It’s been weeks since the 2016 CrossFit Games ended, and we’re still bummed that Alethea Boon suffered an Achilles tear during the high repetition box jump overs. We don’t expect to be any less bummed as time passes, because we’re also still bummed that Julie Foucher busted her Achilles during 2015 Regionals. Oh, what could have been.
Even though these two ladies were dealt a seriously crappy set of exercise cards, they both embraced the opportunity to show people that even when you’re broken, you still need to get your ass to the gym. Eating chips on the couch while feeling sorry for yourself isn’t the solution. There is always a way to modify, and there’s always some part of your uninjured self that could use a little extra attention.
Boon and Foucher also show that being down a limb doesn’t mean you have to avoid certain exercises. Foucher’s first training video after her injury proves just that — who would have thought her first workout back after a leg injury would be a rowing workout?
Foucher rested her bum leg on the erg for a 21-15-9 workout of calories on the rower, strict pull ups, one legged push ups, strict ring dips, and strict handstand push ups. Julie’s injury allowed her right leg to passively sit on the machine, but if you’ve got a knee injury, simply place the injured leg on something with wheels and row your little heart out. This guy got super creative and used a toy truck when he was out with an MCL injury!
After flying back from LA to Australia, Boon took a few days off and got right back to it. She started with 100 strict pull ups for time. (Maybe avoid that one unless you’re a high level athlete. No one needs Rhabdo on top of an injury.) A few days later, she got extra creative and managed to incorporate wall balls into her workout — one legged wall balls, that is.
Alethea set up a bench, grabbed a wall ball, put on a weight vest, and did three rounds of 20 single leg/pistol wall balls, 10 single leg burpees (we’re curious to see how that one went), and 10 single leg deadlifts. Even if you’re not injured, that workout would be a monster.
Once Julie began rehab after surgery, she utilized the pool for some exercise. As a CrossFit athlete looking to get back on land as soon as possible, Foucher not only used the pool for laps, but for WODs as well. She took advantage of the non-weight bearing environment to squat and lunge in between sprints, allowing her Achilles to get used to moving in a CrossFit-friendly manner without the harsh impact.
Though Alethea is fresh out of surgery, we expect to see some similar rehab. In a weird way, it has to be comforting for Boon to see Foucher to not only recover so well from the injury, but to qualify for Regionals as well. It goes to show that the amount of hard work you put in before an injury can help you get back to form as quick as possible after an injury.
We wish Alethea the best of luck and can’t wait to see her crush it in 2017!
Featured Image: Alethea Boon (@alethea_boon)
