Coming Back From Injury.

Injuries are the reality of any sport we undertake, even yoga has a risk of injury!!

Most of us who undertake any type of exercise has most likely been injured before, minor and major injuries.

Today I want to help understand what has to be done if you are coming back from a long lay off due to injury.

Lets Start:

1. Before

Before the injury you were able to do things that will just not be possible when you comeback, it can be the most frustrating thing, everything will feel very heavy, your form will be pretty garbage at any moderate heavy weight.

We have to make sure we learn and accept that your normal is now much different than before and may never be the same again, depending on the injury sustained.

The new normal will be hard to accept but the sooner we do, the sooner we will progress.

Depending on the injury you coming back from, you might never have the body you used to have, and you might not be able to do what you could before but that’s OK.

We can call it bad or good, but it really boils down to what you have to work with in the moment. If you’re caught up on what you used to have or what you will have in the future, you’ll never really improve the version of you that is available right now, which is all you really ever have.

This acceptance also gives you a blank logbook to begin tracking your progress. That means personal bests every day, at least for a while anyway.

So enjoy the journey, acknowledge the victories, and respect the person you are today.

2. Volume

Soreness is big factor in coming back from an injury. Going straight in the deep end is NOT a good idea, depending on the injuries or how long you been out, some movements and loads might be accessible but make sure you don’t go crazy that you are unable to train, the following days. Remember, the goal is to get to the point where you can exercise and help recovery.

3. Strength and Rage of Motion

Coming back from injury will probably cause you to have some sort of movement restriction, and full range of motion trumps strength 90 percent of the time.

As range of motion improves, continue to challenge strength in the new range. The end goal should always be a full range of motion with progressively heavier weight, but don’t let the pursuit of full range of motion deter you from lifting heavy at times. Find a weight that challenges your technique, and make sure it is as heavy as or slightly heavier than what you done before for a similar rep scheme. This keeps you progressing at a consistent rate and prevents other injuries.

4. Look at the big picture

You will not be able to do a number of things when you first got back to training, your goals should be to get back to a level of fitness similar to what you had before and to be able to do things in life without special preparation. Don’t rush it, Rome wasn’t built in one day, take small baby steps to reach you overall goal. it’s very easy to get overwhelmed with all the areas for improvement and we can quickly fall into the trap of wanting to fix everything today. Viewing goals on a much larger timeline really helps keep things in perspective and keeps you from getting carried away. If your goal is to get to the best health and fitness available to you, then you have to approach it in a very controlled and consistent manner but make sure you have the long term in mind!!

I am talking from experience, in 2011 I sustained a major pec tear which put me out for 6 months, it was a very long process to rebuild my body and my confidence and still to this date I am living with the consequences of that injury both physically and mentally.

Stay safe, train smart and overall look after your health :-)

#changinglives