From an ACL tear to a 300lb Squat

Would you believe that someone who tore their ACL would be squatting twice their bodyweight?

That was the reality for one of my clients.

The ACL is a crucial part of the knee that supports the joint through forward and backward movement. Injuries here can be devastating, taking a few months or even a year to fully heal. Surgery is not always necessary, but it depends on the severity and your personal choice in rehab strategy.

For him he didn't want to deal with the permanent consequences of surgery as well as the increased recovery and rehab time. Instead, he chose to build up his knees any way he could.

He was able to play basketball, which was a big goal of his, but he would pay for it after, needing to ice his knee and elevate it after every game.

I began working with him around this time and realized his knee responded well to movements that kept both feet on the ground in the same position, such as squats, split squats, etc.

Because of how deeply we got into squatting (pun intended), he took a liking to powerlifting style training, and his squat began steadily increasing in strength as his knee recovered. This strength allowed him to get back to more dynamic single-leg jumps and hops with zero pain. He was able to play full games of pickup basketball without any negative consequences the next day.

His freedom to be active when and how he wanted was back.

He enjoyed the strength he felt from squatting so much that he expressed interest in competing in powerlifting, aka, the squat, bench press, and deadlift. At the time, I was training in this exact style, so I decided to compete alongside him.

It's important to note that this client weighed approximately 145 pounds. He ended up squatting 325lbs in competition, more than double his bodyweight on a formerly torn ACL.

I tell this story to tell you that the body is capable of amazing feats of recovery. While an ACL injury is significant, if you're patient with the process, you can build yourself back up and become even stronger than you were pre-injury.

At the very least, I hope this story inspires hope that even if you're dealing with persistent pain that's holding you back from doing what you love, there is a way to get better.

To your good health,

Coach Stephen

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 Thanks for reading.

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