Getting an injury is never a fun situation. Especially when you’ve been focused all winter and all you want to do is show off your hard work! Regardless of where you’re at in your fitness journey, it can happen to anyone.
I recently sustained an injury while doing upright barbell rows on a Saturday. I wasn’t doing anything too heavy, and I was going my normal pace. During my second set, I felt a pinch in my left bicep, which threw me off.
I attempted to continue the set but something didn’t feel right. I put the workout on pause and began to stretch for quite some time. After that, my pinky and ring fingers went numb.
Since it was the weekend, I felt it would be best to take a few days off and make an appointment with my doctor. He recommended I get an MRI, so I took action that day.
My doctor called me the next day with the results. He stated that while I luckily did not tear any of tendons in my shoulder or elbow, I had strained my bicep. Upper body workouts would be out of the question for the next 4 – 6 weeks while I went through physical therapy. Here’s how I stayed active with an injury.
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Staying Active Despite Being Injured
As someone who took Chisel as if it were a multivitamin, this seemed like a nightmare. I quickly started doing research on how to keep working out with an injury – without irritating my bicep. I looked at FFC’s group fitness schedule and saw that some of my options could include Tread, spin, FitCore and yoga, in addition to anything I would be doing on my own. Below is the schedule I followed during my recovery time frame, which also included physical therapy.
- Monday Morning – self-guided bike for 45 minutes, core for 15 minutes at FFC Union Station
- Monday Evening – Heated Vinyasa Flow yoga class at FFC Gold Coast
- Tuesday Morning – Tread class at FFC Union Station
- Tuesday Evening – physical therapy
- Wednesday Morning – self-guided stepmill for 30 minutes, FitCore class for 30 minutes at FFC West Loop
- Thursday Morning – Spin class at FFC Union Station
- Thursday Evening – physical therapy
- Friday Morning – self-guided stepmill for 30 minutes, then FitCore class for 30 minutes at FFC Gold Coast
The Most Important Thing I Learned
Despite not being to work out my upper body, this injury has allowed me to focus on different areas that I wouldn’t have before. The biggest positive impact that this has had on me is my lower back. I have always had soreness in my lower back from lifting and never took much time to stretch it (Yoga), or strengthen it (FitCore).
Regardless of the slight setback, this injury has taught me the importance of truly taking care of my body by warming up properly and engaging in post-workout stretching.
Post written by FFC group fitness instructor Omar R.
