Training with a Broken Wrist

It has sparkles too✨ 

  I injured my wrist the week before Junior Nationals doing a max effort clean. Immediately I knew something was wrong and I worried that I wouldn’t be healed in time to compete. I downplayed the pain and pushed through training. Junior Nationals came and I bombed out. A month later, after two x-rays, an ultrasound, and an MRI they finally put me in a cast for six weeks.

Did I stop training? Heck no. Each injury is an opportunity to kill a weakness. My biggest weakness is front squats. I can’t really do front squats with a cast, but I sure can do some other terrible form of them (zombie squats). My coach put me on a crazy program where you basically try to max out every day (every three weeks is a recovery week). I’ve had time to focus on the importance of breathing properly and I believe that this has made all the difference for me. I was complaining that I hadn’t maxed out on my back squat for 6 months, but last week I put 20 lbs on my back squat and 15 lbs on my zombie squat.

Squats cover lower body strength, now what about maintaining upper body strength? I found some painless exercises for my shoulders/upper back and I’ve added them into my daily regimen. Basically you lay on the floor and squeeze your shoulder blades then bring your arms off the floor. I do 20 reps in each position: T, W, and Y (literally you just shape your arms like the letters). Of course now I also have all the time in the world for core and mobility. I have a 30 minute mobility/warm-up routine. Three minutes of each exercise on both sides: quad floss, hamstring floss, super couch stretch, and splits. After that you sit in a squat for 10 minutes and do Ido’s Squat Routine. I’ve noticed a huge improvement on my ankle and hip mobility after doing this routine consistently.

     If I could go back and change anything I would have stopped lifting immediately after getting injured. A lot of athletes make the mistake of pushing through pain (not just soreness, but actual pain!). Sometimes you have to look at the bigger picture and realize that letting it heal now will be a lot faster than pushing through it and making it worse. I wish I could have understood this concept a little earlier, but hey life goes on. For all the athletes out there: listen to your body and make the smart choice! For example if your knees are sore, then focus on upper body movements for the next couple of days and try some new lower body stretches.

Basically just train smart and try to see injuries as another opportunity to better yourself as an athlete!

Thanks for reading.