Modified Training During Recovery

One of the biggest fears during injury is losing fitness and progress. The good news: you rarely need to stop training entirely. Modified training allows you to maintain much of your fitness, continue progressing unaffected areas, and support mental health during recovery. This chapter covers how to train around injuries effectively.

The Philosophy of Training Around Injuries

You Don't Have to Stop Everything

Common misconception: "I'm injured, so I can't train."

Reality: An injury to one area rarely requires complete cessation of all training. Most injuries allow for significant training of unaffected areas.

Benefits of continuing to train:

Maintains overall fitness
Supports mental health
Promotes blood flow and healing
Prevents detraining of healthy tissues
Maintains training habit

The "Train Around" Approach

Principle: Continue training everything you can that doesn't aggravate the injury.

Examples:

Shoulder injury → Train legs, core (most), unaffected arm (carefully)
Knee injury → Train upper body, core, hip work on uninjured side
Wrist injury → Train pulling (if tolerable), legs, core
Low back injury → Train what doesn't aggravate (often upper body, modified lower)

Modified Training Strategies

Strategy 1: Train Unaffected Body Parts

The straightforward approach: Continue normal training for areas not affected by the injury.

Shoulder injury example:

Normal leg training (squats, lunges, pistol progressions)
Core work (most variations)
Hip and glute work
Unilateral pulling with unaffected arm (maybe)
Rehab for injured shoulder

Benefits:

Maintains strength and muscle mass
Keeps training routine
Psychological benefit of normalcy

Strategy 2: Modify the Injured Area's Training

Reduce rather than eliminate: Often you can still train the affected area with modifications.

Modification options:

Reduce load/intensity
Reduce range of motion
Change the angle or grip
Use isometrics instead of dynamics
Slower tempo for more control
Lower volume

Elbow tendinopathy example:

Heavy slow resistance exercises (therapeutic)
Assisted pull-up variations
Neutral grip instead of supinated
Reduced pulling volume overall
Continue but monitor response

Strategy 3: Substitute Similar Movements

Find alternatives that don't aggravate: There's usually a variation that allows some training of the affected area.

Substitution examples:

Can't do push-ups (wrist pain):

Push-ups on parallettes (neutral wrist)
Push-ups on fists
Floor press with dumbbells
Banded pressing

Can't do pull-ups (shoulder pain):

Rows (different angle may be tolerable)
Face pulls
Bicep curls (if tolerable)
Scapular exercises

Can't do squats (knee pain):

Hip hinge variations (deadlift patterns)
Glute bridges and hip thrusts
Terminal knee extensions
Partial range squats (if tolerable)

Can't do handstands (wrist injury):

Pike push-ups on parallettes
Shoulder strengthening
Core work for handstand
Handstand entry/exit practice (if wrists tolerable)

Strategy 4: Contralateral Training

Train the uninjured side: Interesting phenomenon: training one limb provides some benefit to the other.

Cross-education effect:

Strength gains of 5-30% in untrained limb
Neural adaptations transfer
Helps maintain motor patterns

Application:

Single-arm work on uninjured side
Single-leg work on uninjured side
May help the injured side maintain more function

Maintaining Fitness During Injury

What You Can Maintain

Cardiovascular fitness:

Often fully maintainable
Choose activities that don't aggravate injury
Cycling for upper body injuries
Swimming may work for some injuries
Walking is almost always possible

Strength in unaffected areas:

Can maintain or even improve
Good time to focus on weaknesses elsewhere
Continue progressive overload where possible

Skill work (partially):

Visualization maintains motor patterns
Modified practice may be possible
Technical work without load

Flexibility/mobility:

Often can continue or even emphasize
May need to modify for injured area
Good time to address restrictions

What You Might Lose (And How Fast)

Strength:

Significant losses start after 2-3 weeks of complete rest
1-2 weeks: minimal loss
3-4 weeks: noticeable decline begins
Modified training can largely prevent losses

Muscle mass:

Similar timeline to strength
Protein intake helps preserve muscle
Even light training provides maintenance signal

Cardiovascular fitness:

Declines faster than strength
Noticeable changes in 1-2 weeks of inactivity
Easier to rebuild than strength

Skill:

Complex skills decline without practice
Mental practice helps maintain
Returns relatively quickly with practice

Strategies to Minimize Detraining

Keep training volume as high as tolerable:

Reduced training is better than no training
Even 1/3 of normal volume prevents significant losses

Maintain frequency:

More frequent, shorter sessions
Keeps neural patterns active

Focus on what you can do:

Build a new area of strength
Address long-standing weaknesses
Use this as an opportunity

The Psychological Aspects

Common Psychological Challenges

Loss of identity: Training is part of who you are. Injury can feel like losing part of yourself.

