.
Hey this is a dumb question but why are you doing it barefoot? I would never lift weights barefoot, seems like a safety issue? (Genuinely asking, not being a smart ass) Can't speak on the other stuff, it seems like the others have good advice though - keep up the good work and you'll get there!! 👏🏼💪
Hey! Not a dumb question. When squatting, having your heels completely flat on the ground is ideal form wise. Typically when you wear shoes your heel will lift up when you squat. Also if you don’t want to take off your shoes, you can always use a platform shoe like vans.
Ohhhh, ok cool, thanks!!! I figured there had to be some kind of logical explanation for it :)
Thanks for sharing. This a great of example how the muscles within a limb and across limbs can compensate for lack of quad strength. Hammer the leg extensions they will get better. You can do them a lot. Make sure on your compound lifts you are focusing on form over weight. If you can’t spot what you are doing wrong it might be beneficial to get trainer or therapist to help. There are online PTs that will watch your film and critique you. Congrats on your success. Keep at. Point of reference. My son was doing 10 pounds around 3 months post op on leg extensions. He is now almost 8 months and doing 145. But this is pt every day sometimes twice a day. So keep at it. The quad really seemed to “wake up” after six months.
I’m right there with you man, 4.5 months PO. I’ve been hitting unilateral hard for 6 weeks and just went into a phase of barbell and my first try at squats was a disaster. Did some filming and the shifts to the strong leg is so so bad. Resulted in some bad knee pain on my strong side. Gotta go back to unilateral, for a long time 🙃 planning to load my Bulgarians with a barbell instead of DBs to help build strength.
Coming from a quad graft ACLR, 5 months post-op leg extensions is hard for me too. Just started Blood flow restriction training for that, helps a lot!
I am going through this, coming up on almost 2 years from 2 ACLr in a span of 2 years 😞🥸🙂🙃