When I wrote up my total hip replacement at 35, I was writing the account I’d wanted and couldn’t find. There was plenty for older patients and almost nothing for young, competitive lifters. I had no idea whether anyone would read it.
They have, and some of them write to me. One was an emergency doctor and former international athlete, a few weeks after his own operation, who told me the posts had changed his rehab plan. Another was a lifter in the US, weighing up surgery on his own hip, who has kept me updated ever since. A physiotherapist found the diary while writing a recovery guide of his own. You always wonder, when you publish something this niche, whether it will help anyone, so these emails mean a lot.
The same questions come up again and again. Here they are, with how I handled each one myself.
This isn’t medical advice. I’m not a clinician. These are the choices I made for my own body, with my surgeon, physio and coach checking my work. Your recovery will be different, so take your lead from your own medical team.
What exercises did you do, and when did you start adding weight?
For the first six weeks I followed the exercise sheet the hospital physio gave me, every day. It progressed by small steps, such as adding a resistance band, rather than by loading up weight. The first six weeks are about gentle conditioning, because you don’t want to disturb the bone growing into the implant. A little load and movement helps recovery; too much can undo it.
I checked in with my surgeon and physio every couple of weeks in that period before I progressed anything. Once the gym work started, I logged my working sets, and I’ve published my full training log from the surgery onwards so you can see the progression week by week. There’s also a training video from the nine-month point in my surgery diary.
How often do you train?
Three times a week. Monday is squat-heavy, Friday focuses on deadlifts, and Wednesday is a lighter accessory day to keep things moving. I bench in all three sessions.
In the early weeks I did the physio’s exercises daily. As I got back into the gym, I folded them into my normal routine.
What counts as a deep squat, and what’s a shallow one?
My implant strength article compares the forces in deep and shallow squats, and a reader rightly asked what I meant by each. I followed the definitions in Hartmann et al. (2013), which measure depth by the angle at the knee:
- a deep squat is around 40–45° of knee bend, well below parallel, with the thighs close to the calves;
- a half squat is around 80–100°;
- a quarter squat is around 110–140°, stopping well above parallel.
A squat to just below parallel, as powerlifting requires, sits between the two but nearer the deep end.
Who should I listen to, my surgeon or my physio?
In my experience they cover different ground. My surgeon was the expert on the implant: its position, how it was bedding in, and whether the structure was safe. My physio was the expert on the muscles and tissues around it, and on rebuilding strength. Neither knew as much as the other about the other’s area.
What worked for me was keeping both involved and letting them talk. At around six weeks my surgeon X-rayed the hip, was happy with how the implant had settled, and cleared me to start progressive strength work under my physio’s guidance. After that it became mostly about structured training, with check-ups at longer intervals. Having my coach in the loop as well helped a great deal.
When did you start stretching?
Late, and gently. In the first few weeks I kept to light movement and avoided anything that might pull on the stitches or healing tissue. I only started stretching more after six weeks, when my physio said so.
Was it worth it?
Yes. Before the operation my squat was noticeably lopsided; afterwards the imbalance had gone. I honestly consider the new hip an upgrade. My progress was faster than I ever expected, and two years on I’m still training hard.
If you’re facing the same operation and have a question the posts don’t answer, you’re welcome to ask me on Instagram or LinkedIn. I’ll answer from my own experience, and I’ll always point you back to your medical team.
