Injured People: Meet at the Gym

In plain English, not even injury is a good reason to stay away from the gym. Read that one more time. After visiting DEUCE Hall of Famer, Scott Pellegrino, in the hospital after being life-flighted away from his motorcycle crash and miraculously surviving an ensuing coma, I realized I was witnessing someone on the back end of the most traumatic injury I’ve seen someone sustain. Sure, I guess there are worse injuries with more nuanced protocols for care, but throw me a bone here. The guy was full of titanium rods and screws. He shouldn’t have lived. 

My point? As soon as humanly possible, he was given a task: walk.With the help of a nurse, they started accumulating laps around the hospital hallways. In fact, it would be his command over this movement that would eventually become his ticket to be released. While this far away tragedy might not have much relevance in your life, I’d bet that sore shoulders, twisted ankles, broken collarbones, torn Achilles, and the like do. These things happen all the time in the real world.  

While it seems harsh, I’m here to tell you that these instances are not reason to cease training movement. It’s important that you hear that this message isn’t brought to you by the US Powerlifting Association or CrossFit HQ or any other prescription. It’s nature and nature needs you to move. In fact, the details of your injury specifically inform what movement is and what movement isn’t appropriate. Nonetheless, the right movement is appropriate. In fact, I’d make the case that the only thing worse than getting injured is getting injured and halting all movement. 

I promise you that we’ve had too many students train with us who have your injured appendage blown off in combat to justify being sedentary at this time. Move like your life depends on it, because it does. And, we can help you.

Logan Gelbrich

@functionalcoach