Working Around An Injury

If you missed my post from the other day (Saying Goodbye To My First True Love), you know that I tore a muscle in my calf.  Yeah, it sucks.  But I’m not going to hang my head and sit around on my butt.  There is still PLENTY of work that can be done in the weight room.  Here is my leg training session from yesterday…

Despite being limited in exercise selection, I still was able to get a few things in … 1-Leg Hip Thrust for my glutes; Ski Squats for my quads; 1-Leg RDLs for my left leg – I tried 2-Leg Swiss Ball leg curls and 1-Leg RDLs for my right leg (the side that I tore my calf), but those both bothered it so I decided it was smart to be patient and not force it.  And then I finished up with the battling rope for my cardio.

Nothing special, and not exactly my usual exercise selection, but there is no way that I’ll allow myself a major set-back from this injury.

Finding A Way

There is always a way to get something in.  I really believe those that are happiest with their physiques are the ones that avoid big set-backs.  I’m nowhere near perfect, but I’ve NEVER had a bad month of training.  Maybe a few days, but I’m always sure to get right back on track.  Does one of these scenarios sound like you…

-You’ve been working out consistently for a number of months and you’re feeling and looking good.  Then you take a vacation, do no working out, but swear to yourself that you’ll get back on track once you get back home.  But before you know it, 2 months have gone by and you STILL haven’t touched a weight or gotten a cardio session in.

–You’ve been working out consistently for a number of months and you’re feeling and looking good.  Then you get sick and miss a week of training.  You’re excited to get back to training once you feel better.  But when the time comes around you just can’t quite find the motivation to start back up.  A year has passed, you still haven’t gotten back into it, and you feel like a piece of poop.

-You suffer an injury and promise yourself that once you’re healthy you are going to come back better than ever.  But you missed a bunch of workout sessions while injured, and this has now turned into a habit.  You never get back on track!

Remember, it’s not how you respond when things are going well, it’s how you respond to adversity that counts.

In the case of getting injured, there really is a ton that can still be done.  Getting hurt has taken me on a bit of a detour.  I completed four weeks of my chest specialization training block and was about to start up weeks 5-8 (that would take me to late May, then the plan is going to be getting “beach ready” … you know, get as lean as possible for the summer).  But I’m adjusting on the fly.  I now plan on doing weeks 5-8 of my chest program next week.  And will have to continue to tinker with my leg workouts as the injury heals.

We can always find a way!  Even in tough times, make sure to get at least a little somin’ somin’ in, in order to avoid BIG set-backs.  I mean even something like 3-4 sets of push-ups + 3-4 sets of a lunge variation 2-3 times per week (come on, that’ll take you ~15 minutes to complete!).  THEN, when life settles down, you won’t be starting from such a big deficit.

Get er done!