Injuries and Fun

Injuries and Fun

“Accumulating injuries are the price we pay for the thrill of not having sat around on our asses” –Mark Rippetoe

I have been meaning to write a few different pieces for the website. This whole, “only 24 hours a day” just isn’t enough for me to get everything done that I want to. So hopefully this will be the first of a few pieces on training.

Injuries: 

First- They are a bitch. Pretty simply, they suck. Injuries, even the smallest kinds, can take you out of your game, ruin your training session, and demotivate you. Sometimes they make me even want to kick baby squirrels.

Second- Know that they are unavoidable to a certain point. I love the above quote. It sums it up quite nicely that stuff will happen when you are training, jumping, running, lifting, etc. The best we can do is to get ready mentally and physically to deal with them when they do occur.

Third- Deal with them! Take proper care of the joint, cut and/or bullet wound. For soft tissue stuff, learn the “RICE” method: Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation. For more serious injuries always seek medical attention and follow the doctor’s orders to get back to full strength. Another reason to eat Paleo is the anti-inflammatory effect it has on your body. It will help you heal and get you back to squatting in no time.

Fourth- Learn to prevent these little rabid raccoons from ever occurring. Do you have a problem area? Of course you do. Are you icing it 3 times, taking fish oil, doing mobility work on the area and soft tissue trigger point work every single day? NO, well shame on you. If you’re not, it is only a matter of time before something happens. Deal with your stuff now, before it really pops its head up.

Fifth- Learn it is OK to modify your training until your problem areas get better. If your shoulder hurts during pull-ups, don’t do pull-ups. If your foot is broken don’t do double unders. This sounds silly but, sometimes we have to get out of the way of ourselves.

Sixth- When you can go back to doing the movement, make sure you do it with proper technique. There is a reason we teach certain movements, certain ways. Sometimes it might feel awkward at first to do it differently but taking a step back to jump two steps forward is just fine.

I have had my share of injuries- broken wrist in 6 places, broken foot, sprained and strained ankle, knee issues, back issues, lower cross syndrome, ripped hands, tweaked everything, etc. There are times when I will take a couple days off to rest everything. There are also times when I just need to learn to train around what is injured. My most recent stress fracture in my foot allowed me to put no pressure on my left foot. Did it stop me from squatting? Hell No. I was doing pistols with a kettlebell in my hand. Keep the right mentality and injuries can’t stop you.

Injuries are just speed bumps in a road that is fun as hell to drive on!

-Justin Scarsella