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CONT'D...
Handling
Injuries
But what
happens if
you still
get one?
Perhaps you
cheated
during the
warm-up,
perhaps the
weights were
just a teeny
bit too
heavy or
perhaps you
had a
previous,
minor injury
which you
didn't know
about and
simply made
worse. Who
knows? The
bottom line
is that it
hurts, and
you want it
to go away
as quickly
as possible
so you can
resume
training
again. First
thing when
you get
injured:
STOP
TRAINING
IMMEDIATELY!!
Do NOT try
to keep
training -
you might
regret it
later. Hit
the showers
instead, as
you'll most
likely not
do anything
productive
anyway. When
you've
cooled down,
you have to
make an
evaluation -
how serious
is it? This
can be
partly
judged by
the injured
body part. A
slightly
aching
bicep-joint
usually
doesn't
require
medical
attention,
while a
spine that
feels like
it was
filled with
throbbing,
white-hot
lava would
take an
idiot not to
realize that
it's time
for a doctor
to have a
look at it.
Basically,
the spine,
knees,
shoulders
and elbows
are the
"Danger"-areas,
and if you
feel strong
and/or
stubborn
pain you
should not
hesitate to
seek medical
attention.
Getting Well
You've
either
concluded
that you're
not
seriously
injured or
you've been
cleared by
the doc. Now
what? Of
course, the
natural
reaction for
a
bodybuilder
is to start
worrying
about how
long it will
take to
heal, when
one can
resume
training and
whether or
not he or
she will
lose muscle
from the
inactivity.
These are
natural
thoughts
indeed, but
this is
where you'll
have to rely
on your
common sense
instead of
the ego.
It hurts.
That's the
body saying:
"Stop doing
that!"
Conclusion:
Don't! Now
don't get me
the wrong
way here, as
pain is a
natural part
of hardcore
training,
but there's
a difference
between the
"good" kind
of pain
where you're
pushing the
body out of
it's
convenience-zone,
and to
tearing up
an injury.
"Better safe
than sorry"
The old
truth of
"better safe
than sorry"
applies.
What do you
think is
most
counterproductive
- resting a
few days
extra and
ensuring a
complete
healing, or
tearing the
whole thing
up again,
keeping you
out of the
gym for
weeks? Keep
in mind that
joints and
ligaments
heal slowly,
usually much
slower than
muscle
tissue, so
whatever
time off
you're
estimating,
pad it with
an extra
20%. This
might feel
frustrating,
but it's
NOTHING
compared to
how
frustrated
you'll be
when forced
to start all
over again
when you're
so close to
being fully
healed.
Long-time
Injuries
So far we've
dealt with
fairly
simple
injuries,
taking
perhaps two
to three
weeks before
fully
healed. But
what about,
say, a
shoulder-injury
that needs
two months
of healing?
Are you
supposed to
drop ALL
training
because of
this? Of
course not.
The
important
thing is to
keep the
spirit up -
keep going
to the gym
regularly,
stay active
and stick to
your diet.
If you cease
all kind of
activity
with the
injury as an
excuse
you're on a
dangerous
track.
Many have
made a
"temporary
stop" in
training
because of
an injury,
and don't
wake up
until
they've lost
perhaps 10
lbs of
muscle six
months
later. By
nature,
we're lazy
so don't
give
yourself an
opportunity
to stray
from the
path of good
habits which
you've
fought so
hard to
establish!
Make the
best of the
situation -
see it as a
golden
opportunity
to let those
legs catch
up, aim at
improving
the abs
beyond your
wildest
imagination
or use the
Stairmaster
to lose the
love handles
once and for
all. Set up
goals for
yourself!
Sometimes,
depending on
the injury,
you can
train
"around" the
injured
muscle.
However, I
must point
out that
this is
fairly
advanced and
should not
be done by
the
beginner,
and that you
should
always check
your ideas
with a
physician
before
implementing
them in your
routine.
The bottom
line is that
injuries
suck, but
almost
everybody
gets them at
some point
in their
training
career so
you might as
well learn
to deal with
it. You're a
mainly
self-healing
being, so in
90% of the
cases you'll
be fine
again if you
just give
yourself the
time to heal
properly.
And in many
cases
there's
medical aid
to speed up
recovery. If
in doubt,
always check
in with the
good doc.
Don't panic.
You won't
shrink into
nothingness,
and might
even benefit
from
stepping
back for a
while. And
above all,
don't allow
yourself to
get sloppy.
Maintain
focus on
your
long-term
goals. To
recap, I'm
going to
include an
article I
wrote
specifically
on how to
act when an
injury
occurs in
the gym.
Hopefully,
it will at
least help
you limit
the damage.
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