Few things can be more frustrating than pain that keeps you from training. I’ve been there – we all have.
1. Accept that injuries will happen
They are not a deviation from the path – they are the path
2. Be slow to give meaning to sensations
You are not as good at assessing your structure as you think
Pain vs. Injury
3. Dial in your psycho-social-environmental factors
Sensitization vs. Injury
4. If you are building - stay below your tolerance and progress
This is the path for almost all soft tissue injuries
Regression is defined by pain that becomes worse each session with the same or decreasing capacity
Progression is defined by an increase in CAPACITY (as measured by ROM, total loading, speed, skill – in that order) with the same or decreasing pain
5. If you are competing – time to nut up
There will almost always be something wrong before and/or during a competition – this is an indicator that you actually are exploring the limits of your body – which is what you set out to do
Competition, performance, selection, etc. is the whole point – now is not the time to be judging and assigning meaning to your sensations – abandoning self-preservation (as much as possible) is the way to get the most out of your body
