FORUMS > Cardio Training Forum Rules

For the past four months, I've been doing a pretty extensive workout routine (combined with diet) that's helped me lose over 25 pounds so far. But, over the past two weeks, my left achilles has been really bothering me. I can't be sure what caused it, but I got a brand new car that's manual and have also been running about 3-5 miles per day. So, I think it was a combination of those two things. It could also be not enough stretching, tense muscles, etc...

Regardless, I went to an orthopedist today and he said I have a swollen/irritated achilles right where the muscle "meets" the tendon. So, he gave me a "heel wedge" for my shoe, told me to ice it twice a day for 30 minutes and take some anti-inflammatory meds. Also, he said no barefoot walking and nothing that would flex that muscle beyond "reasonable" walking for at least two weeks.

My dilemma is that my routine consists of spin, rowing, running, step mill, and circuit training which involves lunges, squats, step ups, etc... My trainer said we can just do upper body workouts (the three days we train), but I'm panicking that the other three days I'm normally doing cardio, I'll have nothing to do. I'm picturing all my progress over the last four months start to undo itself.

So, besides swimming, is there anything I can do that will burn off some calories? I know I won't maintain the 2-pounds per week weight loss, but I don't want to start gaining either. I haven't gained any weight over the past four months and I've been so proud of that.

Help please!

Hey there. Sorry that you're having problems. From all that you do it sounds like you are doing way too much. You don't mention your weight but I imagine you are overweight since you are trying to lose 2lb a week. For that reason I would highly discourage running. When you are overweight you can really cause a lot of stress to your legs from the knees down to your feet. Even if you were solid muscle at as little as 20lb beyond what would be considered normal for your bodyweight may be a problem. This is why you don't see many bodybuilders running. They're just too big.

For your fat burning I would suggest doing a recumbent bicycle and be sure not to flex or extend your feet as you peddle so that you don't aggravate your Achilles tendon. Pretty much everything else you've mentioned will aggravate the area. The more you can keep that area isolated the better. I'm surprised that your doctor said to lay off just for 2 weeks. But two weeks of rest can really help your body heal. I would have thought it would take longer.

I don't think there is anything else that can be done. You might be able to do leg exercises that don't involve flexion of your ankle joint that would ultimately aggravate your tendon. I don't recommend doing leg extensions as they're unnatural for the knee joint and can cause problems with a lot of people. Any good physical therapist will tell you to avoid them also.

As you slowly are able to get back into working out perhaps you can get one of those sleeve like wraps to pull over the area and wear it as you workout. Keeping the area warm can help to encourage healing and the extra tension helps to give it a tad more support.

Ask your doctor about the option of massage for the area by a professional that has experience with working with athletes. But this of course is when you reach a chronic stage, not to be done while your pain is in the acute stage.

Hope this helps.

Heal first... there will be time to do all that stuff later. Most guys try to short change their recovery and end up doing even more damage....

Listen to your doctor.

Does your gym have the machines that look like hand operated bikes?
I used to go to one that had a few people in wheelchairs that used to use them a lot. Not sure how good they are.

No, unfortunately my gym is more of a "boutique" gym - it's mainly personal training. It's big, but not nearly as big as like an Equinox. So, there's no hand bikes there.

The good news is I took three weeks off of my cardio all together. And, my trainer just had me working upper body with him. (I also rented a car since mine is a manual and requires my left ankle on the clutch.) My ankle started feeling a TON better with the rest, stretching and ice.

So, this week I started doing lower body again with my trainer (but nothing lateral) and started back to spin class (sitting only). My ankle hasn't hurt all week, so I decided to try doing the standing parts of spin today. So far so good. Hopefully it stays that way. I got some more supportive shoes, some custom orthotics (apparently I have flat feet which contributed to the issue) and have been doing a LOT more stretching before and after activity.

I am going to give up on the running for a while though and stick with the bike. Until I get closer to my goal weight, I don't think running is good for my legs/knees/ankles. I mean it helped drop the weight quicker, but if I'm going to have injuries, it isn't worth it.

Thanks for the help guys.

Hey you ain't too bad looking, your specific allocation of DNA has saved your family many a dollar on otherwise consumed porkchops.

T'is a pity you'll be shot in the foot by a poisoned arrow... you shoulda stopped being a penny pinching tight wad and went for Full Coverage, that's all I gotta say. Cheap ass.