How to train around injuries

Got injured? 

Good.

You learned.

Maybe it was your first. But most likely it was not your last. Injuries come and go. No matter what you do, exercise always comes with a risk. Especially if you want to improve you have to push yourself close to your current limits.

Yes I know getting injured just sucks and it can kill your motivation completely. But we should not let it stop us from working out. You see once you have the ball rolling the last thing you want to do is to stop. It can be a huge pain to get the momentum up again if you let things fall apart. The good news is that you can always start over again.

Injuries and nagging joint and tendon pain happens. They do happen even if you train or not. People at my age start to have non-training related issues with their joints and those who train are more prone to injuries and tendonitis. Either way you are going to face some injuries in your life. It's up to you if it's from doing nothing or from actually doing something meaningful. The problem with lifestyle related pain is that it will not go away unless you do something about it. Training injuries are more likely to heal since you are actively working on making things better.

So dont stop working out completely and get depressed. There is always something you can do to keep the flywheel turning. And now you can train more of the other bodyparts while you wait for recovery. Lets see what actions you should take when you face difficulties in your training. 

First aid and go see a doctor

There are two types of injuries. Some occur suddenly and some eventually creep up on you. The ones that occur suddenly usually require some form of first aid and you should definitely see a doctor. A good way is to use Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation (RICE) on your way to the doctors office. This will reduce the swelling and ease the pain. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RICE_(medicine)

If it's just a strain or overuse injury

First you need to stop whatever you are doing that causes pain. Usually this means leaving out the exercises that cause discomfort. Apply cold at least twice a day to reduce the inflammation first thing in the morning or before going to bed. Usually most of the bodyweight exercises are out of the question so the use of bands allow you to continue training with isolation exercises. I will give you some exercise examples later in this article.

While you wait for recovery

• Keep your normal weekly routine but find alternative exercises you can do pain free and don’t make things worse. You will have to try out for yourself what you can do. Each injury is different. Sometimes you need to select different exercises, reduce the load or limit the range of motion.
• Reduce training frequency to once per week for the given joint. So if you are using a 2-3x weekly training frequency that is most likely not good for recovery even if you use modified exercises.
• Train with lower loads and higher rep ranges for a while. If you are training in the 6-12rep range it might be a good idea to train in the 15-20rep range for the given bodypart.
• Give it time. It might take longer than you want. We might be talking about months instead or weeks and days.

Meanwhile you can train more other muscle groups. If you can’t train the upper body, increase training for the lower body and vice versa. For example if you have to give up all over head pressing and pulling movements assign those sets to another bodypart to create a prioritized workout routine. Slowly ease your way up the progression ladder again when you are pain free. For example, start with kneeling push-ups first if harder variations cause you pain.

Example exercises for bodyparts that are easier on the joints

Use loop bands or adjustable resistance bands with handles. You can use the straps that come with gymnastic rings to anchor the resistance bands and you can use a gymnastic ring as a handle. You can do these exercises with a single limb so you are able to double the resistance from the bands if needed. Pay special attention to holding the peak contraction. Don't do any of the following exercises if you experience any pain.

What I have is one of those cheap adjustable "chest expanders" that I anchor with the straps from my gymnastic rings. I use resistance bands when needed and other bodyweight exercises when possible. I have done all the following exercises when I have experienced some pain or discomfort from regular bodyweight exercises.

Loop resistance bands can be used with rings and resistance bands with handles can be anchored using the straps from the rings.

Quads - Resistance band knee extension and modified single leg squats

When squatting hurts your knees you can try if the resistance band knee extension would feel better. Also modified bulgarian split squat might be a good variation since it allows you to adjust the knee angle. You can load the split squat with a resistance band. If you do single leg squats in your routine, ring supported pistol squat lets you limit the knee angle and does not require the knee to go past the toes.

Hamstrings - Resistance band hamstring curl

Resistance band hamstring curl is a safer option to work the hamstrings compared to hamstring heel curls or nordic curls.

Abs - Resistance band crunch

Sometimes leg raises and crunches are out of the question if your lower back hurts. Resistance band crunch lets you adjust the load and reduces pressure on the back.

Back - Resistance band back extensions

Banded wall extension lets you work the back extensors more lightly than with bridges or deadlifts. You can do these without any additional weight also.

Lats - Resistance band row and straight arm pulldown

Sometimes pullups and chinups can hurt your bicep tendons or cause shoulder impingement. Band row allows you to work the rowing motion safely compared to bodyweight rows and tucked front lever rows. Banded lat pulldown can be used as a replacement for chinup/pullup if your biceps tendon or shoulders hurt. 

Chest - Resistance band chest flyes

Pushups and dips are well known for causing shoulder and elbow pain. Working with resistance band chest flye allows you to work the chest with less stress on the shoulder or elbow joint. Specially the low chest flye lets you work the chest in a movement pattern that causes less inflammation on the rotator cuff muscles.

Shoulders - Resistance band side raises

If you have shoulder impingement the overhead press movement might cause some pain. Side raise with limited range of motion might be an option. Lifting your arm in about a 45 degree angle in front of you with your thumb facing upwards could be a pain free option for some. So don't lift your arm directly to the side or straight in front of you. This video is a combination of side and front raise. You can both or just the other one.

Biceps - Resistace band bicep curls

If chinups and bodyweight bicep curls hurt you can try out the resistance band bicep curl.

Triceps - Tricep resistance band extension

When dips and pushups hurt your elbow you can do tricep extension with the resistance band.

I have had my fair share

I have had my fair share of injuries ranging from slight aches to severe nerve damage to the upper body. Training related injuries have been just strains, joint pain and tendonitis. So generally I have avoided serious strength training injuries. Other sports carry a higher injury risk that is hard to control. These days I try to avoid activities that have a high injury risk.

Slight strains usually heal fast in a few weeks. Tendonitis takes longer to heal since usually this condition is the result of long term overuse and tendon inflammation. Usually 3 to 6 months might be a realistic time span for recovery. Also tendonitis has a tendency to reoccur once you return to your old habits.

Severe tears and nerve damage have different probabilities for healing. Sometimes normal operation of the bodypart might never return. My experience with nerve damage was that even though my condition was acute I was able to return to almost normal operation of my left side in 12 months and moderate strength levels returned slowly with 5 years of progressive resistance training. Rehab will require a lot of patience and the outcome cannot be predicted.

Example routine

Here is an example routine 3-day split with push-ups, dips and shoulder work replaced with resistance band work.

3-day split without push-ups, dips and shoulder pressing

Hope these tips will keep you going through tough times!

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