Growing up as an athlete and riding horses I've had countless injuries that left me side lined or in the emergency room. Even after I was considered cleared to return to activity there was still lingering pain. Being in pain became normal. Playing through pain and training though it was something I thought I just had to deal with, I just needed to become mentally tougher than the pain was. Therefore I would keep pursuing what I wanted athletically and physically. I was always chasing a version of myself that seemed just out of reach because the pain would win and I'd have to stop. Pain became this monster that controlled my life and left me crying and angry out of frustration. I would take Advil or any NSAID that would mask the pain so I could keep working out until it got so bad I finally went to my general doctor. This doctor told me I shouldn't lift more than 15 pounds and prescribed me muscle relaxers. Being in my early 20s at the time, this just did not seem right and was not what I wanted to hear. I then turned to chiropractic work, which finally helped relieve pain for a little longer but still only temporarily.
I had become a personal trainer at 19 because I loved fitness and wanted to help others. As the years went on and I would get clients with mysterious low back pain or they were coming back from an injury and were still unsure of their abilities and feared getting hurt again, my goal changed as a personal trainer and a strength coach, I wanted to help people live, get back to what they loved doing and not have to stop due to pain or injury. The one thing that stops most people from doing things they love is pain. Through the years of my own experience and learning from some pretty amazing people I figured out tools that helped relieve my pain and now help others get back to working out, competing in sports or just doing activities they enjoy without pain. Is this an easy light switch style result? No, it is a journey. There are ups and downs and it takes commitment and work. But it is worth it.
Looking back at my past experiences with injuries and training I realized there were some gaps that should have been addressed. All because a doctor says you are healed does not mean you can rush back into your everyday lifestyle.
Our bodies are resilient, we adapt, we have for centuries, adapting to new environments and stresses. We must let our body adapt in a beneficial way vs. forcing our bodies to withstand stress it's not ready for. Adapting over a series of progressions will be more beneficial than putting the body under too much stress too soon. Pain is the body's signal indicator there is something wrong and something needs to be changed. So stop masking pain, there are so many “band aids” out there that we need to stop using and be more like detectives finding out the root cause so we can work on living a pain free life.
If you experience pain, ask yourself these questions;
Have I experienced any trauma that caused this pain?
How frequently am I moving during the day vs. sitting?
How is my diet?
What does my training look like?
Just moving more and changing your diet can reduce pain caused from inflammation, over and under-active muscles.
Look back at your training, sometimes progressing too quickly or jumping into exercise your body is not ready to handle can cause the red lights to go off. Just missing one-stepping stone can be hazardous if the body isn’t ready.
If you’re an accomplished lifter don’t let ego get in the way. Don’t be afraid to take a step back or a whole lot of steps back to rebuild. It’ll be worth it in the long run. Don’t be afraid to strip the weight off the bar and start back from the bottom. If you do this you’ll be lifting longer and become stronger.
Being in pain is not the end of the road. Your active life does not have an expiration date unless you let it. Don’t throw in the towel because those that get knocked down come back twice as strong.
When it comes to fitness, your goal should be longevity. Would it be better to look good and be active for a short period of time or would it be more beneficial to be in your golden years still active and mobile?
The choice is yours, mask the pain or live free of it.
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