How to Make Your Injury Work FOR You, Not Against You

Injured? Congratulations. This just might be the best thing that’s ever happened to you. Here's how to use your situation not as a setback, but as an opportunity.
How to Make Your Injury Work FOR You, Not Against You

Injured? Congratulations. This just might be the best thing that’s ever happened to you. Here's how to use your situation not as a setback, but as an opportunity.

Regardless of your injury, there will always be ways you can keep moving throughout your recovery. Finding yourself unable to do what you could pre-injury can be extremely frustrating, but challenge yourself to reframe your mindset.

When we get injured, it’s very likely at the hand of some imbalance, lack of preparation or foolhardiness. Of course there are exceptions, but consider what may have brought on the injury in the first place. Whether or not you’re participating in physical therapy to work your way back, there was a trigger that is important to understand so as to prevent it happening again.

Once you know where your injury came from, you can actively chip your way back to your former glory and beyond. While yes, you most likely will not be able to handle your previous work capacity in the same ways, there are alternative options to keep challenging yourself. Grow through your injury.

If you’re like most people, you probably favor movements and workouts that you are actually good at. It’s fun to feel skillful. However, those movements (you know the ones) you avoid or don’t enjoy are likely the movements at which you need more practice.

Work through your injury. Target your imbalances and weaknesses. Take advantage of this time to bring them up to speed!

Here’s your homework:

1. Figure out specifically what’s injured and what you need to do to fix that injury and avoid relapse. Then actually DO YOUR CORRECTIVES.
2. Pinpoint a weakness of yours. Find something lagging and bring it up to speed. How’s your upper body strength? Lower body strength? Cardio? Endurance? Mobility?
3. Take that weakness and make it a STRENGTH.


Need some inspiration for other areas to target while you’re recovering? Check out this quick list.

• Focus on building upper/lower body strength (depending where you’re injured)
• Switch gears and do a volume cycle to build endurance
• Improve your cardio health/endurance
• Work on your mobility and stability in various positions
• Offload the weight and focus on improving your technique
• Target a specific movement you want to get better at (handstands? Rope climbs? Snatch?)
• Focus on correcting imbalances between L/R
• Find alternative movements you can continue improving while you are injured (for example, if you can’t squat work on improving your S/L step downs)

Who knows? Maybe after your “injury cycle,” you’ll come back to PR your lifts. With so much time to dedicate toward improving your weak spots, there’s plenty of opportunity to get better and grow. Be solution oriented. Email us at info@caffeineandkilos.com if you have any feedback or questions. Stay healthy Team CK!