Okay, let’s get one thing straight, dealing with and coming off an injury is not easy. It’s not easy mentally, and it’s certainly not easy physically, and if you are training hard and are dedicated, chances are you are going to get yourself injured at some point during your lifting career.
And that’s okay. What is not okay, and what is unacceptable, is you letting your injury consume you, twist your mindset so that you regress inwards, unable to step onto the gym floor again. This cannot happen. You were a warrior before you got hurt, and you are a warrior still.
Take the following steps to heart, and you will be crushing new PRs in no time.
What to do the moment you feel something is wrong
In a blink of an eye, something snaps. You hear it, but you don’t feel it immediately. Eyes wide open, you are unable to fathom the idea that this has finally happened to you. Of all people. It might be a pop in your lower back, it might be a tight squeeze in your bicep, and it might even be a shooting pain in your shoulder.
Whatever it is, you need to apply pressure to it immediately, preferably with an ice pack to subdue the swelling. After that, there’s no time to waste, you need to see a doctor. Injuries can vary in intensity greatly, and even if you’re not feeling it right now, you will be feeling it tomorrow. By then, the problem will have gotten worse. Don’t waste time, see a doctor.
Dedicate your time to rehab
There is no way around it, you need to dedicate time, patience, and willpower to doing your rehab exercises religiously, per your coach’s orders. If the problem wasn’t severe and you have managed to get away with a few weeks of rehab work, consider yourself lucky and count your blessings.
Plenty of people weren’t as lucky as you, and they have to carry their arm in a sling for months before they can attempt rehab work. Rehabilitation will entail mobility and flexibility drills, stabilization, isometrics, and using various tools such as foam rollers, resistance bands, etc.
Don’t feel stupid for doing weird mobility drills and exercises that look like you belong in a gym fails video, it’s all a part of the recovery process. Remember you need to make sure you are doing everything in your power to come back stronger, ready to crush new goals. But before you do that, you need to focus on your current strengths.
Focus on what you can do
If you were in an arena, and you got your shield knocked out from your left hand, would you dwell on the lost shield or would your focus on swinging with your sword even harder? Exactly, focus on the positives. It’s not about what you can’t do anymore, it’s about what you can achieve in your current situation.
There is always a way to work around your injury, and just because your leg is in a cast doesn’t mean that you can’t get a great workout in. And don’t be afraid to train vigorously with what you have – the rest of your body will catch up quickly. If your injury is not debilitating, then at least make sure you’re wearing heavy compression clothing on the injured area in order to keep the blood flowing and to provide extra protection at all times.
Optimize your nutrition
When dealing with an injury, you are probably not going to be spending as much time and energy exercising, so you will have to adjust your diet plan accordingly. It’s easy to get sloppy with your eating routine when you’re unable to spend all those calories moving heavy things around, so make sure you decrease your total calorie intake to avoid fat gain.
You also want to bump up your protein intake in order to preserve your muscle mass during this period while keeping your carb intake fairly low. Remember to recalculate your calorie requirements and restructure your macronutrients as well in order to optimize your diet plan in the weeks and months leading up to your glorious return to the house of gains.
Revisit the cause
Do you know exactly what had happened, what has caused your injury? Was your technique off point? Were you drained and fatigued going into your workout? Were you pushing yourself too hard that day or is your entire program too demanding and unrealistic? You need the answers to these crucial questions in order to prevent the same thing from happening over and over again.
If you don’t, you are simply postponing the inevitable. Therefore, you need to sit down, and take a long hard look at your training habits, your exercise selection, your rest times, your training frequency and intensity, as well as your form on each and every lift.
You are more than likely to find that you have been doing something wrong this whole time, and that it was all building up to this moment. Usually, high intensities coupled with high volume and improper form are the main culprits, so that is where you want to begin your investigation.
Persist and persevere
Finally, you need to stay focused on the future, you need to persevere. There is nothing quite as depressing as having to abruptly change your healthy habits due to an injury. How do you even go from full blown beast to sitting around and waiting for your body to heal?
Don’t worry, it just takes time. But time is a double-edged sword, and you need to motivate yourself and develop the mindset to push through and stay positive until you are finally able to return to the iron jungle. Remember, the mind pushes the body to achieve greatness, so stay positive.
It’s not easy dealing with an injury, especially if you are a devoted athlete living the life of iron. Fortunately, by sticking to these essential tips, you will have a much easier time coming back from your injury stronger than ever before.