You must face reality whilst recovering from an injury. It’s hard to manage both the pain itself, and the positive attitude required in our daily lives. While you’re tempted to go back to your Crossfit training as if nothing ever happened, it’s crucial that you learn from your experience, as traumatic as it might have been.
Here are the 3 major lessons to never, ever, forget:
1 Never forget what caused the injury
An injury during training or a competition always happens because of something you’ve done wrong.
Yes, it’s basically your fault. And that’s ok. Unknowingly you took a shot, ignored your body or trusted it too much. Without taking risks there’s no moving forward, especially in an athletic discipline like Crossfit, where the mind is trained before the body to endure pain and moral breakdown.
When you finally get better, and are ready to get back into the game, then you must remember to apply the rule of never forgetting the cause of the injury and stick to it.
Whether it’s neglecting the warm up, lifting too heavy, not stretching enough, overtraining or skipping the chiropractor’s appointment. Whatever the cause, this rule is the key.
2 Listen to yourself and no one else
Taking the necessary time to go back to a previous training routine is always tough for the ego.
Others are lifting, pumping and going hard on their Crossfit workouts, and you are stuck lifting a barbell which is a joke even for a beginner.
Your peers will see you struggle and encourage you to push harder and lift heavier; because they know it will make you happy. A part of your brain knows it’s stupid and your body will scream inside to try to stop you. At the end of the day it’s your decision; maybe you haven’t learned your lesson yet and need another slap in the face.
Telling the ego to shut up, because you know it can compromise the recovery, is the hardest thing to do. The moment you listen to yourself and take that extra 10lbs off, or slow down the pace is the moment you grow up and learn. Now you’ve become unbreakable.
3 Keep the fire alive
Find support through the Crossfit community, your coaches and your peers. Try to find a way to hang out and be around the crossfit action scene! Develop that fighter mentally. If your leg is injured then suck it up; you’ll have to forget about squatting, jumping and rowing, and you’ll find the blessing to develop strength in your upper body instead.
It’s easy to give up and feel defeated; it takes courage and boldness to stand and up start moving even if it’s a few steps, a light run or a few strokes at the pool.
The one that moans and roars over the simplest movement, giving it all his passion as if his life depended on it, is the one who wins in the long run.
Image Sources
- injuries: RX'd