Training After an Injury

I'm back to share some training tips and drills that have helped me regain my excitement for the active lifestyle.

Injury is one of the most challenging experiences you can face as an active person. When you're injured, you almost certainly can't work out in the way to which you've become accustomed--and you're often not able to exercise at all. It happens to almost everyone, and it may be our body's way (or God's way) of saying you need a break. During this period you must give yourself permission to rest.

Use this rest from physical activity imposed by your injury to pursue other interests such as painting, catching up with friends, learning a new language, reading all those books you never had time for or whatever else you are interested in pursuing.

After you’ve taken time to rest, it is important to overcome the fear and get back to moving and trying new things. With many injuries it is even recommended you shake things up by cross training in order to maintain a fitness level and relaxed state of mind.

For me the pool was the key to my come back. I actually learned to walk and run again in the water. Since there is no impact, it helped me get fit while rehabilitating my muscles by strengthening my femur and the muscles around my hip so I was able to get stronger faster. When I began I didn’t even know how to swim but after months in the pool I was not only doing full running workouts in the pool I was swimming laps.

Below is an example of an aqua workout I used. Even if you're not recovering from an injury, you might try this as a way to jump start your fitness or as a change of pace from your regular workout.

Example of Aqua Jogging/Walking Workout
(Do only what your injury permits you to do – if it hurts, don’t do it!)

5 min warm up jog

Set 1:
1 min fast (first 30 sec moderately hard – last 30 sec very hard)
1 min recovery
Repeat 5 times

Set 2:
30 seconds hard – 30 seconds easy
Repeat 5 times

Set 3:
15 seconds hard – 15 seconds easy
Repeat 4 times
3 min jog cool down

Drills
30 seconds of leg flutters (arms on side of wall kick legs)
30 seconds of vertical jumping
30 seconds of bicycle arms (try to keep yourself afloat by just using your arms in a bicycle motion; it's like treading water with your arms)
Complete each drill twice

Enjoy! And keep watching for other drills and fitness tips you can use no matter what your level of fitness.