training casted after distal biceps tendon repair

[Tim Garvey]

History
age: 50
wt: 195 lbs
Acute injury 1: I suffered a partial tear 2/10/17 of my left distal biceps tendon while rocking and pushing a car stuck in a snow bank. Lessons: No good deed goes unpunished, don't deadlift with a bent arm. I actually felt a shredding sensation. No noticeable bruising at that point, but I quit benching, chinning and dead lifting. Still able to press.

Acute injury 2: Crashed while skiing, mild crash, and ruptured biceps tendon the rest of the way. I knew I would need imaging to see ortho, and primary care was closed, so I went to insta-care. They didn't charge me for a visit, but told me about a walk in injury clinic, that would be open two days later, on Monday. Ultrasound confirmed the rupture, and got me scheduled for an MRI 4 days later, 3/3/17.
I saw the surgeon on 3/8 and he was kind enough to add me to his surgery schedule on 3/10/17.

Chronic tendonitis: right AC joint has been bugging me for at least 2.5 months, so I'm taking advantage of one injury to rest another one.

My left arm is now casted to the wrist until 3/22/17. I was told I would then do ROM and no resistance for an additional 4 weeks. Week 6-12 I will be allowed to do resistance on my left biceps with 10 lbs. After 12 weeks no restrictions.

My plan is to do some shoulder, chest and upper back work with isometrics to just hold off some atrophy in my upper body. I'll also work on my diet and sleep to shrink my waist down to half my height.

For lower body I have a safety squat bar that is suddenly going to get a lot more use. Ab work will be fine. I'd like to do more work for my lower back. I have tried good mornings with the safety squat bar but i feel like it is harder to keep my full back in tension this way compared to a straight bar. I have a sled that I can pull so I could try to program some sled walking forward and in reverse for some additional leg work. Loading 45 plates with 1 arm is a pain the ass. Hill sprints are also possible right now, since we haven't had a bad weather inversion in more than a week.

I'd appreciate advise from people training in similar circumstances.