Injuries, Stress, and Adversity is just Tuition to get into the Bad Ass Club.

I know it sounds ridiculous but when someone gets injured I get the most pumped and excited. Not because they are hurt, or because they are in pain, but because at that moment is when they have the opportunity to transform into an entirely different human being. This is one of those times when your life hits a fork in the road and you decide which direction you want to follow; Be normal or become something much greater.

There are only so many times in your fitness journey where injuries occur. Some we foolishly know it is coming and others injuries are ghost like and come from nowhere. If you workout long enough you will experience some level of breakdown with the body and it is a natural progression to getting where you need to be. I am not saying to foolishly get injured when your out there but almost welcome it as part of your journey.

Injuries, stress, and adversity is just tuition to get into the bad ass club.

Two personalties emerge in your head the moment you are going through an injury. One personalty will tell you that you should stay home and tell you that you are not cut for this life of fitness. Another personalty will tell you that you should come in still and figure out a way to stay on track. When you decide to come in when your body seems incapable of doing anything, a bad ass personalty is born.

So what things can I do If I am injured?

“If you make a mistake and do not correct it, this is called a mistake.” ~Confucius

What did I learn?

My first recommendation is to make sure to take away as many lessons you can from your injury. How did it happen? How much recovery am I doing? What is my nutrition like? How much sleep did I get? How am I moving? What stuff could I have done to prevent these injuries? By answering these questions you will be able to train at higher intensities longer and your results will also compound over time.

What other movements can I do?

In order to progress when you are injured, you will need to adapt and overcome. The body can still improve when one part of the body is hurt. If your legs are hurt workout the arms, if the arms are hurt workout the legs. If they are both hurt what type of recovery work can I do to help those injured muscles. There are so many movements we can do when we are forced to the sidelines. Ask a trainer, look online, or self search what you can and can't do. Just don't not move.

What should I eat?

If you can't move, what you can focus on is nutrition. Having less options is a blessing in disguise. We take for granted that movement can be a buffer poor eating habits but the moment you get injured you don't have that luxury. This is the most difficult skill for many to master but injuries make it the perfect time to practice this discipline. If you can be disciplined in your nutrition during hard times your results will continue. Imagine carrying this skill when you are healthy? Your results will only multiply!

To summarize everything into a few words, just control what you can control. Getting injured is so finite for most athletes having to experience it only so many times but for some more than others. Let each one tell you a story or teach you a valuable lesson. Be studious in your approach and let your mistakes be the foundation of your success.

When an athlete decides to come in after an injury with a mindset of solving a problem or adapting to what ever situation they might be in, I get super jazzed up! Watch out world because that person will do some amazing things. If they create any goal for themselves after going through that experience, expect that they will not only accomplish so many things but they will surpass it over and over again. For more amazing talks about this topic make sure to listen to EP 40: Staying Jacked After an injury.

Be happy, stay healthy, and keep moving!

Coach Royce