Today's newsletter comes out of a conversation I Had recently with a highly experienced therapist looking to use more exercise and training with his clients
Ricardo wanted to pick my brains on how we help people transition from injured to athletic.
Which has been my bread and butter for over a decade.
The thing Ricardo, as a therapist first, kept getting hung up on was that a client should be out of pain before starting training.
I suggested a different viewpoint, as I'm a coach before I'm a therapist.
So I want you training while we get you out of pain.
Training is what you do.
If you read my stuff, you're probably an Athlete, a former Athlete or a person looking to have as much strength, mobility and endurance as possible for as long as possible.
Not being able to train or exercise bothers you.
So when someone reaches out to me for rehab work, the first thing we'll do is figure out what some call “your trainable menu”
In short, if you've a knee issue, you can still train upper body
If you've a shoulder issue, you can do lower body.
And so on.
This does something I think is absolutely critical for people.
It allows them to maintain their self image.
It maintains the image that they are strong
That they can work hard, break a sweat, move.
It will be reduced, by necessity, but its still there.
They aren't confined to resting.
To thinking they are damaged
To sitting around watching Netflix and eating the fridge dry.
The key is finding what you can do.
And do it hard while we rehab the injury.
There's an added benefit, when you train your body releases hormones onto the blood stream. This is to kick-start the recovery process and its what makes you stronger and the tissues get repaired to higher tolerance levels.
And because hormones travel in the blood, which goes right around the body. Then there's a solid chance some of those lovely anabolic hormones will end up at the injury site and may just help speed up the healing
I think back over all times I've been hurt. My own self image never allowed me sit still or feel sorry for myself.
I found a way to move.
To work out what I could do while figuring out what needed to be done about the injury.
I'd still go to training, even if I couldn't participate, I wanted to be part of the crew
And that was before I was educated in injury management.
I wish I knew back then what I know now, while my behaviour was on point, my rehab could have been smoother, faster, if I'd have known better.
Between the client maintaining a positive self image, combining real training with the injury rehab, and still getting to the gym with the supportive atmosphere and peer support, how can a client not improve?
Don’t wait until you’re out of pain to get back training.
But do be sensible about how you train while injured.
It’s simple
Not easy
Regards
Dave Hedges
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