Injury As Opportunity

     "I haven't done these in a long time.", Bill said as he laid back on the bench for his first set of JM Presses. By "a long time" Bill meant never.
      For those unfamiliar with J.M Blakley's eponymous exercise, think of it as a tricep extension with a barbell. It puts a LOT of pressure on the elbow joint.
      At the third set, Bill's elbow decided it had had enough and went out of joint, but not before lots of painful damage had been done. Needless to say, Bill was not happy.
      And why would he be? This injury could mean he is unable to train for weeks! But what choice does he have? If he ever hopes to train again, he must allow his injury to heal. BUT, in the meantime there are things you can do to make the most of this seemingly bad situation.
     Depending on the injury you may be able to train around it, meaning you can focus on other body parts. This is an opportunity to really focus on a particular bodypart in a way, perhaps, you have never done. You may want to adjust your training split by taking out your injured bodypart and replacing it with a weak or lagging bodypart thereby increasing the frequency by which you are training it each week. Think of the gains you could make by simply training a weakness three times a week instead of once or twice!
    Injuries can be an opportunity for us to review our workout. Volume, intensity, periodization, frequency, and even exercise selection can be modified to best accommodate an injury. Yes, injuries suck and they're inevitable. But, being able to adapt your workout to benefit other body parts will help you change your attitude about your injury as well.
     As for Bill, his elbow is on the mend and he's looking forward to crazy leg growth in the next few weeks!