Truly it depends on the injury, but how does one know what you are able to work through?
If you are accustomed to working out hard in the gym, you have certainly had the pleasure of being extremely sore at some point. You have suffered from nagging aches and pains (especially after leg day… which lets be real, you don’t do enough so when you finally get around to it, it hurts!)
I would say if you experienced a sudden sharp pain, the pain you experience is unbearable, or it extremely limits your range of motion, you may want to take it easy and heal up. Additionally if the pain never goes away, and seems to always get worse, you should definitely go get some help.
However, if these circumstances are not the case for you and your current injury, then surely we can find a way to work around it?
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This, I believe, we can feel our way around intuitively using some common sense principles.
For example, I recently had a sudden sharp pain in my lower left back after lifting considerably heavy weights doing deadlifts. This was likely due to a slackening of the form required to do a proper deadlift after 3 already grueling sets using about 85% of my 1 rep max. This along with the fact that I am a long torso, short legs body type, leads to a unique form that gives absolutely no margin for error.
Not fun! But it happens to the best of us. So I can either sit back and lose progress, or I can adapt and steamroll forward. I use caution when doing any movement that aggravates the site (lower back), but still have 2 fully functioning arms that just love doing curls and extensions. The upper back definitely wants its share of the gains as well, and the calves can be recruited without pain, ect ect. Look for a way, and you will find a way to keep moving forward.
My point is, we are all different and must train differently to optimize our individual bodies. If you feel you can do other exercises without making your injury site worse, go for it! Just be cautious, listen to your body, and use common sense regardless of whatever you read on the internet or in a magazine.
Here is an article with some great tips on working out around an injury, along with some ways to speed up the recovery process:
https://www.bodybuilding.com/content/10-tips-when-training-with-an-injury.html
Thanks for stopping by and reading,
As always feel free to comment below
*I am not a professional trainer, nor does any of my advice replace the council or consent of a physician or professional trainer. This article assumes one is training naturally, without the use of performance enhancing drugs. Do your research and diet/train at your own risk. Heavy weights have the potential of being dangerous, so use the help of a spotter if needed, and make sure you use proper form in all exercises! Best of luck in your journey! *