A few weeks ago, I tweaked my right shoulder.
That shoulder has given me trouble before—maybe because it’s my dominant arm, maybe from an old injury, or maybe it was just a fluke. Either way, it was frustrating.
My workouts had been going great—I was getting stronger and leaner every week—so the setback made me want to throw in the towel.
After a day of self-pity and convincing myself that my goals weren’t that important, I snapped out of it.
Here’s how I got back on track without making things worse.
STEP 1: Don’t Make It Worse
The first step in recovery is not making it worse.
That’s easy if you’re in a cast as the cast prevents you from doing something stupid. It’s harder when it’s just a dull ache and you still need to use that arm to work, get dressed, and live your life.
I adjusted my workouts, cutting out shoulder-loading exercises to give it time to heal.
Key point: I didn’t stop working out—I just made adjustments.
STEP 2 – See a Professional
I shot a text to my athletic therapist, who I trust completely and adore, as she’s always taken great care of me.
She understands that the solution isn’t to stop exercising—it’s to strengthen the area so it’s more resilient in the future.
She was booked for a couple of weeks, but I had a good idea of what she’d recommend, so I got started right away.
Key point: I am not a doctor. When in doubt, see a professional instead of struggling through it for weeks without results.
STEP 3 – Adjust (Don’t Eliminate) – Workouts
I’ll admit it—I’d been phoning it in on my warm-ups. Skipping exercises, cutting reps, and not really focusing. No wonder I tweaked something.
So I recommitted to my warm-up, targeting problem areas with a release-relengthen-reteach approach:
✅ Release tight muscles with a lacrosse ball (pecs) and foam roller (lats).
✅ Relengthen tight areas with a stoney stretch (pecs), rack lat stretch (lats), and kneeling T-spine rotation (rib cage).
✅ Reteach good posture with wall slides and band face pulls to reinforce healthy posture and positioning.
STEP 4 – Rehab on rest days
I added the same mobility work from my warm-ups to my rest days—because doing it 7 days a week works better than 3.
STEP 5 – Ease into normal
I’ve gone from a 7/10 for pain to a 0-1/10 by sticking with this plan. Now it’s time to rebuild without getting complacent.
Like taking antibiotics for the full 10 days even when you feel better after 3—consistency matters.
I’m slowly increasing weight and reps, focusing on good form, and keeping up with mobility work to avoid ending up back where I started.
The Takeaway
If you’re dealing with a minor injury, you don’t need to stop training altogether. Use these five steps to keep progressing without losing momentum:
- Don’t make it worse
- See a professional
- Adjust (don’t eliminate) workouts
- Rehab on rest days
- Ease into normal
Want some extra guidance and support getting through these 5 steps? Click HERE to talk to a coach.
Disclaimer: We are not doctors. This approach works for minor tweaks—not serious injuries. See a professional to assess your situation.
