How do you guys stay motivated with an injury?

[Big Mick]

Long story short have strained my lower back while doing deadlifts last weekend which was 100% my own fault being lazy with only 100kg on the bar warming up and not showing respect for the weight and form slipped enough to injure me.

Pretty much squats, good mornings, front squats and deadlifts are all out at the moment ( i have tried even light weight on squatting and it instantly flared it up ) for possibly 3-4 weeks at least. In the meantime I am going to concentrate mainly on my upper body lifts which dont cause me any dramas, surprisingly medium weight military press doesnt cause an issue... So trying to stay positive and look at this in the best way I can as an opportunity to work on upper body weaknesses while I cant squat or deadlift heavy.

Biggest thing im dealing with already is feeling like shit because im not squatting and deadlifting, I squat twice a week and always have and not doing them just makes me feel like a pussy, I know its purely ego but how do you guys keep yourself in a positive mindset whilst recovering from an injury?

I still will do some lower body shit that I can manage, leg extensions etc. shit i normally never would do but i gotta keep some kind of load on my legs or they will just go to shit...

Doing my fkn head in not being able to push myself hard like I normally do, going to be a long recovery mentally

I had done similar doing dead lifts about two years ago, stopped dead lifting for ages, stretched rested and trained what I could, also tore a pec a while back and it came back stronger than ever after plenty of rest and getting back into training slowly strengthening it.

Just train what you can and rest what you can't, you need to let things heal.

I only really just started back on dead lifts a few weeks ago, had a big break from them. Building up slowly now using the 5/3/1 training template as well as plenty of stretching and foam rolling between work outs which seems to work, seriously considering ordering a rumble roller to kick things up. But keep in mind I rested the injured part for a long time first.

Also keep in mind that I am no doctor or 'internet guru' its just what I did with my very similar injury and it seems to have done the trick.

Highly recommend you buy (or acquire...) this book:

Becoming a Supple Leopard - Iron Edge

Looks interesting but $70 for a book

Any PDF files out there someone can email me to put in my iPad book store app??

 

[High Road]

I'm a big fan of looking deeper into what you are actually doing. What is the rest achieving? What is the ice actually achieving? What is the trigger point, stretching and mobility work actually achieving?

To many people go "oh, I've twisted my ankle, better ice it up and rest it". Why are you icing it? Why is it swollen? What is purpose of the swelling? While you are resting it and icing it, use this time to google what you are actually doing and the reasons behind it and make an informed decision for yourself as to what is best for you.

 

[Goosey]

As an aside, I've been thinking lately, how important muscle is.

I mean, what is it that moves the body?

Most of society pay way too much emphasis on just trying to improve heart and lung health through aerobic activities.
When it's actually muclse that supports the system; transporting oxygen and nutrients to the various parts of the body so it can function.

 

[Grunta]

As an aside, I've been thinking lately, how important muscle is.

I mean, what is it that moves the body?

Most of society pay way too much emphasis on just trying to improve heart and lung health through aerobic activities.
When it's actually muclse that supports the system; transporting oxygen and nutrients to the various parts of the body so it can function.

Looks like you are not the only one, I though about this for some time.
Look at what happens to skin on old dudes that never lifted and the ones that still go hard. As muscle deteriretes it leave their skin loose and ken old lookin, old blokes that still train weighs retain their muscle and its like their skin almost stopped aging 30 years ago. It keeps mobility and independance healthy, till the organs give up, gloomy, but better then sitting in your own piss waiting to die.

 

[Darkoz]

Looks like you are not the only one, I though about this for some time.
Look at what happens to skin on old dudes that never lifted and the ones that still go hard. As muscle deteriretes it leave their skin loose and ken old lookin, old blokes that still train weighs retain their muscle and its like their skin almost stopped aging 30 years ago. It keeps mobility and independance healthy, till the organs give up, gloomy, but better then sitting in your own piss waiting to die.

Excellent observation Grunta

 

[Big Mick]

Looks like you are not the only one, I though about this for some time.
Look at what happens to skin on old dudes that never lifted and the ones that still go hard. As muscle deteriretes it leave their skin loose and ken old lookin, old blokes that still train weighs retain their muscle and its like their skin almost stopped aging 30 years ago. It keeps mobility and independance healthy, till the organs give up, gloomy, but better then sitting in your own piss waiting to die.

Exactly one of the reasons I train, to extend my 'useful' life, the life where I can do stuff I want to do, where I can get about and enjoy life, I know too many people even at my age who seem to be just sitting around waiting to die.

What is the point of being alive if you can not live and do the things you want to do??

 

[Goosey]

Excellent observation Grunta

Its been said the the calve muscle is the heart of the lower body.

 

[Bradders]

[MENTION=8428]Big Mick[/MENTION]; its $26 on amazon at the moment

Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 4

 

[Big Mick]

[MENTION=8428]Big Mick[/MENTION]; its $26 on amazon at the moment

Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 4

Thanks, will check it out, that seems like a more reasonable price

 

[NJA82]

Cheers for the feedback guys! Appreciated!

