25/03/2025
🚫 Dealing with an injury? You don’t have to stop training—just modify your approach! 🚫
Instead of avoiding exercises completely, adjusting how you load the movement can help you maintain strength, movement patterns, and overall progress while reducing stress on the injured area.
Here are 4 effective ways to modify load without changing the exercise:
1️⃣ Restrict Range of Motion (ROM) – Reduce the depth or angle to limit stress on the injured area.
✔ Example: Partial squats for knee pain instead of full-depth squats.
✔ Example: Rack pulls instead of full deadlifts for back issues.
2️⃣ Lower the Weight – Dropping external load reduces joint stress while maintaining movement quality.
✔ Example: Using lighter dumbbells for pressing movements.
✔ Example: Decreasing barbell loads while increasing tempo or reps.
3️⃣ Use Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) Cuffs – Increase muscle activation while lifting lighter weights.
✔ Best for rehab phases when joint loading needs to be minimal.
✔ Allows for hypertrophy and endurance benefits with low resistance.
4️⃣ Increase Tempo (Slow Down the Eccentric Phase) – More time under tension without the need for heavy weights.
✔ Example: 3-4 second negative squats to rehab knee injuries.
✔ Example: Paused bench press to control load for shoulder issues.
⚡ Key Takeaway: You don’t have to stop training when injured—just train smarter. These modifications help you stay active, recover faster, and avoid setbacks!
💬 Have you trained around an injury before? Drop your go-to strategy below!
