FEMALE MUSCLE

Q. Zoa, I just had a fairly serious shoulder injury that has kept me out of the gym for a few weeks and, to be honest, has me pretty discouraged. I don’t like to admit it, but I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that I can’t just get in the gym and do what I want. Can you help?

A. The first problem many lifters have when faced with an injury is the “why me?” attitude. Listen up: The longer you ask “Why?” the less time you’ve spent asking “How can I fix this and get better in the minimum time possible?” So, your first lesson is to stop the victim mentality immediately and accept that you have a challenge ahead of you. As soon as you commit to a change in your attitude, you’ve stepped away from self-pity and moved into action.

The next step is to analyze what caused your injury in the first place and make the necessary adjustments. Your body mechanics, ego, overtraining, and poor nutrition could each be playing a role in why you got injured in the first place. You need to take a close look at all these factors and make a game plan for what you’re going to change as you rehab and get back into full gear. If you need someone to look at your form, find someone who is well-respected and understands physiology. A shoulder injury can hold you back for a long time if you don’t have the courage to rethink your training strategy and be patient in your recovery.

That said, your most important tool in the fight to get back is patience. Yes, you heard me: patience. Your mind is the epicenter of all great things … or it can be a voice of negativity and self-doubt. You must train your mind to remove doubt and handle the obstacles you have in front of you with the end goal of being 100 percent and back in the gym. You want to be great? In real life, that means going through some challenges and earning that title. Give yourself a break, visualize success, don’t doubt the end result, and get moving on your road to recovery.