How to get back to your regular training rouine stronger from an injuiry (big or small)...

In every sport or physical activity we will find ourselves prone to more injuries than your average inactive individual.  Whether it's a sprained ankle, bad knee, torn ACL or that nagging injury that doesn't seem to go away, it will somehow set you back reaching any of your future goals.

The first thing that you need to realize is that injuries will occur no matter what. You can do your best to prevent them; however, they cannot be avoided 100%. Accidents happen. Whatever the reason may be, the keys to returning healthier are rehabilitation and recovery.

If you're like I am(stubborn and impatient), most of you will try to rush through the rehabilitation process in order to get back to your training ASAP; not a good idea. This is not by any means the right approach to a successful recovery.

Things you MUST to do:

1) Rest/take a break: In order for your body to fully heal, you will need to take a break from what's causing the injury(i.e training, running, sports activity, etc). If you continuously train without resting, that injury will probably haunt you for the rest of your life and possibly develop into something more severe; so stay off it for a while and get plenty of sleep. Once you feel better and see improvements, talk to your doctor and consider returning to training.

2) Eat the right foods: Your body is a machine and you need to fuel it in order to perform in the right way and recover in the right way. As you feed your body with the right foods, your body will use micro and macro nutrients to repair any damaged muscles/tissues, tendons, ligaments, etc. Micro nutrients come from your veggies and vitamins while your macro will come from protein, carbohydrates and fats. All essential to a speedy recovery! Limit yourself from any boxed food or processed items, alcohol and you will be on your way to success and get back to training in no time.

3) Rehabilitate/mobility: While following the two steps listed above, rehabilitation sessions should be implemented as part of your recovery process. Whether it is at home on your own with a foam roller, rubber band or with a Physical Therapist for your more severe injuries.  It is absolutely an essential  component that will enable you to return faster and stronger pre-injury. The muscles need to be 100% before you get back into action, otherwise you can forget about finishing that 5k or Crossfit WOD without pain and risk of re-injury.

Now that I have my own knee injury to take care of for the next couple of months, a huge inspiration has been GSP(Georges St. Pierre my Fav!). He was out of commission for a year with a torn ACL before his return to the UFC to defend his championship tittle. He took off the necessary time required, rested accordingly, and ate the right foods. He rehabilitated with physical therapy; all of which were big factors in his success. GSP did not want to come back unless he was 100% ready. This is exactly what I'm doing and you should treat every injury (big or small ) the same way...

Here is my inspirational link:

Georges St Pierre and Recovery Video

Stay Strong
Coach Eddie
www.snc-outlet.com