subject: Training With An Injury. Okay? Or Don't Do It? [print this page] Oh damn. Just when you thought you were getting somewhere with your training program, the worst happens and you wind up with an injury.
Now what? Do you stop training completely in the interest of healing up that injury? Or are there strategic ways to keep working out, injury and all, without causing it more harm?
You'll be happy to know that there are definitely ways to plan your workouts so you can still get your sweat on and keep your injury out of the way of further harm.
So, what kind of injury did you sustain? The area of the injury will play a large part (obviously) in deciding how and what other body parts you can work out.
For instance if you've sustained an arm injury, its perfectly okay to work those legs hard. Unless your injury is causing mobility problems in your shoulders, you could go for a run or a cycle and possibly even a swim (careful with your choice of stroke, or just do back strokes using your legs only).
And if your injury does happen to be causing those upper body mobility issues, then dial it down slightly to a hard powerwalk, climb some stairs, or even hop on to a stairclimbing machine.
Don't forget all the great weight training moves you can do. There are several variations on the squat, as well as lunges that will get your heart rate up and your legs a good burn. Try some calf raises. If your upper body injury is inhibiting these in any way, there's still the leg machines at the gym. Hop on the machines for Leg Extensions, Leg Presses, and Hamstring Curls.
Now what about if you've injured a foot or a leg?
Well, how about challenging just the healthy leg (and your core strength and balance) by doing almost every move you'd ordinarily do, just on one leg?
Yep, you can even do plyometrics hopping around on one leg, if you really want to. Let the injured leg catch up when it's healed, but for now keep that healthy leg in good condition.
And lower body injury be damned, there's tons of upper body workouts you can do without ever using your legs moves such as ez bar curls, hammer curls, zottman curls for your biceps bench press, incline chest press, chest flyes for your chest tricep kickbacks or even more fun are skull crushers for your triceps, reverse flyes, lateral raises, front raises, shoulder presses for your shoulders dumbbell, cable or barbell rows and lat pulls or pull-ups for your back. All of these moves can be done in a sitting or lying position and you never have to put any pressure on your legs or feet whatsoever.
How about cardio with a lower body injury? Well, there's always the rowing machine. Just take the leg portion out of it if there's too much pressure on the injury and give 'er with your arms and back. Wow, you can get a good sweat going that way.
Swimming might also be an option if your doctor approves.
You can also crank up your weight training weights or limit your rest periods by turning your different exercises into supersets or supercircuits to work a good cardio workout into your upper body weights routine.
So there ya go!! Just because you've experienced the set-back of an injury is no excuse to let your workouts suffer and let all your previous hard work go to waste. Get back in there and with some creativity, get back to it immediately!
Hope that injury heals up fast!
by: Jackie Burgmann
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