About 5 years ago I tore my ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) while I was sparring with my training partner Nick Gonzales. While I went to kick Nick in the head with my right leg, he simultaneously kick my left leg. Normally my leg would have just gone out from underneath me. This time however, my leg  locked and my ACl was sliced in half. The purpose of the ACL is to keep your femur and tibia stable. When my ACL tore, i lost all stability in my left leg and when I went to balance on it it just collapsed. 

   I had a great surgeon here in Austin(Don Davis). I was a completely annoying patient. I asked way too many questions, and even wanted to videotape the surgery. I know, I'm a little sadistic. During some of our discussions, Dr. Davis told me that over the years he has seen an influx in ligament surgeries for young athletes. Why is this?

   One thing I've noticed while watching young athletes train, was that very few of them incorporate stability and injury preventative exercises. Yeah they all squat,dead lift,bench press, and do sprints. Coaches want you to max out those lifts and the minute you get injured  there is no shortage of kids to take your place. 

   So here is some advice: Perform stability exercises in conjunction with your traditional lifts. Single leg squats. Squat on the bosu(blue boob) or a balance disc. Try bounding from side to side . Don't just do a regular plank, perform a side plank and lift your top leg for 1 minute. We all know what a squat thrust is right? Balance on your right leg and perform a single leg squat thrust. Single leg dead lifts are amazing for your core and hamstrings. Remember, you can benefit from your traditional movements as well your stability movements. It doesn't have to be one or the other.  A good schedule for this week is shown below.

Monday

Full body Power Circuit

15 min moderate cardio workout

Tuesday

Full Body stabilzation and core work

10-15 min sprint interval cardio

Wed

Off

Thurs

Full Body Power Circuit

15 min moderate cardio

Friday

Full Body stabilization and core work

10-15 min sprint interval cardio

Sat/Sunday

Plyometrics upper/lower

Good luck