Military training question

[Peter Barber]

Good afternoon.

I'm currently a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps at The Basic School in Quantico, VA. I'm training for the Infantry Officer Course in July 2018 (pending selection). This is an extremely challenging course (supposed to be the hardest general school the Marine Corps offers) with loads well in excess of 100 lb required to be carried for long distances.

I've done a huge amount of mobility work on my knees and ankles over the past several years which has prevented me from having any knee/ankle issues despite lots of hard training. I still have a lot of progress to make though, which I was reminded of 2 weeks ago when I twisted my ankle (which never happens but did this time) by stepping in a hole covered with leaves while walking on a trail wearing boots and a bunch of gear. I don't have any pain in walking/running/squatting etc but still don't have 100% full range when I roll my foot towards its outer edge. Doc said it was just a mild sprain, but it was a bit of a wake-up call on how quickly this stuff can happen. I have to take it easy on movements like twisting squats which place a good deal of sideways stress on ankles for a bit until it's 100% but am otherwise unrestricted. 

I'm looking to bombproof my knees/ankles especially in preparation for IOC, so here's my question:

If you had your professional reputation on the line and had 10-15 min/day and 1 hr per weekend for the next 6 months to train me to prevent knee/ankle injuries, how would you structure the training?

I'm very disciplined and already do a bare minimum of 10-15 min of stretching/mobility work every day and have for well over a year unbroken unless I'm in the field. I have a good working knowledge of stretching and mobility. For reference, when I'm loose I can knock out multiple rock bottom pistol squats per leg and can do 5x15 deck squats with a short break between. However I still have a long way to go in terms of knee stability, and twisting squats are challenging although I can do several when I'm loose. Also pistols are very difficult when I do get tight which is seemingly my normal state. I'm definitely not anything exceptional in terms of physical ability, but I have a strong work ethic and my hips are a good deal looser than average because of a lot of work. I'm still generally not very flexible and would probably be categorized as brutally stiff by GB standards ... especially in hamstrings and t-spine. Running and training barefoot or in minimalist shoes exclusively for many years plus daily mobility work has been wonderfully helpful, but I have a long way to go, especially since wearing boots/being forced to sit in class a lot during training tends to have me playing catch-up instead of improving. 

So to summarize, if you had your reputation on the line, how would you train me to bombproof my knees/ankles ? Unfortunately with the training I have to do for the military I can't dive deeply into GST as my primary programming, but I really value the perspective y'all have on building connective tissue strength and want to do daily supplementary work. For reference, I'm currently doing the first 4 movements from the Thoracic stretch course daily for my shoulders and want a similar recommendation for my knees/ankles. Again - no holds barred - if your coaching ability was going to be evaluated by where you could get me in 6 months, how would you organize the training without interfering with my physical training routine for the military? The primary potential for injury is ankle sprains/ACL tears due to my leg going the wrong way while carrying a very heavy pack.

I would also be interested in any advice you may have on speeding recovery for my ankle. Right after I sprained it, I Voodoo flossed it a bunch of times and slowly worked through plantar and dorsiflexion movements for several days, but it still isn't as stable as it used to be even though it wasn't a serious sprain and didn't swell very much.

I appreciate your time and for reading my very long message. Trying to provide some context for you.

Merry Christmas!

P.S. I'd be willing to do a before/after piece if you're interested based on what you recommend for the next 6 months. I currently own Foundation 1 and Thoracic Stretch by the way.

[Everett Carroll]

Hey Peter,

Thanks for submitting. The Front Split Stretch Series contains some serious ankle magic. I highly recommend that stretch course for your Saturday session. During the week, quick 10-15 minute sessions dedicated to the lower body mobility drills from Foundation One and Two would be great. Definitely let your ankle heal completely and be sure to get the all-clear from your doctor before incorporating any new programming. 

[Antonio Alías Montoya]

I d say the first third of Front Split series is your primary goal (15 minutes). The whole serie is recommended to be performed once a week because GB program is full of hamstring stretches, but you can certainly perform all the ankle stretches more frequently (which takes no more than 10 minutes), depending on your recovery. For example, I m doing the achilles strecht every alternate day, one day yes, one day not, and so on. 

[Antonio Alías Montoya]

Foundation 2 mobility drills will also stregthen ankles, knees and hips as Everett said!

[Peter Barber]

I did the front split series for the 1st time yesterday. Good stuff. That will be my once per week session. I'll start working through drills from Foundation daily. Any other recommendations are welcome. At this point, just putting in the work consistently will be the ticket. 

[Marilyngreen]

Sorry to bring this up again, but I'm interested in how your business is going. Have you managed to do everything you set out to do? Because I have applied to the Military academy and besides that, I will use https://www.papersowl.com/examples/the-crucible/ to manage to do everything on time, until I don't know what will be there, but I hope it will be easy (friends scared me referred to this academy), but in any case, if we have to write an essay there, I will be informed, because I have already read a lot of books and posts, even about The Crucible.

Edited June 28, 2022 by Marilyngreen