Working With What You've Got

Sometimes, having to deal with an injury or an illness is inevitable. For many people, this can often eliminate exercise progress and/or stop everything altogether. But, it doesn't have to.

I have personally dealt with some annoying setbacks from injuries. However, even though I might have back problems or knee problems, it hasn't stopped me from making progress with my workouts. I find ways to work around the issue and still get in a good workout. An injury may slow progress down, but it shouldn't eliminate progress.

Here are a couple of work-around examples of exercises that I personally deal with and have helped some of my clients work through:

Leg Exercises:

Want to do squats, but can't because lower back is too tight:
Do Ball Squats or Leg Press - Using a physioball to help support your lower back while you do squats can really help to alleviate the lower back tension that is often experienced doing regular squats.

A Leg press machine can be setup to allow you to push heavy weight within a range of motion that allows you to use your quadriceps without putting your lower back at risk for further injury.

Want to do leg extensions, but can't because knees hurt:
Do 1/2 leg extensions or slow lunges - A leg extension doesn't have to come all the way up to effectively work the quad muscles in your thighs. You can work those muscles just by bringing your legs up 1/2 way and pausing for a few seconds and then lowering the weight slowly. Depending on the knee injury, this should be able to take away a lot of the pressure that is often felt under the knee cap.

Slow lunging can also be an excellent exercise to really target the quads (and glutes). If your knees can tolerate you taking the motion all the way to the ground then do it because it will more thoroughly work your glute muscles. The slower you take the exercise the better for the quads.

Upper Body:

Want to bench press, but can't because my shoulder hurts:
Do Chest flys or cable presses - Depending on how injured the shoulder is, a chest fly may not irritate your shoulder as much. A pressing motion may create shoulder discomfort since a bench press heavily involves the shoulder ligaments.

If the shoulder isn't injured that bad, then consider a cable press for the chest in lieu of a regular bench press. Cables can offer a more fluid motion for the exercises that you normally do with free weights. This may help to reduce some of the shoulder tension felt during a regular bench press.


If an injury is permanent, then working with what is left is the only plan. Giving up, is never helpful! I have met stellar athletes that are confined to wheelchairs all their life. They work with what they have and stop making excuses for why they can't succeed!

I have also seen grown men complain of a minor knee ache and quit exercise completely for 6 months! Now, how helpful is that? People who are looking for an excuse to stop exercising will find it! In addition, people who are looking for an opportunity to succeed with their workouts, even though they may have some injury setbacks, will also find it! Deal with your underlying issues. Stay committed to succeeding with your plans and you will!


Prayer
Finally, the best remedy for your injury is God's medicine! Pray about what is ailing you. I often pray about the troubles I face with my workouts. I pray God gives me the strength to succeed even though I may have back problems or knee pain. When I pray and turn my problems over to God, I am more often than not thrilled with how my workouts go, even with all of the issues I face! God knows and cares about our troubles and concerns, don't be too proud to ask for help!


"News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain...and he healed them." Matthew 4:24 (NIV)