If we run into each other in the next few weeks, well first of all, I’m sorry. I guess I didn’t see you standing there.

I kid, I kid.

If you do see me, there’s a good chance I’ll have my right arm in a sling. Because 15 years of baseball and softball.

My shoulder gave out on me during an exercise back in March, and it’s been bugging me ever since. I finally got it checked out and low and behold, I’ve got a tear in my labrum. Seriously, because softball.

I’ve been largely fortunate in my athletic career to avoid injuries, but as I approach 40, it’s only natural that my body is going to start showing some of the wear and tear I’ve put it through.

But does that mean I can’t train?

No. 

Is it harder?

Well, yes and no. The thing is, despite my overall easy-going, roll-with-it nature, when it comes to training I’m a little obsessive. If my coach writes me a program, I do that program with no variation. Sometimes to my detriment. I don’t treat my program like an a la carte and with good reason; my coach gives me specific exercises to achieve my goals. 

When you suddenly can't do 50% of your workout, the temptation is to throw in the towel. 

But unless you're dealing with a serious back injury or some other full body ailment, there's a good chance you can train around the problem area. You'll probably want a coach or a fitness professional to help you figure what to do, but simply knowing that you CAN continue to train is half of the battle.

I’ve got a bum right shoulder. I can’t lift my arm over my head without searing pain. I’m limited with much of what I can do, but once I stopped Eyor-ing* all over the place I realized I still had plenty of options for training. (And that took awhile. I've been battling this injury for months now). 

I can run.

I can work my left arm.

I can deadlift.

And I can train the hell out of my lower body. 

Once I got in the right mindset I got back to training. But not without a little help. There are many reasons it's great to have a coach, but when training around an injury, whether it's just nagging knee pain, lower back discomfort or a broken hand, a good trainer or coach will write you a program that is safe and effective. I've taken advantage of coaches to help me circumvent my injury.

Over the weekend I received an email from a friend who wants some help in training after a hysterectomy. I think this line of the email sums it up best: "My aunt was told to rest for three weeks for her back; it's been 40 years and she's debilitated." 

40 years. 

Don't get me wrong; there is absolutely a time and place for rest, especially when you're dealing with serious injury. But sometimes just finding a way to stay consistent with some type of training can make all of the difference when it comes to staying on track. 

*Yes I made this word up. But it so works for me. 

I don't actually think Captain American gets jealous, as that probably goes against his general humility. But we are less than a week out from the new Captain American movie.

My household is split between Captain America and Iron Man....

Six days people. Can you even stand it?

I was more of a Batman fan growing up, but then they changed Batmans 50 times and Chris Evans took over the Captain America role. Ok, mostly Chris Evans took over the role and I could stare at his blue eyes all day long. 

Let's just hope that it's better than Batman vs. Superman which earned negative stars. 

One thing that never gets negative stars is a good core exercise that makes it hard to wash you hair in the morning. (How's that for a transition Doc?*)

No I don't want it to be painful to reach your hands over your head and do the wave at your next minor league baseball game. But getting your core work in is important, as I mentioned here and here. And these two exercises are a good way to make brushing your teeth agony.

And strengthen the core to protect the spine and start developing those abs. 

Bodysaws with Valslides

Valsides are a brand of sliders that you may or may not find at your gym. My last gym didn't have them and I left paper plates in my gym bag which worked just fine.

Who I stole this from: Pretty much everywhere, again, but this was in one of my recent programs from Tony Bonvechio, which reminded me how much I hated it. Thanks Tony!

To perform the exercise: Set up in the low plank position (on your elbows not your hands) and place the sliders under your feet. Shift your weight back and forth in a sawing motion using only your arms to move back and forth on the sliders. You'll notice in the video below that I'm not exactly moving very far. 

Key cue: Avoid using your hips to move the sliders, which is an easy habit to fall into. Concentrate on staying in the plank position and using your forearms to initiate the movement.

Excellent anterior core exercise. If your gym doesn't have Valslides or sliders you can also use paper plates or card stock, or substitute in a TRX or stability ball.

If you don't have a pair of sliders or paper plates handy, you can also use a swiss ball or stability ball to perform the same movement. 

Anterior core exercise is just a fancy way of saying working on your abs. 

And if you'd like to up the ante a little and add some more variety, you can throw this variation in that I stole from Ben Bruno. Grab a pair of dumbbells and the sliders. Perform a renegade row on each side, then pull yourself forward with the dumbbells. Rinse and repeat. You can do this for distance or repetitions. 

I saw this exercise on Ben Bruno's Instagram feed and loved it. If you don't have sliders at your gym, paper plates will do.

And now we're even closer to the premiere of the new Captain Merica movie. 

Win.

*Doc is Dr. Marsters, my favorite college writing professor and mentor.