Fear of losing progress: Worry about strength, skill, and fitness loss.

Frustration: Unable to do what you want to do.

Impatience: Wanting to return before you're ready.

Depression or anxiety: Real mental health impacts are possible.

Coping Strategies

Stay involved:

Go to your training space even if modified
Watch others, provide support
Maintain community connection

Find alternative goals:

Rehabilitation milestones
Learning (reading, courses like this one)
Building strength in unaffected areas
Flexibility goals

Practice gratitude:

Focus on what you can do
Appreciate the body parts that work
Use this as perspective

Seek support:

Talk to training partners
Connect with others who've recovered
Professional support if needed

Stay active:

Any activity is beneficial for mental health
Walking, light movement, whatever you can do
Avoid complete sedentariness

Visualization

Mental practice is real practice:

Studies show visualization maintains neural pathways
Imagine performing skills in detail
Practice in your mind what you can't do physically

How to visualize:

Find a quiet place
Close eyes, relax
Imagine performing the movement perfectly
Include all sensory details (feel, see, hear)
10-15 minutes daily

Benefits:

Maintains motor patterns
Reduces skill loss
Builds confidence
Supports return to training

Nutrition During Injury

Caloric Needs

Don't dramatically cut calories:

Healing requires energy
Under-eating can impair recovery
Activity is reduced but not eliminated

Adjust moderately:

Slight reduction if activity is much lower
Don't go into significant deficit
Prioritize healing over weight loss

Protein

Maintain or increase protein:

Critical for tissue repair
Helps preserve muscle mass
Aim for 1.6-2.2g/kg bodyweight
Spread throughout the day

Key Nutrients for Healing

Vitamin C:

Collagen synthesis
Found in citrus, peppers, berries

Vitamin A:

Cell growth and repair
Found in orange/yellow vegetables, liver

Zinc:

Wound healing and immune function
Found in meat, shellfish, legumes

Omega-3 fatty acids:

Anti-inflammatory effects
Found in fatty fish, walnuts, flaxseed

Hydration

Stay well hydrated:

Supports all healing processes
Easy to neglect when less active
Continue normal water intake

Sample Modified Training Weeks

Example: Shoulder Injury (Moderate)

Monday: Lower Body Strength

Squats or squat progressions
Romanian deadlifts
Lunges
Calf raises
Core work (most variations)

Tuesday: Shoulder Rehab + Light Activity

Rehabilitation exercises
Mobility work
Walking or cycling

Wednesday: Core and Flexibility

Core circuit (abs, obliques, lower back)
Hip flexibility routine
Full body stretching

Thursday: Lower Body/Posterior Chain

Hip thrust variations
Glute bridges
Hamstring work
Unilateral leg work

Friday: Shoulder Rehab + Active Recovery

Rehabilitation exercises
Light cardio
Mobility

Weekend: Active rest, rehab, flexibility

Example: Knee Injury

Monday: Upper Body Push

Push-ups (if tolerable on knee)
Dip support work
Overhead pressing (standing may be hard, seated OK)
Tricep work

Tuesday: Shoulder/Scapular + Rehab

Rotator cuff work
Scapular stability
Knee rehabilitation exercises

Wednesday: Upper Body Pull

Pull-ups (if standing on injured leg is issue, sit on bench)
Rows
Face pulls
Bicep work

Thursday: Core + Upper Body Accessories

Core work (avoiding exercises that stress knee)
Wrist strengthening
Forearm work

Friday: Rehab + Skills (Modified)

Knee rehabilitation
Upper body skill work (handstands, etc.)

Weekend: Active recovery, rehab

Return to Full Training

The Transition Phase

When rehabilitation is progressing well:

Gradually reintroduce normal training movements
Continue rehabilitation exercises
Monitor response carefully

Progression:

Add the movement at reduced intensity
Build volume before intensity
Progress intensity over weeks
Return to normal volume and intensity
Maintain prehab/rehab as prevention

Warning Signs You're Returning Too Fast

Symptoms return or worsen
Compensation patterns emerge
Fatigue is excessive
Confidence is lacking
Movement quality is poor

Criteria for Full Return

Pain-free during all training movements
Equal strength and mobility (or near-equal) to pre-injury
Able to complete full training session without flare
Confidence in the affected area
Good movement quality

Key Takeaways

You rarely need to stop completely—train around the injury
Maintain what you can—unaffected areas, cardiovascular fitness, flexibility
Modify intelligently—reduce load, range, or angle to allow some training
Use substitutions—find alternatives that don't aggravate
Address the mental side—stay involved, find alternative goals, use visualization
Nutrition matters—support healing with adequate protein and nutrients
Progress gradually back—don't rush the return to full training
Keep rehabilitation as maintenance—continue prehab exercises after recovery