David Masterson Health & Performance

We constantly hear ACL timelines.

9 months. 12 months.

Then we see athletes returning in 7–8 months and everyone starts comparing timelines.

But the calendar and how you feel don’t tell you enough.

Day 1, I felt good.

Pain ✅
Swelling ✅
Movement felt good ✅
Strength felt subjectively good ✅

But when I started putting some numbers behind it, there were indications of a loss in terminal extension and strength.

Nothing dramatic, but enough get the knee assessed.

Time and biology still matter. So do symptoms and how you feel.

But progression should be earned through objective criteria, not simply because another week has passed and you feel okay.

By using a criteria-based rehab, you can make better informed decisions throughout the process and give yourself the best opportunity to rebuild the qualities needed to return as a better, more robust player.

I recently came across some research (Sportsmith)on the Assisted Countermovement Jump (ACMJ), and it got me thinking about how it might be used in programming.

Research comparing assisted, resisted, and normal CMJ training suggests that ACMJ may improve jump height more than traditional CMJ training.

In one four-week rugby study, jump height improved by approximately:
Assisted CMJ: 6.7%
Resisted CMJ: 4.0%
Normal CMJ: 1.3%

Another study showed similar results, with assisted jumps improving jump height by 8.6%, compared with 3.4% for resisted CMJ and 0.6% for normal CMJ.

So the day after a pitch session I compared:
A CMJ
An assisted CMJ
And then re-tested my CMJ again 3 hours later

The assisted CMJ provided a clear over-speed stimulus, and there may also have been a short-term potentiation or priming effect.

However, I would not overstate this from a single test.

But it may be a useful tool for exposing athletes to higher movement velocities, and they may have some short-term potentiation benefit that is worth observing over time.

Can a trap-bar jump tell us something useful about GAA speed and power?

For my MSc study, I looked at load–velocity profiling in club-level Gaelic football players and its association with sprint and jump performance.

In my study, trap-bar jump (TBJ) load–velocity variables were strongly associated with 10 m sprint, 40 m sprint and CMJ performance.

So how could this be used practically?
1. To profile and monitor load-oriented, velocity-oriented and composite L–V qualities over time.

This may help coaches see if an athlete’s profile is shifting more towards load capacity, velocity expression, or a combination of both.

2. To better understand how players produce performance.
Two players may have similar 1RM or CMJ scores, but very different L–V profiles.
One may be more load-oriented.
One may be more velocity-oriented.
One may have a better overall profile.
This can help guide more individualised training decisions.

Important point:
This does not replace sprint testing, CMJ testing, strength testing, or GPS.
It adds another layer.

And like all data, it is only useful if it helps make better coaching decisions.

The Back Extension
A variation of this exercise is now in every one of my back rehab sessions.

But should everyone have a variation of this exercise in their program?

I’ve seen speak about this on his instagram saying it’s time to get these of the rehab bench and into athletes training programs.

Charles poliquin stated that if the strength of your low back muscles increase, strength in all your other lifts will go up.

The idea is that through having proximal stability (truck and pelvis stability) your limbs can produce more force.

You also gain secondary strength in the glutes and hamstrings 💪🏻

My progression so far:
Back Extension ISO
Back Extension reps and increase ROM over time
Unilateral Back Extension and increase ROM over time.

I’d love to hear of others experience with the back extension 💪🏻