Montreal Alouettes defenseman Davis Alexander has been dealing with a left hamstring injury since April, but he was able to lift 500 pounds despite not being 100 per cent healthy.
The 27-year-old initially suffered a setback while sprinting around curves in the off-season. Alexander's left hamstring flared again in a team match Won the Eastern Finals 19–16 over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats..
“I don't know the exact percentage because we're putting together a checklist for days one, two and three before the game. So far I've been able to check off everything we wanted,” Alexander said after Thursday's closed practice.
“To be completely honest, it went better than I expected. I think the advantage is that I've been doing this all year. It went better than we expected and we have to keep moving in the right direction. Giving ourselves the best opportunity to win.”
The Montreal training staff performed four to five therapy sessions a day on Alexander's left hamstring. He practices strength and activation training, as well as treatments that include massage, ice, ultrasound, laser and electrical stimulation.
“I hate STIM (stimulation therapy), but we're seeing pretty good results with it. STIM feels like electricity in your body – pulsating hard. I've never liked that feeling,” Alexander said.
“They made me stiffen my arm in high school, and I stopped doing it my senior year because I hated it so much. It's a weird feeling for me, but they say we get good results from it, so if I can tighten it up a little bit, just stick with it.”
Canadian receiver Tyson Philpot said his QB put on the best practice he's seen all year behind closed doors at Princess Auto Stadium in Winnipeg. Alexander said his left hamstring “felt great” after the workout.
“To be honest, everything was going great. We weren't sure what to expect. To go out there and watch the last two practices, watch him throw the ball, watch him move, I don't know if you could tell there was anything wrong with him,” head coach Jason Maas said.
“We had a great workout that he went all out on. I think he did a great job leading it. I'm glad it's happening on time. It's good to have your best practices.”
49-year-old Gray Cup champion Maas said Alexander is off to a strong start in the 112th Gray Cup. when the team arrived at James Armstrong Richardson International Airport in Manitoba on Monday.
