Working Out With Injuries

Whether your a long time fitness buff, or a newbie in the gym just getting started, the one fact of weight lifting and fitness is, you will at one time or another face injury and or pain from exercising. It’s a sad but hard truth, that though we want to stay in a decent to peak fitness level things will happen to set you back temporarily or worst yet, force you into having to get surgery. OK, so that’s the bad news, the good news is, you can overcome, and not just get back on track, but improve.

First, let me tell you I have not just suffered one injury but a multitude of setbacks. but fortunately to date no surgeries. A little about my story. I have been lifting weights for the better part of 30 years, just turned 63, and I would not trade one bit of pain to become a couch potato or be sitting here trying to figure out how in the world can I get fit at my age. That being said, if your sitting there, wondering, how in the world can I get in shape?? Please get started, email me, and I’ll be happy to encourage you.

Let’s start off with a quick rundown of some of the typical types of injuries you may notice?

10 Top Gym Injuries

• Knee Pain
• Shin Splints
• Back Pain (lower typically)
• Wrist Pain
• Rotator Cuff
• Ankle
• Elbow
• Chest (pectoral)
• Groin
• Shoulders

WoW that’s quite a list, so what doesn’t hurt in the gym? Point is when you work out, do cardio, or run long distances your taxing and putting stress on your muscles and ligaments and so whether you feel slight pain from exercising or downright terrible pain it’s best to understand if it is an injury or pain that will go away in a day or two.

Top 5 Training to Do’s With an Injury

• Train the uninjured side or half of your body: let’s face it if we’ve injured our shoulder, we can still do legs. There always opposing sides we can work on. Upper, lower, left and right.
• Cross-train: Sometimes we have to leave the gym and go for a hike or run instead of lifting, or vise versa. I was once a competitive runner and hurt my foot, so I decided to lift.
• Find what doesn’t hurt: This is really the best and should be #1. I had a torn rotator cuff but found a way to build my shoulders in a way that didn’t hurt.
• Go hands-free: Next best secret the gym has tons of equipment, from free weights to selectorized. You may find that you can still work out that injured area with the right equipment.
• Do what you can: Finally, with everything said, it really comes down to “doing what you can”. Don’t push an injury to the point of needing surgery.

So there you have it. Some quick tips on working through injuries. BUT let me stress you know your body, your strengths, and your weaknesses so go with what you know about YOU. Never, no Never fall to peer pressure. I’ve worked through several injuries and even found new and better ways to build muscle through body discovery because I had an injury. The final piece of advice whether injured or not, WATCH YOUR FORM. I have seen to many people in the gym try and throw weight around trying to be superman in front of others or load the leg press up and barely able to lift it off the locks.

Be smart in the gym my friends, consider it a Construction Site, hard hats on, belts locked, and safety, safety, and more safety. Working out can be your high and can be your stress dropoff area. It can also be the place you change your life, get fit, and create a wonderful lifestyle.