We have Lattice Athlete Favia Dubyk (Instagram: @felinefavia) here today sharing her tips on how to stay motivated to train for climbing, when you’re faced with a new injury.

“As someone who has a connective tissue disorder, I am prone to injury. I used to think of injuries as lost training time but it doesn’t have to be…”

Here are the steps I follow to stay motivated when faced with a new injury:

1- IT’S OKAY TO BE UPSET – You’ve had a setback! After an acute injury, I allow for a short time of moping and sadness.

2- Form a TRAINING GAME PLAN – I make a list of muscles and areas I can train, without exacerbating my injury!

3- Form a RECOVERY GAME PLAN – (although make sure you consult a medical professional) – Rest the injured area. Generally it’s best to wait 72 hours after the incident before starting even light rehab, some injuries could require 7-10 days, just remember to only begin physical therapy when safe to do so.

4- Try Various HEALING MODALITIES – Often injuries cause other healthy muscles to compensate, leading them to be over stressed. It’s critical to keep your body in balance. Scraping and cupping tight spots in the uninjured areas. If you’ve hurt a finger, your muscles upstream (forearm, upper arms, shoulders, neck) could perhaps use some work?

5- Try KINESIOLOGY TAPE – If applied by a trained agent, this can give extra support allowing you to heal while you still enjoy light activities.

6- Try DRY NEEDLING – I swear this is MAGIC! It’s great for tight muscles, if done by a trained agent.

7- PATIENCE – Above all else remember, to be patient with yourself!

Keeping up with physical therapy and body maintenance can consume just as much time as climbing, which just doesn’t seem as fun. But in the long run, you will be happy that you took the time to focus on these elements. If you look at these steps as part of your training, your injury came become less of a setback and more of a shift in your training priorities.