Editor's Note: Please consult your doctor before trying any of these exercises.
competition can make the risk of a triathlon injury become more frequent.
But if you've hobbled out of a workout or race lately and complained about
"not being able to exercise" in the presence of a shoulder, knee, back, or
ankle triathlon injury, then you may want to keep reading.
movement and rehab when you have a triathlon injury or "messed-up" joint,
there's no reason that you can't stay in lean, fit shape while recovering.
It's just going to take a modification of your training program - with the
key being to keep stress off the triathlon injury. Try the following
workout programs with these 4 common triathlon injuries, which allow you
to train your cardiovascular and muscular system without stressing the
injured joint:
1. Ankle and Foot Triathlon Injury
Perform the following workout 3x/week, with 48 hours rest between each workout.
Complete 15 repetitions for each exercise.
Complete the 2 exercises back to back with minimal rest, then move on to the cardio booster.
Complete 60 seconds for each cardio booster.
Move 3-4x through these 3 stations (exercise 1 + exercise 2 + cardio booster)
Then move on to the next triple set!
Perform 30-60 minutes non-weight bearing cardio, like swimming or cycling, on the non-weight lifting days.
Machine Leg Extensions + Machine Leg Curls + Bicycle Cardio Booster Incline Dumbbell Chest Press + Lat Pulldown + Rowing Machine or Elliptical Cardio Booster
Stability Ball Push-Up + Single Arm Dumbbell Row + Bicycle Cardio Booster
Weighted Crunches + Hanging Leg Raise + Bicycle Cardio Booster
2. Knee Triathlon Injury
Complete the following series of exercises as a circuit, moving from one exercise to the next with minimal rest.
Do the entire circuit 3-4x.
Complete 10 repetitions for each exercise.
Do Circuit 1 and Circuit 2 on alternating days
Circuit 1:
Seated Overhead Shoulder Press
Pull-Up or Assisted Pull-Up
Lying Dumbbell Chest Press
Seated Row
Incline Dumbbell Chest Press
Lat Pull-Down
Circuit 2
Seated Med Ball Torso Twist
Med Ball Crunch
Side Plank Raises
Med Ball Push-Ups
5 Second Front Plank Hold
Corkscrew Rotations in Push-Up Position
3. Shoulder Triathlon Injury
Complete the following mini-circuits 5x through every day for three days. do #1 on Day 1, #2 on Day 2, #3 on Day 3. Take one day rest, then repeat.
Mini-Circuit 1:
2 minute bicycle at 100 percent
20 Barbell Squats
20 Dumbbell Romanian Deadlifts
Mini-Circuit 2:
2 minute elliptical at 100 percent
20 Incline Crunches
20 Low Back Extensions
Mini-Circuit 3:
2 minute treadmill at 100 percent
20 Lunge Jumps
20 Horizontal Jumps
4. Low Back Triathlon Injury
Complete the following circuit 3x during the week. Perform 30 seconds for each exercise, then rest 15 seconds and move on. Do the entire circuit 4-6x.
Complete 30-60 minutes of non-weight bearing cardio on the non-weightlifting days.
Machine Chest Press
Lat Pulldown
Machine Shoulder Press
Seated Rows
Stability Ball Squats
Machine Leg Extensions
Machine Leg Curls
As you can see, there are a wide variety of ways to stay fit when you have
injured a specific body part - and this can often keep you sane and keep
you from losing your fitness the next time you're laid up with a triathlon
injury.
Ben Greenfield has been coaching athletes for over a decade from the website
http://www.pacificfit.net, and is author of the modern triathlon coaching
manual, "How To Be A Triathlon Coach," at http://www.triathloncoachguide.com.
Follow on twitter @everymantri or view latest videos on YouTube.