The advice when you have an injury is to rest and allow the injured body part to recover. However, there are many situations when it is possible to continue to exercise while isolating the inured part.
It goes without saying, if you have been advised by a medical professional to stop exercising then that should be your course of action but if you have a minor injury, such as a broken finger or a sprained toe, then there are ways to work around this.
Changing the pace
Whatever the injury, you will probably find you cannot train at your usual rate, pace and intensity. What you can do however, is maintain a base level of fitness so that you can make a swift return to full training once the in jury is healed.
According to fitness website www.verywellfit.com, to maintain a base level of aerobic fitness through a period of injury, you need to exercise at least once a week at 70 per cent of your maximum VO2.
Continuing to exercise through injury calls for creativity and a readiness to compromise, but it is possible and it can be rewarding as you discover new ways to work out.
Exercising with an upper body injury
For upper body injuries to the shoulders, elbows, arms or hands, then traditional cardio exercise such as walking, cross-trainer and stationary cycling are all activities that can continue. Running will probably be out of the question but a steep incline on a treadmill will make a walk as challenging as a run.
An example of a lower body circuit
A circuit routine can be modified to include just lower body exercises. Perform each exercise for 30-60 seconds with a 15 second break between each station. Do 2-3 rounds of the complete circuit.
Leg press or deep squats
Reverse lunges
Marching with high knees on the spot
Abdominal crunch
Sumo squats (wide legs)
Regular lunges
Stationary cycling (for 2 minutes)
Lower back extensions
Twisting abdominal crunch
Treadmill walking for 2 minutes on steep incline
Exercising with a lower body injury
When it comes to injuries to the legs or knees, then the focus of your adapted workout moves to the upper body. Here are two circuits that you can perform on alternative days.
Circuit 1:
Perform each exercise for 30 to 60 seconds—allow 15 seconds of rest between stations
Complete the entire circuit three to four times
Warm-up thoroughly before exercise
Pull-Up or Assisted Pull-Up
Chest Press
Lat Pulldown
Overhead Press
Circuit 2:
Perform each exercise for 30 to 60 seconds—allow 15 seconds of rest between stations
Complete the entire circuit three to four times
Warm-up thoroughly before exercise
Seated Russian Twist
Ab Crunch
V-Sit ab exercise
If you have an injury that simply calls for more restorative exercise, then consider some low impact exercises such as swimming or yoga.
Low-impact workouts are great to switch over to, as they typically shouldn’t put as much of a strain on your body in general. The number one recommended low-impact exercise to switch to if you’re taking it easy after an injury is swimming. Swimming is low impact and supportive to your joints, while also getting your heart rate up.
For advice on exercising while injured, chat to one of the personal trainers at the Outlooks Gym or Free Weights Gym.
