was off to a good start in my 16 week plan leading into football camp, and i just dislocated my shoulder. i was/am in week 1 of 16. i will be going to the doctor tomorrow morning, but from the looks of it, no upper body work for 4-6 weeks. plus no oly lifts, probably no squats because i won’t be able to get my hand on the bar without straining the shoulder. what should i do? i can continue my running, but what about weight room work? how can i progress in my cycle, or does it have to be delayed until 100%? i’m lost and frustrated on this one. i’m depressed and feel like doing nothing, but i know i got to do something, the question is what? thanks in advance
how’d you dislocate your shoulder?
snatches.
Good grief, you think YOU have it bad?
Yesterday I was playing in a play-off match for a local tournament, I got the ball, beat the tackler and was about to score when my hamstring gave out. And I’ve got a game next Saturday!
Just rantin’… I hope you get your shoulder sorted out, for the meantime have you thought about incorporating some plyo drills (eg. depth jumps) to replace your olympic lifts? How about barbell hack squats or snatch grip deadlifts in place of back squats as your limit strength exercise.
The good news is, you’ve got 16 weeks. Consider yourself luckier than most! 
Sorry to hear that, ESPN3. What about lower body stuff that doesn´t aggravate your shoulder? Glute-ham raises, reverse hypers, reverse leg press, leg press,…
Can you do explosive body weight exercises that don´t hurt (squat jumps…)?
Look at this as a challenge, not a death-dealing blow. This is a bummer, but a great chance to build character. Look at your motto.
Look to other athletes who have overcome physical adversity. Herman Maier, the skier - he almost lost a leg in a motorbike accident (Nov 2001), was told to be thankful he if can walk again, maybe forget skiing. He missed a season, and 17 (yes, 17) months later he WON a super G race in Kitzbuhel. He then tied for 2nd at the world championship in Super G this year (March).
There is always someone out there who has overcome. Good luck, get tough and stay tough!
Sorry to hear about the injury ESPN.
I’m not sure what you can do for the shoulder re-EMS or how soon it can start - maybe Charlie will be able to help you better.
Dig deep and do everything you can to get into the best shape possible.
Turn the negative into a positive.
Accept the challenge, re-design your program and with 16 weeks you have the time to recover from the injury. Work around the injury and the very best of luck
Ten weeks before the Olympic Games Kelly Holmes (GB) got injured with a 12.5cm tear to her calf muscle, she had been told by an orthopaedic surgeon that her season was over, she would need surgery and three to four months out of action.
Kelly wouldn’t accept it, completely redesigned her program, used the pool, used machines (steppers etc) she had never ever used before, even though she couldn’t even jog she trained around her injury.
Kelly Holmes ran 1:56.80 - the second fastest of her career and took bronze.
guys, thank you for all the kind & encouraging words. just reading the replies have made me feel better already. i am ready to overcome. i can still sprint, and do all of the exercises you guys mentioned… squat jumps with a barbell may be iffy. i would just like to know how to plan around this. i supposed plyo’s and maybe less speed work/more tempo might be a good route. i know charlie has planned around some of ben’s injuries and would like his suggestion. thanks guys, i appreciate the words.
Sometimes hill running can be employed in such a case. I know a hockey player who had double shoulder surgery who employed this type of training initially with a good result.
Charlie, is EMS a bad idea this soon?
ESPN3: once again, all the best! The squat jumps are body weight - no additional weight, or with a weight vest, or you have one that fits well and does not bounce. Of course, you should only do this if it is pain free.
so since i can’t lift after a speed session, should i just up my plyo volume? or maybe as charlie said, use hill running for my speed sessions then hit plyo’s? i will be getting an MRI in 10 days, the guy i saw this morning said he’s almost positive i have no rotator cuff damage, but he did not rule out a bankart lesion, which would require surgury.
E3
i have faith that you will return better, stronger and faster than ever…!
If you have access to EMS, by all means use it! There are protocols in th old forum.
E,
The other thing you can try to keep your strength up is resisted runs (i.e. pulling a tire or weight.) Can you do any kind of pulls off the ground? If so, deadlifts may be a good option for your strength training.
I would probably up my plyo volume as well. You can probably add in some that have longer ground contact times to help focus more on the strength aspect.
You can also get good at one-legged squats. These can be fairly challenging even with light weights.
I know its frustrating to be injured (I speak from experience!), but do what you can and view it as a learning opportunity. Think very carefully and at least get a second opinion before you go under the knife.
Good luck!
xlr8
How you doing E?
no,
i’m doing better. my MRI is scheduled for may 7th, so i’ll know the results that day. hopefully nothing is torn, but it was a pretty violent dislocation. until then, i’m just doing hill/step runs, plyo’s, and tempo. i’ll keep you guys updated. thanks for the concern.