Training around a sore shoulder, knee or back

This isn't medical advice, and if something hurts badly, see a doctor or a physiotherapist. But for the everyday aches lifters get, stopping training altogether is rarely needed. Training around it usually works better.

Stop signs

Stop and get it checked if you have sharp pain, pain that builds during a set, swelling, numbness or tingling, or a joint that gives way.

Work around it

• Skip exercises that hurt. A sore shoulder might rule out overhead presses but allow rows and leg work.
• Find a version that doesn't hurt: a different grip, a machine instead of a barbell, a smaller range of motion.
• Go lighter on exercises that are uncomfortable but not painful, and keep several reps in reserve.
• Keep training everything else. It keeps your strength, routine and mood up.

Rate the pain

A simple 0 to 10 scale helps. Pain that stays at 2 or below during and after exercise is generally considered acceptable when coming back. If it climbs above that, or is worse the next morning, ease off.

Come back gradually

Once pain has been low for about a week, bring the skipped exercises back light, around half your usual weight, and build up over a few weeks: 50%, then 70%, then 90%, moving on only while pain stays low.

Tip: Your physiotherapist's advice beats any general rule, including these. Show them what you're doing.

Injury mode in Liftsmith

Tell Liftsmith which body part hurts and it skips the exercises that load it, suggests ones that avoid it, or keeps them at a lighter percentage if you choose. It asks how the pain feels on a 0 to 10 scale, and once it has stayed low it offers a gradual return. Injury mode is free, and it never diagnoses anything.