What are your views on weight training while injured?

Question

If I have any sort of injury I immediately stop training until it has recovered to a certain point. However, once I start training again, the injury often feels better after a session than it had done before.

Clearly if you're in pain when you train with an injury, this is bad but there seems to be some middle ground where training can actually aid recovery. I'm guessing it must be increased blood flow or something, I don't know.

So what do you guys do? Train what isn't injured, train thru the pain, rest or something else?

Answer 1

It very much depends on the injury and the extent, but, I normally find there is something I can do. If I can't run, maybe I can cycle or swim. Maybe, I can only do upper body weights, and abs. There are usually alternatives, but you do need to listen to your body, and medical advice.

Sometimes, it's nice to be a little imaginative, and try something you haven't tried before, it also depends on how you feel about missing weeks of training. If you're okay with it, then enjoy the rest. For me, I'd rather do something else, than missing lots of training.

Answer 2

The only "injuries" I even consider training through are minor muscle strain type of injuries. These remind me to re-focus on form, lower the weight drastically, and keep everything else in place: nutrition, rest/recovery, sleep, mobility.

After a short time --usually less than 2 weeks-- I'm back to tip-top and ready to start loading up again.

BTW: When I strain a muscle, it is from doing something knuckleheaded outside of the gym. If you're injuring yourself often, especially during your workouts, it is probably a good idea to recruit someone that can monitor your movements to see if there is a movement-pattern issue.