AND: After too long, I’m back! You know you missed me.
After what seems like a year but has really only been a little over a month, I am back spitting out awesome Coaching Logs for Elitefts.com.
Elitefts.com is always trying to improve the customer experience on the site and they just did a massive update to it on the back end. This left us unable to load any new content for you until it was done.
And, all of the old Coaching Logs are temporarily gone, but are slated to return as far as I know.
I’m going to start adding a few of my more popular ones back soon because I keep getting emails from people asking where that article I wrote three years ago about nutrition went. Surprisingly, people actually read these! I love hearing that.
Now, on to the topic.
Control what you can, don’t worry about the rest.
This will apply to training and life. Really, it’s good advice.
After a few conversations with a good friend the past few days, as usual, I decided to change my Coaching Log topic today. I felt this was timelier. Especially after the events of the last year and the effect they had on so many.
A good friend of mine called last night in a panic over a pretty rough medical diagnosis, nothing terminal, but orthopedic.
She was diagnosed with a spinal issue that may require surgery and of all the things, she was most concerned with not being able to TRAIN hard anymore. We talked for a good while and she also came by the gym today to run through some things that she is able to do now.
Without getting into the nuts and bolts of the training, let’s look at the sage (or awful) advice I gave her to help her get through.
What do you all want, long paragraphs, or bullet points?
Bullet points?
OK.
Worry is a wasted emotion. It creates stress, and it does not change the ultimate outcome. It also increases cortisol levels which can be harmful.
What is going to be is going to be.
Do your prehab to see if it can heal without surgery, unless the doc says that there is a 0.0% chance it will and you must have surgery.
If surgery is a MUST, keep doing your prehab and get as strong as you can before the surgery without increasing symptoms.
If you are worried about getting surgery (given that the surgery has a high chance of success), think long term. Long term means that if you don’t get it how much pain are you in and how long will it be?
If you answered a shitload and a long time, and the surgery will lay you up for a few weeks to months but you will have a pain free prediction after, why wouldn’t you get it?
Long term thought also needs to be applied to your age. If you are young and in pain that will not go away but most likely will after recovery from surgery, isn’t it dumb to not get it because you are worried that your lifts will go down for a few months? Get fixed and return strong(er).
Being in chronic pain daily that can be relieved by a procedure BUT fretting over getting the procedure because you might not be able to train after doesn’t make sense.
Think Old Man Conjugate Style: Find what you can do and don’t focus on what you can’t do.
If the doc says you can train as long as it doesn’t hurt, modify training as needed.
Let’s say Deadlifts from the floor aggravate your condition but pulling from Blocks does not, why wouldn’t you pull from blocks until you are healed?
Spend the injured time doing some work bringing up areas that you can work! We’re talking bodybuilding stuff here kids. Get pumped up!
Control what you can. If you cannot control something don’t fret over it. Trust in your team to get you back on track, and do your rehab. Like it’s your job.
In the end, things will work out the way they will work out and you really can’t change it, so why worry? Be smart, so the things that you need to do and minimize risk while injured.
Take your rehab slow and low.
Remember, control what you can.
That’s all for this week. I hope this advice helps someone else.
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Vincere vel mori
