Dealing with Injuries While Working Out

Dealing with an injury or set back when you are working out is hopefully something you won’t have to do. But over time, it is definitely a possibility. So many of us have old injuries that like to pop up when we start getting in shape and asking more of our bodies. I have dealt with a few and want to help you make the most of it!

Sore or Injured?

Knowing the difference between just being sore and being injured is a big deal. If you are pushing it, you will be sore. New programs and when anyone starts out it is really common to be sore. You can be SUPER sore but not injured. Soreness will loosen up with some warm up and stretching, an injury won’t. Sharp pains are not a sign of soreness. For more on this, check out: Injuries or Soreness

When in doubt: Rest and see your doctor! If you really have doubts on whether you are injured or not, see your doc. There is no sense messing something up even more. We are all in this for the long haul and we want to be cautious with injuries. As we get older, recoveries can be harder, but we will definitely come back with the proper plan for recovery!

Make Due With What You Can

The best thing you can do if you are going to keep working out with an injury is to change or modify your workouts to eliminate the stressors that impact the injury. Let’s look at some examples.

Shoulders – a lot of people (including me) have dealt with shoulder issues. Very common for us guys that played football. Slowly working up in weight and properly strengthening the shoulder can go a long way to helping it out. Stick with lighter weights if you can perform the motions without pain at that weight. Be VERY controlled in your motion too. Having your shoulder over rotate in a press can be a big issue.

If the shoulder is too bad to say bench press, see how incline press and overhead feel. The shoulder really has three heads, so different pressing and fly angles can totally impact the joint differently. Go light and test it out.

Legs or Knees – Be careful with your knees, you need them in everyday life LOL! If you have sore knees, strengthening your quads can really help. If you can still squat without pain, again start light and build up. Wall sits are a great isometric move to help strength the quad which will support your knees. Really err on the side of caution with your knees! See a doc when in doubt. I am actually going in this week for a small knee surgery from some old football injuries and new aggravation from rec football. I don’t get down though. There is still a lot I can work out and I will build it back up!

Wrists – I would say this might be the most common for people. If you injury your wrist, give it time! It is really easy to try to push past a wrist injury and do more damage. When you do get back to using your wrist, some wrist wraps and Power Stands can be a huge help. These will keep your wrist in a neutral position and help stabilize the wrist from having too much extension. Supination may hurt too. So with a move like dumbbell curls, stick to hammer curls and save the stress.

Finally, if a given exercise or move just doesn’t feel right or hurts, don’t do it. Sub in a new move and don’t feel bad for not doing the workout exactly as written. You are still giving it 100% and you are FAR better off healing completely. There is nothing I hate seeing more than a nagging injury that you only make even worse by trying to push through.

At the end of the day, your nutrition is what will really set you back if you fall off the wagon. So stay dialed in and realize that even if your recovery is a month or more, you are ahead of the game and will be back and better than ever!

 

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