Cannonballs, Heel Slides and Rowing Exercise

[L&AirC]

There seems to be a few threads on this and I'm hoping I can incourage the other ones into this one.

I agree with the cannonball approach and have been doing this all along as it just seemed natural and why not use gravity in my favor for once (It definitiely wasn't on my side April 18th!). To me it seemed to be the same approach to flexing as the prone hangs are to knee extension. Just lay on your back, grab the back of your thighs and pull your legs towards your chest. Gravity does the rest. Works best if you wait until "Two And A Half Men" comes on.

Heel slides I don't much care for but I'll do them. I prefer to do them up against the wall. Maybe it's the angle of the hip that makes the difference but doing them lying on the floor seems to bug my knee more.

I have a Bowflex (you wouldn't know it to look at me) and have been doing the rowing exercise. I view it as a cannonball with more gravity. Kind of like when Superman goes home. I first only used the good leg and marked on the bar the seat slides on how far I could go. I then marked how far the bad leg could go. That gave me a starting point and a goal. Each time I use it I chart my progress and I get to move the pencil mark closer to the good leg's line. The motion is legs extended (best you can) and you move into a cannonball position. I started with my (bad leg) starting point about 12 or 14 inches away from my goal (good leg) and now I only need to make it another 3 or 4 inches for the bad leg to be flexing as much as the good leg. I set the weight at just enough to keep me moving and I always have both legs in play. This way my good leg can control the speed and is there as a spotter. I do feel pressure in my knee but it doesn't hurt. I feels like I'm stretching it where as regular heel slides seems to be more painful.

I'm also donig legs curls ( have the leg extension attachment) but the focus of the effort is on doing an extension. I do a curl but the real effort comes in when the leg is trying to go straight. Again it is just enough weight to work as added gravity when you are doing a prone hang. I feels good to curl the leg after the extension and visa versa.

[whisky]

I think what's important is that you continue to do a variety of exercises. The body quickly adapts to the same thing over and over and will not respond as quickly.