It has been just over two months since surgery and honestly, if you saw me now, you would barely know I had my ACL reconstructed. Swelling is much reduced; range of motion is back to 155–160 degrees consistently; and the knee feels like mine again. The scar is tidying up nicely and whilst i don’t I forget I even had it done; i am thinking about it less and less. I have to really remind myself that the strength section of the recovery only started two weeks ago and remember the graft is still early in its journey.
Strength is coming back – impatient me would say not as fast as i want it to! Yesterday I did 60kg deadlifts for three sets of ten and it felt easy. Bench is solid at 60kg as well; I have been mixing in tricep extensions, cable hamstring curls, and all the “beast level” leg work Megan keeps throwing at me. She has been absolutely priceless; guiding me through the right loading at the right time and stopping me from doing anything reckless simply because I feel ready. “physio says NO” is something i would do well to remember!
The biggest win has to be full straight leg ext and full deep flexion. I have not done as much BFR and Powerdot work as i should and even ice cuffing is beginning to feel less effective (i must have numbed all sensors in my knee from doing it so much!) The hot tub will be back on line this week so then its really time to zen up, level up with 3x weekly sessions! The creep work Dr Alam told me to do was the ultimate game changer – i unlocked 10/15 degrees flexion after an hour of first doing!
I keep reminding myself this is not a sprint. The graft still needs time; I have promised myself no ego lifts and no shortcuts. I’ve got a “gym friend” who is methodical in his execution and couple with Megan, there should be no setbacks from ego lifting.
However, when I look at where I am now compared to the day after surgery, it is hard not to feel grateful. The comeback is real and it is happening faster than I imagined.
Today is the day after my 42nd birthday and it feels like the perfect moment to take stock. I am stronger than I was last year; I am learning more patience than I ever thought I had; and I am building a foundation that will carry me back to skiing, lifting, and life on my own terms. Emma said the other week when i shared a pic of my lean stack at 41 “Hahaha, that’s life, unpredictable!”
The next goal is to keep stacking strength; to hit 100 per cent LSI by month twelve (June 2026) and then earn my way back to plyometrics and eventually skiing. One step at a time.
As Deni said, Make Arpit Great Again!
