Discharged BUT Not Ready

I completely understand what you’re going through.

I was a budding star athlete running the 100m hurdles and improving in the high jump at each meet. Then it happened. I saw myself falling at hurdle number 5 and struggling to find the strength to get back up. I couldn’t. My quad felt like it was on fire and my knee instantly blew up. A week later, I found out I tore my ACL at the height of my high school season. And to make matters worse, 4 years later I tore it again. Yes—the same knee. While the second orthopedic group blamed the first, I couldn’t help but blame myself a bit.

Had I gotten in the gym too soon and too heavy? Should I have been more diligent with my training? Was sprinting something I should stay away from forever?

I realized it wasn’t my hot fire passion to be active, nor was it what I was doing. It was what I wasn’t doing and what I had neglected in my training. And that gap mattered.

Cleared vs. Ready

Once I was cleared and my physical therapy sessions had run out, I couldn’t wait to get back to my normal program. A 5-day lift split and feeling the wind in my hair during sprints. However, something in my head kept saying, “You aren’t ready.” I was cleared, so why was this voice so loud? Luckily, I was newly graduated from Tennessee State University and a few months away from starting my Master of Exercise Science program. With that mindset, I slowed down and developed a plan of action to return to my body.

Being cleared by my physical therapist didn’t mean much without a plan. I had my rehab exercises and was getting bored with how easy they had become. Another voice in my head: “Load and progress.” I listened this time. I took the simple box squats and added some weight, eventually getting back to full back squats. The heel slides eventually became high-rep hamstring curls. THIS was the return I needed.

What’s Missing: A Progression Plan

As I began progressing through the program I built, I became more confident. By this time, I was already personal training and helping others progress in their own fitness journeys. A good bit of my clients were former athletes or hybrid athletes—they lived for a marathon. Small injuries would pop up or return from their high school or college days, and I was determined to assist them. Some went to physical therapy, and some didn’t; with both groups, I did my research and taught myself clear progressions. From there, I noticed the gap in a lot of people’s training. A gap I knew all too well.

The Four GetRight Phases

This gap in so many people’s training, especially coming back from an injury, was exactly what it is—a gap. Within that gap are four different phases of training that flow with each other.

First: Restore. By definition, it means to ‘bring back, reinstate, repair so as to return it to its original condition’. That definition makes it the perfect first phase. It's the perfect time to (re)learn your body, its patterns, and your lifestyle. Of course, since you took time away from {insert your activity here}, things are moving differently, and there are new habits to form. This time calls for assessments that build foundational training & mobility. Each person's Restore phase will look different, but most can benefit from a 21-31 day phase.

Second: Strengthen. The phase a lot of people skip straight to because it feels best. Then there’s social media and obsolete ways of coaching that tell you to do so. It’s important, but it’s the second phase to the simple fact that there needs to be a measurable goal. The goal comes from body (joint & muscle) tolerance and mental capacity. Can you move through a strength phase safely and be full there? In this phase, you then begin progressing through training, habits begin to compound, and you feel the difference of training with intention.

Third: Performance. Don’t take the word so literally—you are producing optimal, if not close to it, performance and movement. This is the phase where everything begins to show. You’re beginning to notice the habits are automatic, your mindset has transformed, and you realize the consistency was all worth it. Training becomes more challenging; you dig deeper and push yourself further than you have in a long time.

Fourth: Maintain. The phase of true ‘keep going’ energy. By this point, the training is easy. This is not the time to reduce training, but it’s maintenance of habits & mindset. There is a shift from building to working with sustainable systems and routines. You are in the mode of owning your training, and the results are the cherry on top. You are one with your body and now have tools that protect the hard-earned results.

Three Takeaways

This could be a lot of information that you weren’t expecting to receive, but none of it should be intimidating. This is simply a roadmap that can span over weeks, months, and years. It all depends on where you begin and how hard you push. Focus on these three things:

One: Slow down and don’t skip to the strength phase without knowing what to work on.

Two: Using the foundational structure of training & mobility, allow your mindset to conform to new things and be intentional.

Three: Give yourself grace, and don’t stop when it gets tough or when it gets easy.

There is always another level to kick it up to and another mode to go into.

And please note: this is a nod to the work physical therapists or rehabilitation specialists do to get you pain-free. This is simply the next step.

Moving Forward

This is just the introduction to The GetRight Journal — your new home for research-backed information and coach-tested protocols. This is where research meets the turf, track, and gym floor.

Your roadmap back to you is one call away. Book an interest call with Coach Milan.

coachmilan@projectgetright.com
(615) 751-9714

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