In Stage 2, you’ll progress to harder exercises and build on the strength and stability you gained in Stage 1.

The structure of the workouts will stay the same, but the difficulty of the exercises will get harder.

IMPORTANT NOTES FOR STAGE 2:

• As the exercises get harder, it’s important to focus on maintaining the correct form and technique
• In this stage, you’ll do more exercises on one leg that challenge your single-leg stability – make sure to watch your form and avoid over-loading your injured knee.
• Don’t rush the workouts or speed through the exercises – quality is far more important than quantity
• It’s best to do the workouts when & where you have minimal distractions and can focus fully on your workout
• If the exercises in stage 2 feel too difficult, repeat stage 1 until to feel ready to move on

RUNNING IN STAGE 2:

Hopefully, by now, your pain has settled down and you feel like you can increase your running distance.

If your symptoms are minimal (or gone) slowly start adding in a few more miles each week. This increase should be no more than 10% each week, and you shouldn’t increase speed (pace) just yet.

Again, your injury isn’t 100% recovered so you must be careful here! Increase your running slowly and strategically. I know this can be hard when there’s less pain but your risk of re-injury is still high. Play the long game and allow your body time to get used to running again. The worst thing you can do at this stage is run too much, or too quickly, and set yourself back.

If you’re unsure about your running plan, please consult your trainer, coach, physiotherapist, or our team, here.

If your symptoms flare up when you add more running to your routine, back off – your body isn’t ready for that much running yet. Continue with the rehab exercises and try running a short, slow run again the following week.