A setback- we all have them.
Some wallow in them while others look for ways to overcome them. Some see it as a challenge, while others give up.
If you choose to recover from a setback, it often involves equal measures of hard work and patience. There will be setbacks from the setback because progress is never linear. There will be times when you want to give up and other times when you’re gung-ho.
The ebbs and flows will often leave your head spinning, and there are no guarantees. It’s a leap of faith, but the payoff, if successful, is huge.
Without delving too much into couch territory, here are 3 ways to recover from a setback.
My Setback Story
I had double hernia surgery 8 weeks ago. Before that, my training numbers were climbing, and I was making good progress.
Then it all went bye-bye.
I couldn’t do anything for a week, even if I wanted to. Then the doctors advised me to lift nothing over 20 pounds for 4 weeks after. Light walking and light weights with higher reps were better than nothing, but it all hurt.
And not just my ego.
When the midsection is sliced open, every cough, every sneeze, and every movement is felt at the surgical site. Even now, as I slowly return to normal, it still hurts, and my gym movements are rusty.
My state of mind is not always positive.
I’m upset that most of my hard work disappeared after the enforced lay-off. Facing another recovery after several previous physical setbacks only compounds the disappointment.
Do I have to go through this all again?
Yes, I do. I didn’t give myself a choice.
Setback Recovery
Before the surgery, there’s a goal I’ve been striving for on and off for years, which brings up the first tip in recovering from a setback.
Set a Goal
4 days post-op, my goal was to walk to the living room and back to the bedroom unassisted. It was more of a shuffle than a walk. Now, after almost 8 weeks, I have almost 40 consecutive days of 10,000 steps or more.
I started slow, then hit stride, but that’s not the goal.
My long-standing goal is a 400-pound deadlift. I was working my way to 400 by training it twice per week before the surgery. When I couldn’t deadlift, a funny thing happened. I missed it.
This setback has only made me more determined.
Setting goals is an article in itself, but here’s what setting one will do for your recovery. It gives you something else to focus on. Something other than the discomfort you’re going through.
Having something that you can see far off into the distance can assist with your recovery setback.
The Comparison Game
It’s always tempting to peek back into the past before the setback.
Before surgery, I was deadlifting 295 pounds for multiple sets of 6 reps. Now, pulling 225 is difficult. If I get stuck on what I used to do rather than what I can do now, there’s a risk my head will cave in.
There are two sides to the coin when it comes to comparison. On one side, it reminds you of what you were capable of beforehand. That’s motivating. The other is it reminds you what you cannot do, and that sucks. It’s a mindset fuck. Is the glass half empty or half full?
Which way you see the glass determines whether comparison is good or bad.
There’s that old-time saying that comparison is the thief of joy. When it comes to resistance training, it robs you of the progress you’re making now by comparing it to what you used to lift. When you beat yourself up, there are no winners.
Better to look forward and keep your eyes on the recovery prize.
Ask For Help
For most of the first week after post-op, I needed help with basic things, and I’ll leave that up to your imagination. Being incapable is humbling, and IMO is why we don’t often ask for help.
We don’t want to seem weak.
Without laying on the couch and reliving my deepest and darkest secrets, setbacks leave you vulnerable. When you’re vulnerable, it’s difficult to think straight and make good decisions, if you can think or make decisions at all.
That’s why it is vital to ask for help.
Patrick Umphrey, a powerlifting coach, gave me excellent programming advice to get my deadlift back on track. You’d think after 17 years in the personal training game, I could figure it out myself.
But the setback threw me for a loop. Patrick put me back on track.
Sure, I may’ve muddled my way through it, but his advice shortened the recovery curve. As recovery isn’t a lot of fun, it’s better to get it over and done with as soon as possible.
You do that by asking for help.
Wrapping Up
Setbacks bite, no doubt.
But once I set a goal, stopped playing the comparison game, and asked for help, things started moving in a positive direction.
I hope it does the same for you.
Leave a Reply