You might think Matt Morsia is just your typical gym bro. Granted, he does tick many of the boxes. He hits the gym at least four times a week, partakes in bulks and cuts, and he loves a tank top. But there’s one thing that does make him different — Matt loves a leg day.
You can only imagine then how tough he’s found the past few months. If you follow him (if you don’t, you should), you’ll know he recently tore his achilles, the tendon in the back of your leg that attaches your calf to your heel bone. Ouch.
Matt’s not been able to perform any lower body exercises, including his beloved deadlifts and squats, for 100 days now. Not that he’s counting. Eager to know when he could step up his recovery and begin training legs again, he headed to a specialist for some answers.
After a hearty breakfast, Matt headed into London to see achilles specialist Jarrod. After some checks, Matt got the go-ahead. His moment had arrived. Matt stepped up to the mark and got his feet into position. He hinged his hips to grab the bar and completed his first deadlift for 100 days, a return to normality.
Well, of sorts. Matt was advised to take it easy, so he only lifted 5kg on each side. But it was a little too easy.
And he was having no such luck on the squats — they were a straight no and would have put too much pressure on his achilles. The benefits would not outweigh the risks.
Fresh out of the doctor's office, Matt headed straight to the gym. Jarrod had given him the go-ahead to work up to two 20kg plates on each side, 100kg overall. And it was like he’d never taken any time away, completing three sets of 10 reps at 100kg.
While he was frustrated to be lifting only 30% of his one rep max, Matt was thrilled to be back training legs, even though he knew he’d soon have the DOMS. Over the coming weeks Matt plans to increase the weight in small increments to give his body and his achilles time to adjust.
Disclaimer:
Matt has taken his recovery very seriously and was able to lift a huge amount prior to his injury. He’s taking all professional advice on board. While he might be trying to push his luck and asking questions, he’s not doing anything his doctor has not given the green light to.
If you’re currently recovering from an injury, you must always listen to professional advice before returning to training.
Take home message
It’s not been easy for Matt to take a backseat from deadlifts and squats for 100 days, but he knows how important it is that he recovers properly. We're just glad to see him back in his element, and we’re looking forward to seeing some more deadlift content in coming months.
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