Luckily my job is fairly physical which at first I thought was going to cause me issues but it actually helps because im up and moving all day and that is the best thing for it. It helps being part of a good team that all lift as well so have a bit of understanding when someone is injured and are prepared to do the heavier shit if Im not feeling up to it.

Just going to do as said and focus on the areas I can safely and try to bring them up. Doing mainly compound shit for the whole time ive lifted have left me with fairly small arms so might actually do some direct arm work and try to bring them up... have never done an "arm day" in my entire life, this might be something different....

 

[myst]

I'm a big fan of looking deeper into what you are actually doing. What is the rest achieving? What is the ice actually achieving? What is the trigger point, stretching and mobility work actually achieving?

To many people go "oh, I've twisted my ankle, better ice it up and rest it". Why are you icing it? Why is it swollen? What is purpose of the swelling? While you are resting it and icing it, use this time to google what you are actually doing and the reasons behind it and make an informed decision for yourself as to what is best for you.

This was my point but didn't phrase it quite as eloquently as you Reps!

 

[Brick]

Treated yourself is a sure fire way to get more injured.

Keep kidding yourselves that the foam roller or hockey ball is helping.

All that shit is anecdotal. I foam roll and remain uninjured, how do you know you wouldn't have remain uninjured anyway.

Tight hammies as an example spend 20mins a day foam roll or start your session with light squats like a normal person would and you'll stretch out anyway after a few reps.

That shit is for real athletes who train as a job 12 hrs a day, not forum dwellers who hit the gym a couple hours 4 days a week.

 

[High Road]

Treated yourself is a sure fire way to get more injured.

Keep kidding yourselves that the foam roller or hockey ball is helping.

All that shit is anecdotal. I foam roll and remain uninjured, how do you know you wouldn't have remain uninjured anyway.

Tight hammies as an example spend 20mins a day foam roll or start your session with light squats like a normal person would and you'll stretch out anyway after a few reps.

That shit is for real athletes who train as a job 12 hrs a day, not forum dwellers who hit the gym a couple hours 4 days a week.

I'm not saying I disagree with you, but what do you have to support what you are saying?


It is widely regarded that tight hamstrings is one of the major causes of lower back pain. Stretching and rolling these out help relieve that pain.


Surely you would agree the tighter the muscle is, the worse condition it is in? Tight muscles affect mobility and range of motion. Reduced mobility and range of motion in a joint is an unhealthy joint and can have a follow on affect throughout the body.


Interested to hear your thoughts

 

[Goosey]

Well, in my 30 years of weight lifting, I have read most things, you could in reality just fill a page maybe no more than a thousand words on what is required to biuld muscle.

For the lifting hobbyist;

You biuld muscle you stay flexible, a strong muscle is a flexible muscle.
There is only three proven steps, self evident, old as dirt methods to get over injury.


1. Rest
2. Mobilize the limb
3. Weight training

Massage and foam rollers and all that shit feels good, but it's not repairing.

 

[High Road]

Nope, defiantly not repairing, but neither is stretching, I look at these as preventative work

 

[lkt004]

Motivation should come from within, on the Sunday i cut my hand open and required stitches, the next day i walked straight to the Safety Squat bar and started squatting.

If you look for excuses, you will always find them.

 

[Danimal]

I injured my shoulder before worlds last year. I did what I had to do to get under a bar. I couldn't bench so mic bench suffered. I for over it. In the offseason I did a lot of rehab as ran the full SMOLOV cycle on the safety bar.

It was a love and hate period of my training.

 

[myst]

Massage and foam rollers and all that shit feels good, but it's not repairing.

Not repairing, but if you need massage and foam rollers generally you're not injured, you're just tight.

I thought I had fucked discs in my lower back, turns out it was tight hip flexors pulling on my lower back causing day long pain and preventing me from squatting and deadlifting.

The hockey ball most certainly did help in this instance, and hasn't caused me further issues.

It's all about identification, are you injured or are you tight and imbalanced? There is most certainly a difference, and it's not always as obvious as you think.

 

[Bazza20]

Foam rolling or hockey ball stuff has never fixed or even helped one single problem I have ever had. It wastes a lot of time though.

Strength training on the other had has done wonders.

 

[Brick]

Not repairing, but if you need massage and foam rollers generally you're not injured, you're just tight.

I thought I had fucked discs in my lower back, turns out it was tight hip flexors pulling on my lower back causing day long pain and preventing me from squatting and deadlifting.

The hockey ball most certainly did help in this instance, and hasn't caused me further issues.

It's all about identification, are you injured or are you tight and imbalanced? There is most certainly a difference, and it's not always as obvious as you think.

I bet a chiro diagnosed that and you never shelled our for an mri while you were having back pain?

Tight hammies are caused by sciatic irritation from degenerated discs not the other way around.

Stretching out your hammies can help relive the compression on the disc but it is the disc pressing on the nerve that causes all that tightness in the first place.

If the placebo effect of the roller works for ya keep at it. Couple sets of light stiff legs would give you exactly the same result for alot less effort.