Hi Coaches,
I’m a 42-year-old male, relatively active, and have been training for several years now with the main goal of staying fit for competitive club cricket.
About 10 weeks ago, I had a severe lateral ankle sprain while playing cricket, which unfortunately ended my season. The swelling was substantial at first, but the ankle remained stable. My doctor advised against ballistic movements but cleared me to weight train as tolerated. Since then, I’ve been working through S&C 1–2nd Gen. The ankle has improved a lot—still some pain and minimal swelling, but much better overall. Feels like I have gained some strength too. During this 8-week block, conditioning has been near zero other than the first couple of weeks.
When I was actively playing, I felt I had good sustenance throughout long days of cricket, so my bigger concern now is regaining that same level of conditioning and durability. My aim is to be fully ready for the next cricket season, not just in terms of strength but also in sport-specific conditioning.
I’d like your advice on the following:
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Finished week 7 of the current program, but in week 8 (the last week of this block) I wasn’t able to train at all. Should I repeat week 8 or move directly into the next block or it doesn’t matter in the larger picture?
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Strength training has been very consistent (only missed 2 sessions prior to the 8th week), but conditioning has been totally absent. What’s the best way to restart and structure conditioning at this stage? Specifically:
a. Time is often my biggest constraint. On limited days, is it reasonable to split conditioning into shorter bouts, and in that context, is there a way i can make use of HIIT and balance HIIT and LISS to still achieve the total equivalent conditioning time for the week? How should i go about that, if thats an option?
b. As I reintroduce running, should I stick with one modality or mix across options within a week (air bike, jog, jump rope)? And in that context, I’m considering adding jump rope not just for ankle loading but as a conditioning tool — how would you recommend programming it?
Thanks so much for your guidance — I understand this is a long post, but I truly appreciate your time and advice.
Venkat.
Howdy, good to see you back here! To your questions:
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It doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. If you were getting/are getting good results on the current block, you could keep repeating the same week of training you’re on right now until it stops working or you get bored. Alternatively, you could just move on.
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Yes, you can break up conditioning anyway you want. I do think continuous sessions are likely to produce more fitness adaptations related to cardiorespiratory fitness than shorter ones at the same volume, e.g. 30 min vs six 5-minute bouts. I probably wouldn’t start with HIIT if you haven’t been doing any conditioning. I would do a wide range of modalities, yes. I would prefer running over jump rope for ankle loading and conditioning. I don’t know enough about your fitness, time constraints, and so on to make a specific recommendation. That said, the conditioning in the template you have is probably close to what I’d recommend…starting from week 1 in this case and doing as best as you can.
-Jordan
Hi Jordan,
Thanks for taking the time to reply.
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I am going to change it up a bit and go for the next block in this template to add variety. Having said that I’m still trying to figure out all the new programming techniques introduced to me during this new template. I keep doing more reps during repeat sets and exceed the prescribed reps🤦♂️.
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On conditioning, the biggest hurdle for me right now is time. With work travel and family commitments, I’ve been subconsciously managing my days around resistance training and making sure to get my 3 days in. As a result, conditioning hasn’t been as consistent. Should I reduce my resistance training to 2 days to include more conditioning or it’s not worth it. I feel to start with, I want to commit to two 30 min session per week and given those constraints what would you recommend. Also, should I be prioritizing zone 2 or zone 1 during these sessions for effectiveness.
I’m a big fan of BBM’s philosophy and methods. One of the reason I’m able to get back to everyday life and lifting even though my ankle got severely injured. Thanks for putting out quality, no BS science backed content that you guys put out.
Venkat.
I definitely think you should do some conditioning. If you have to sacrifice one day of lifting to do so, I’m okay with that. Alternatively, you could just jam out for 20 minutes or so on a bike after your lifting sessions and go for a few brisk walks with the family if that’s your preference to start. At this low volume of conditioning, I do not think focusing on zones is important.
Thank you for the kind words!
Sounds good. Thanks Jordan.