How to Train Around an Injury Without Losing Progress
By Coach Dan — Tri-State Training | Mindset. Movement. Memorable.
Injury — or even just discomfort — is one of the fastest ways for an athlete to panic.
Lifters worry about losing progress, losing strength, or losing momentum. Coaches worry about pushing too far or not pushing enough. But here’s the truth I want every athlete at Tri-State to understand:
Being injured does not mean you have to stop training.
It means we need to train smarter, not less.
The athletes who continue to progress long-term aren’t the ones who never get hurt. They’re the ones who learn how to adjust, communicate, and stay engaged through the process.
Let’s walk through exactly how we do that at Tri-State.
Step One: We Involve the Right People Immediately
The second an athlete reports pain — whether it’s “something feels off” or “this hurts when I squat” — we pull in support.
My first call is always to Taylor, our in-house physical therapist.
From there, we often send athletes to her or another PT for a proper movement screen.
Why?
Because most of what we see in weightlifting isn’t traumatic injury. It’s:
Overuse discomfort
Mobility-related limitations
New ranges of motion causing irritation
Mild technique-related stress
This sport is extremely low-risk when performed correctly. But discomfort is still real — and getting eyes on it quickly lets us modify, not halt, training.
Step Two: The Philosophy — You Can Almost Always Still Train
I cannot overstate this:
Almost always, there is something you can train without making the issue worse.
Your job becomes avoiding the aggravating pattern.
My job becomes finding every other pattern you can train safely.
Examples from real athletes:
A youth lifter trained upper body work from a seated position while in a boot
Lifters with back discomfort shifted into unilateral strength and core stability
Athletes with wrist pain trained pulls, RDLs, sleds, and belt squats
Athletes with shoulder pain built lower-body strength, positional control, and sled work
During these periods, we prioritize:
Strength
Unilateral work
Accessories
Conditioning
What we usually reduce is technique work that puts the irritated area under stress.
Injury doesn’t mean training stops.
It means training changes.
Step Three: Communication Is Essential
If you’re injured, I need communication. Daily communication.
Not 30 minutes before your training session.
Not once a week.
Not “I thought it would go away.”
Instead:
Tell me early
Tell me clearly
Tell me if it’s worsening or improving
Tell me what movements bother it
This gives me and Taylor time to:
Modify the program intelligently
Create a customized plan
Progress you safely
Build confidence instead of fear
Athletes who communicate recover faster.
Athletes who hide pain prolong recovery.
Step Four: Training Injured Requires a Mindset Shift
Some athletes think, “If I can’t snatch or clean & jerk, what’s the point?”
But injury phases are some of the most productive training phases we ever run.
Athletes often see improvements in:
Unilateral strength
Hypertrophy
Positional control
Balance and stability
Conditioning
Core strength
And when you return to full lifting, you are usually stronger and more balanced than before.
Injury training isn’t wasted time.
It’s redirected development.
Step Five: The Goal Isn’t Just Avoiding Regression — It’s Progressing Differently
Training through an injury is still training.
Progress simply takes a different form.
You may not be hitting PRs, but you will be building:
Strength in supportive structures
Improved mechanics
Better body awareness
Greater stability
Greater resilience
These qualities translate directly back to improved performance once full movement returns.
The Big Takeaway
Injury does not mean stop training.
Injury means: Adjust → Communicate → Progress differently.
As long as we’re working together — you, me, and our PT team — there is always a path forward.
If you’re dealing with something right now, reach out.
Don’t guess.
Let’s build your injury-adjusted training plan and keep you progressing.
Your strength journey doesn’t pause here.
It pivots.
