Injured during cycle: what to do?

Everyone has had those days when they’ve woken up sore. Maybe you slept in a weird position or had a particularly intense work out the day before. You get up, You shake it off, You don’t let it get in your way.

So where is the proverbial line in the sand that says “this is more than just sore! Give it a break!” Unfortunately, no such line exists and it’s really up to you to decide when you’re pushing it too hard.

But to help you, here are a few questions to consider:

• Has the pain been around for more than a day?
• Do you feel the pain when you’re not working out?
• Is the pain affecting your training?
• Is the pain affecting your everyday life?

If your answer to these questions was “yes” then you should probably consider quitting your cycle and giving yourself time to recuperate.

Frustrated? Thinking about continuing anyway? Before you make a short term choice, think about the effects it could have on your long term training.

Frustration is better than an aggravated injury.

When looking for major gains, a minor injury can be frustrating part way through a cycle. But continuing to push yourself when you can’t get the whole benefit of the cycle is detrimental to your body in more ways than one. Quitting outright means that your injuries will absolutely heal.

You can’t know what rep or exercise will be the one that pushes a minor pain into months of rehab. The risk is too great when you can stop and restart fresh after the injury heals. The gains you make on an injury if you do manage to finish the cycle will be noticeably lower than if you stopped and restarted at full speed. If you’re really looking to take the cycle seriously, wait it out until you’re feeling fit.

Quit while you’re ahead and Get back in the Game Faster

Another benefit of quitting can be chalked up to simple math. In the world of steroid cycles, the general rule is to start your next cycle after taking a break the length of your previous cycle.

Let;s take an example. If you’re in week 3 of a 10 day cycle and your ankle just isn’t feeling right, (popping, clicking, sore) quitting right then would only mean waiting 3 weeks to start again.

Whereas if you fought through 7 more weeks letting your ankle hold you back a little bit more every day, then you would get poor results and have to wait 2 more months before you could start again. 3 is less than 7. Simple math.

It’s Not About the Steroids, It’s About the Training.

Everyone who is serious about steroid cycles knows that taking steroids on their own is not what gets the user muscle gains. Steroids are there to supplement training and give you that little something extra to get the most out of every workout. Training is where the battle is really won.

Taking this into consideration, continuing on a cycle with an injury is knowingly selling yourself short. It’s accepting that your gains will be lesser than they could be, and wasting time committing with your whole heart but not your full strength.

Conclusion

At the end of the day, the choice is up to you. Maybe you’re working toward a competition and you feel it can’t wait, or maybe you’re just really excited and think that will over ride the pain. Whatever it is, make sure to actually calculate the risk before making your final decision.