It was shear stupidity on my part when I screwed up my shoulder. I had just finished a second round of that fun program called Insanity Asylum and was feeling quite empowered.
My injury didn’t happen during Asylum. It happened during golf. You see, I hit the ball really well and went to help a few buddies find their ball. Since my friend I was riding with took the cart to the green, I decided to jump on the other cart and ride up with two other guys. I hung onto the roof handle and basically stood on the side of the cart with my feet barely hanging on. Well, I started to feel the cart lean and thought I was going to tip us over. My foot slipped to the ground and I hung on with one arm. I impinged my right shoulder muscles. This was 2 months ago and I’m still feeling moments of sensitivity.
So, here I am gearing up for the Beachbody Challenge and chose to do P90X. I kickstarted my program with a Shakeology Cleanse and started to dig into the workouts. It was obvious that some moves were going to need to be modified as my shoulder is far from feeling recovered. When I wince at the thought of an exercise I know it’s time to modify or do something else.
The first smart thing I do is warm up to prevent further injury. Sometimes I see people overlook this part of a workout. Not smart at all. Proper warmup and stretching is a must before and after workouts. Sometimes during too, especially when it comes to strength training. I also add in a few specific shoulder strengthing drills from Total Body Solutions (kind of like physical therapy on a DVD) to work on y underlying issue.
Then I hit P90X hard with modifications. Don’t get me wrong. When there’s an exercise that does not directly impact my shoulder, I am going for it. But some moves require some lighter weights (shoulder presses and shoulder flies) or the use of a chair during wide pullups. Even the chatarunga pushup needs to be done from my knees. Still, I am able to bring it during plyo, keno, yoga, arms and abs.
So, I am allowing my body to recover, but am still showing up to get some great strength training in. If I feel a tweak, I stop immediately and don’t push it. I will continue this pattern for another month and I know an impingement takes time to heal. Otherwise I may head to a doctor. For now I’m sticking to the drills, modifying when needed. This program is intense and experience has taught me when to push it and when to back off. So, if you are battling thru and injury, don’t let your ego take over. Give yourself the time to heal. I know my shoulder is wanting to get back in the game, but it’s not time yet! If you find yourself in a world of hurt, be smart and get it checked out by a professional.
If you have any questions about modifying or are looking for some P90X tips, email me at perry@putyourselffirst.com. I’m always helping people get the most out of their programs. You can even make me your coach by clicking here. Then I can share some more insider tips!
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