This week was going quite well in terms of my carnival preparation. I have slowly started to get stronger and put on some muscle. Well about 2 weeks ago I was feeling tired and decided to just do a short workout to avoid guilt. 5 minutes in, while doing some curls I hear “pop” in the centre of my back.  That was that. I struggled through whatever was left of my workout (that didn’t cause pain) and shuffled home.

This brought up the thought…..what do I do now?

Many persons simply stop exercising when faced with an injury. For the bacchanalists and true disciples of lehwego’s path stopping is not an option.  Unless you have injured your entire body, the show MUST go on.

 

I talked to the author of “Think Fitness Today” for advice on how to get back on target after an injury.  Here is what she had to say.

Working out After an Injury

The first step is to get cleared by your physician to make sure that your injury is healed to the point you can participate in working out again. Depending on your injury, your body has changed during your down time. Some muscles have been working overtime to protect your injury. This may have caused a muscle and joint imbalance that can lead to you re-injuring yourself if not addressed. A great start is with a stretching program that addresses the same muscles to help with muscle lengthening. Use a foam roller frequently to expose muscles that are tight and painful. Make sure when using the roller you do not experience sharp pains, for this may be a reason to pay your physician a visit. Continue inhibiting these muscles with the roller until 70% of the pain subsides, or for 20, 40 or 60 seconds or longer. You should make this a daily habit. 

To start exercising, focus on single joint, and progress to whole body movements focusing on 15-20 repetitions per set, and several sets. Once you have developed muscular endurance, transition to muscular strength exercises again starting with single joint and progressing to total body movements and focusing on 5-8 repetitions per set. Once you have developed muscular strength, develop muscular power by focusing on explosive movements using 5-10% of your body weight for 10 repetitions. Once you have developed muscular endurance, strength, and power, you can start transitioning back into your regular exercise routine to your pre injury levels.

 

So make sure that you don’t quit the plan completely because of a setback.  See your doctor, make a plan, work out around the injury and get back on track.

 

 DON’T…STOP!!!!