Staying fit in America
250 days since surgery
I am now in America staying with my sister for a few weeks.
In June, I left Spain on my motorbike and drove to Germany to celebrate my birthday. We got tickets to watch England vs Slovenia at Euro 2024 on the day I turned 42. It was a flat game that ended 0-0, but it was still a great experience and I was happy for the Slovenia fans who lit up the stadium
Back to today, and I am happy with my progress since arriving in California. It is red hot here during the day but I have plenty of opportunities to stay fit and progress my physio.
I am cycling to the gym each day for a session. They don’t have all the equipment I would like, but most things are possible with weights and benches.
This is a typical session in the gym. I have been focusing on weighted bulgarian split squats, weighted step-ups, front barbell squats, trap squats, and the usual hip conditioning exercises.
I track my workouts using the Strong App on iOS.
Another positive about working out here is the indoor swimming pool. It’s a cool escape from the dry summer heat, but more importantly it’s long and shallow. That means I can get in a lot of pool running for cardio without stressing my knee too much.
I have been running for a few weeks now, but after pushing hard in the gym I don’t want to overload the joint with outdoor running. It’s also way too hot if I don’t get up at 6am!
Just for Kicks
I have hinted about giving up football, and I have more to write on that, but that doesn’t mean I can’t have a kickaround.
It felt good to lace up my boots, get on the grass and just kick a ball around. I played some long passes with my dad for a while, just like we used to do 30 years ago when I was learning the game.
It’s now 8 months since surgery, I am pretty happy with this progress:
Of course, there is more still to do, and I am not taking my eye off the ball just yet.
