Improving Your Fitness During Physical Setbacks
Written by Cat Blatner
Physical Setbacks – we’ve all had them. Like many other competitive athletes that I know, I have experienced my fair share of injury this past season, and I wanted to share a few tips with everyone based on my personal experience.
My biggest pain yet was the injury that I acquired at the CrossFit California Regional that took place back in May. Some may say that injuries put your athletic career in a huge deficit, but I believe it is how you handle those setbacks that will not only help you recover, but also come back stronger than ever.
Here are my five tips to thrive during your injuries:
Tip #1: Focus on mobility and the health of your muscles.
Injuries are never fun and usually we are limited in what we are able to do in the gym because of them. This could be a huge opportunity to focus on those potentially grueling mobility flaws or range of motion issues that might be preventing you from improving in certain areas. Remember that fitness isn’t only defined by how much weight you can move or how fast you can go but also by how well your muscles are able to express movement in general. Mobility is a huge aspect in our fitness.
Tip #2: Make strength and strict movement your main priority.
Depending on what your injury is, you can find ways to become stronger. I recently injured my knee, so I have been diligent about strengthening my upper body gymnastics and strict pressing. For the past few weeks, I haven’t been able to kip my muscle-ups or perform butterfly pull-ups and this has forced me to incorporate more strict movements into my routine. As a result, my upper body has become significantly stronger and I know that when I go back to those more dynamic movements, they will be that much easier for me.
Tip #3: Meditate.
Our minds can be the biggest hurdle that we must overcome during injuries. It is easy to get down on ourselves when we are unable to do the things we love. If you take five to ten minutes each day to clear the mind and meditate, I promise you are improving your overall fitness. Mental health is going to be key as you start your journey on the road to recovery.
Tip #4: Prioritize your nutrition and hydration.
Probably two of the most important aspects of our fitness, in my opinion. What we put into our bodies is going to directly affect the way we perform day-to-day functions. Take this time to tune into your diet and practice good nutrition habits. If you create a plan and stick to it, you will feel much better once you start increasing your training again.
Tip #5: Make a game plan for your recovery.
It’s unrealistic to believe that you will just jump right back into all activity after a serious injury. The best thing you can do for yourself is to make a game plan as to how you will go back into training. Write down how you will start incorporating certain strength movements. Keep things light for the first few weeks and as you start feeling more confident and healthy, you can increase the load and dynamic movement volume. Don’t rush it though – the last thing you want is to be back in the same position you started in.
No one wants to get injured but unfortunately injuries do happen. The best athletes will handle these situations in such a way as to get a head in areas of their fitness. As long as you keep the rest of your body healthy and stay proactive you can come back from these bumps in the road stronger than ever!