Working around injuries and correcting proper posture in shoulders and hips

[aarony]

Hello Mark,

As I competitive crossfit athlete, I find it hard sometimes with programming and selecting proper movements / mobility to correct old patterns and past injuries. I am working around a herniated disc in the lumbar spine, entire broken left leg from years ago (main injury to femur) and little knee issues. I can notice the side of the injury is more tighter always. Along with a past torn labrum in the shoulder. From studying, I can tell me shoulders are very rounded forward, and I have been trying to fix that.

I have been sticking to basic movements such as deadlift, squat, and shoulder press. Along with therapy warm-ups from PT. I am progressing, but at a slow rate due to flare ups in my back or shoulder stiffness. I have tried massage, chiropractor , icing, heating, stretching, yoga, correcting positional errors. They all help aid, but can't seem to find anything to allow me to up my work amount, as I am trying to compete. Just doing tons of recovery stuff on the day of workouts and off days.

Is there any advice you may have?

Thanks,

Aaron

[Mark Rippetoe]

Read the books, stop doing "metcon", warmups, "mobility", stretching, abs, massage, chiropractic, icing, heating, yoga, "recovery stuff", start eating 5000 calories a day, and do the program.

[3rdcoast_slope]

Read the books, stop doing "metcon", warmups, "mobility", stretching, abs, massage, chiropractic, icing, heating, yoga, "recovery stuff", start eating 5000 calories a day, and do the program.

+ 1

I have a torn labrum and bil. Shoulder surgeries for instability issues. Deadlifts and pressing (correct form of course) have been extremely helpful. Actually, when my shoulders are achy I go do a couple sets of barbell presses with submax weight and it almost always feels better. Deadlifts seem to really help "rounded shoulders" esp with the lockout. The isometric contraction of the scapular mm seems to help keep upright posture. In addition, correct posture may come with more confidence as you lift heavier shit off the floor too =)

[Scaldrew]

I am working around a herniated disc in the lumbar spine, entire broken left leg from years ago (main injury to femur) and little knee issues.

There is no working around injuries. Being injured is a stressful event, one from which you need to recover properly. Everything you do should revolve around recovering properly when you are injured. Whether it's squatting, walking, or taking a shit, you make damn sure you're doing it to the best of your ability to further your recovery. Because "letting it heal" is lying down in the middle of the road and waiting for the lights to turn red before you get up and walk away. You have to make it heal and the best way to do this is to train.

There's no training around injuries. There's just training. Get out of the mindset of "not pissing your injuries off" and be smart about it or not even the programme may save your box.

[Will Morris]

Hello Mark,

As I competitive crossfit athlete, I find it hard sometimes with programming and selecting proper movements / mobility to correct old patterns and past injuries. I am working around a herniated disc in the lumbar spine, entire broken left leg from years ago (main injury to femur) and little knee issues. I can notice the side of the injury is more tighter always. Along with a past torn labrum in the shoulder. From studying, I can tell me shoulders are very rounded forward, and I have been trying to fix that.

I have been sticking to basic movements such as deadlift, squat, and shoulder press. Along with therapy warm-ups from PT. I am progressing, but at a slow rate due to flare ups in my back or shoulder stiffness. I have tried massage, chiropractor , icing, heating, stretching, yoga, correcting positional errors. They all help aid, but can't seem to find anything to allow me to up my work amount, as I am trying to compete. Just doing tons of recovery stuff on the day of workouts and off days.

Is there any advice you may have?

Thanks,

Aaron

Let me fix this for you:

You like doing CrossFit and choose not to do the program which Rip provides, yet, you want him to pay special attention to your situation because....well, as a competitive cross fit athlete, he just should. You also like the idea of corrective exercises, but by your own admission, they don't work, or just help temporarily. Your main issues are a long ago healed fracture, a radiological finding that every single human being over the age of 30 has, and knee pain from Cross fit.....but, you like CrossFit, so you need Rip to give you advice about a program he doesn't prescribe...for ailments known to be very amenable to the techniques he does prescribe...and, you would like this special attention for no charge.....because, again, you are a competitive CrossFit athlete, and by its very definition, an elite athlete.

[ExpertOrBust]

+ 1

I have a torn labrum and bil. Shoulder surgeries for instability issues. Deadlifts and pressing (correct form of course) have been extremely helpful. Actually, when my shoulders are achy I go do a couple sets of barbell presses with submax weight and it almost always feels better. Deadlifts seem to really help "rounded shoulders" esp with the lockout. The isometric contraction of the scapular mm seems to help keep upright posture. In addition, correct posture may come with more confidence as you lift heavier shit off the floor too =)

+10

4 months of doing the Novice LP program has corrected, mitigated or minimized 5 decades of accumulated damage, injuries and general limiters of my participation and performance in my sport. I'm looking forward to restarting my dedicated training in two months with my new strength base.

Follow RIP's directive. Get strong then return to CrossFit.