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For the last six weeks or so I have been training with a shoulder injury.
The injury started as a slight nagging pain after training chest or shoulders, so I backed off on the weight and concentrated on getting my form perfect with slow reps and a light weight. Then we caught the armed bandit at our apartment and I really put it out.
So since then what have I been doing to train around my shoulder injury?
First off I started training with very light weights and worked out which exercises were causing pain then eliminated them, or moved the exercise to a machine with a set groove so I could isolate a movement that did not cause pain. Then between sets I flexed the muscle and help poses until it hurt, thus working the muscle without weights or stress to the shoulder injury.
Secondly I looked in the mirror as I exercises and found that due to my previous nerve injury and found that I was raising my right shoulder as I pushed - using more of my upper chest and front shoulder in a bench press (for example) as my middle chest was unusable during the nerve injury.
This was likely causing distress on the joint, in fact it was probably wholely responsible before the burglar attempted to rob the girl next door and I felt he needed to be subdued several times before the police arrived.
I see many people doing similar to this, maybe this is the cause of any shoulder injury that you might have too?
I see people benchpressing with a heavy weight and their bodies contort with effort, neck going to one side one arm (the weaker arm usually) raising higher and the shoulder moving upward too. If this is the case for you then try pressing a lower weight and concentrate on pushing your shoulders down and plant them firmly on the bench and keep that exact position as you push the bar up.
Also I started some light swimming at the local pool, about 10 or 15 minutes every second day and doing rotator cuff exercises on shoulder day. To be sure though if the shoulder injury is already advanced then swimming might inflame it and cause more problems. For me I was trying to get a gentle exercise to flush blood through the area and help with repair.
On top of that I took anti-inflammatory medication to reduce the swelling and pain which can also help with recovery but preferrably do this under a medical Doctors supervision as the inflamation and pain is natures way of telling you to stop.
After six weeks or so of pain, and nothing getting better I did something radical I would never have done in my youth - I stopped training.
Yep, I stopped all training. I am taking 2 weeks off with no swimming and only walking for exercise (and very little of that) to let it heal and recover all by itself.
I chose not to train legs as when I train legs I stress my whole body and whether or not I hold the hand grips on the leg press I floex my chest and shoulders and every muscle in my body when I push a heavy weight.
So I now have a week left of my 'holiday' and nice it is too. I don't have to go to the gym, I don't have to eat as much, I don't have to eat a very high protein diet. Just relax and let my nervous system get some relaxation and rejuvenation time too, running around on high stress with corticosteroids and free radicals from heavy training, I guess my internal organs will enjoy the rest too.
A week from now I plan to start training again, and I hope to see a sudden improvement in my physique and strength after this break, it's just too bad I didn't plan the break with a trip to the islands or Cambodia.
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