What did I do 2 days after shoulder surgery?
I went straight to my gym.
I set up a mini band and worked BOTH arms, even my arm that was wrapped up and in a few stitches.
The other option?
Sit home. Sit on the couch. Watch TV. Feel sorry for myself, crying "boohoo, someone help me...."
It doesn't work that way. Help yourself.
If you're a hard charging lifter, athlete or a Strength Coach, pay attention....
[youtube width="700" height="400"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivCFRQdjofE[/youtube]
If you work hard, if you push the envelope, some bumps and bruises WILL come along the way. As a Strength Coach training athletes, they WILL get inured.
Now, I am NOT a PT nor do I play one on TV.......
But, what I do when an athlete has a cast, sling, etc we simply do what we can.
For example, 1 of our athletes has a broken hand and a cast on his hand.
We put the sled around his waist and he does sled drags and sprints. We put a heavy jump stretch band through the straps and he can do backward drags with the crook of his elbows looped through the band.
He can do Kettlebell training with the 1 bell. Below is a list of Kettlebell & Bodyweight exercises we use when the athlete is in a cast / sling and can't use 1 side of his body:
- 1 Arm Carries: overhead, rack & suit case
- 1 Arm Snatches, Clean & Press, Strict Press
- Various Lunges in Rack Position
- Squats in Rack Position
- Squat Jumps, Lunge Jumps, Bulgarian Split Squats, Back Extensions
- Grip Work
Once the athlete gets his cast / sling off, we continue to do a lot of unilateral work and add in some extra repetition work to rebuild muscle. We also work in some added movements to reset some lost skill. So the hand will crush newspapers at home, catch a tennis ball or racquet ball with the hand / arm on the comeback trail.
I've found that by working rather than sitting and sulking, the athlete heals the injured area faster than the Doctor expected often times.
So, in a nut shell, never stop training. There is always a way to work AROUND injuries and we never work THROUGH them.
The ultimate set up would be a training facility with a PT on staff who can keep the athletes going consistently. That would be optimal but it's not the norm. Since it's not the norm, you must do your own research and figure things out for your own.
Don't sit helplessly. That does nothing for you.
Drop a comment below with your experiences of working around your own injuries.
Live The Code 365,
--Z--
Take The Guess Work Out of Your Training & Get Results HERE
2 Responses
Hey Zach I agree with you. I am a fitness trainer and teach several back to back classes a day, mostly with seniors. I consider myself to be a strength and conditioning coach that teaches my clients the importance of mental toughness as well as technique. I do my best to live the code, and walk the walk. I had an automobile accident a few years ago on my way to one of my classes, My car was totaled, my ribs were broken, spent a night in the heart unit of the hospital because of the pains in my chest from the accident; but I was back at my schedule the following day. I used my old military counting cadence to help my breathing, and to speed up my recovery. My heart was fine because of the strength of my chest muscles, I was released the next day. I refused to be wheeled out in a wheel chair. This was a great post!
Z! How did you know my back would go out this morning…timely post! I’ve recently amped my mileage and track workouts back up for a half on May 1 and ignored my tight hips this week. Now my back went…athletes, get in touch with your body and listen to it! After my wife “talked me off the ledge”, we took a walk. Soon will be foam roll and light yoga.
Thanks for the reminder Zach. Hope all is well.