As athletes, we will ALL experience the frustration of an injury at some stage in our training. Some athletes persist and flourish, going on to even dominate their sport, while other’s competitive careers are cut short. Unfortunately, there is no one determining factor which distinguishes the two, though a strong resolve and the willingness to persevere through the injury, successfully rehab, and stay fit while doing so, will allow you to quickly get back to where you were once the injury has healed.

Staying active while nursing an injury will ACCELERATE recovery, already being engaged in regular training, compared to a couch potato, means our bodies already have the ability to heal faster. There are a number of other reasons to continue training while injured; (a) through training non-injured parts of the body the other side will become stronger, (b) you will continue to strengthen joints and muscles that are working to support the injury, (c) maintain your lean muscle mass, so you don’t lose what you’ve worked to achieve, (d) increase blood flow to the injured area to promote healing, and (e) for some, continuing to train will ensure mental sanity!! Training around an injury WILL help you to maintain your fitness and get you back to where you were as quickly as possible!

Remember, patience is a must!! Regardless of how frustrating it may seem, in the grand scheme of things your injury is a MINOR setback, give it time, continue to train SMART and you will be laying the smackdown again soon!