Injuries come in all shapes and sizes. You may still be able to train with modifications, but they are a hindering nuisance. Or, they can be debilitating where you can’t train at all. Regardless of the severity of them, they’re annoying and inconvenient and no one likes them.

I have heard athletes say, “Well, if there ever was a good time to get injured, now was a good time.” Seriously, come on, really?! No time is ever a good time to become injured. Injuries stink.

Weightlifters, regardless of ability, have a balance of mental and physical strength. You have to admit, there is something that we weightlifters all share internally that ‘normal’ people just don’t have. We are unique, we are special and that is why we are weightlifters. You may be physically strong, but struggle when it comes to the mental aspect during training and/or competition. Or, you may be mentally strong, but lack physical strength. Either or, it’s okay, that’s one of the great challenges in weightlifting is becoming both physically and mentally strong. With an injury, the mental component is where you will be tested. I have seen, first hand, that injuries can truly make or break an athlete. If you are injured, be prepared for your mental strength to be tested like never before.
 
Just as you have a training program to follow in the gym, you need one for your road to recovery and to return to the platform. If you’re not able to return to the platform, then you need a plan for your overall quality of life and how you will continue to be part of the weightlifting community. Do your research and work with someone who understands you as an athlete. Make sure they know that the type of lifting you do is beyond bench pressing. Maybe share videos with them of what Olympic weightlifting entails so they have a full understanding of what kind of athlete you are. You could even reach out to USA Weightlifting and connect with their Medical Committee to see if they have anyone serving on their Committee that is within your region. These individuals are screened and vetted through a process that will ensure they are knowledge in their field and can help with your recovery. 
 
No matter who is creating your rehabilitation program, make sure you understand and can commit to following the plan. You need to commit to your rehabilitation process with the same focus and dedication that you do your training program. As weightlifters, we measure success 1 kg at a time. See if you can identify small goals with your rehabilitation program. For example, I can’t tell you how excited I was when I moved from the yellow tube (smaller in diameter than a straw) resistance band up to the shoe string thickness green resistance band when I went through my shoulder rehabilitation. I think I actually said to my athletic trainer, “NEW PR!” That goal-oriented, determined and competitive mentality proves to be installed in me whether it was on the platform or in the sport medicine facility. I am guessing it is probably in you, too.
 
Your rehabilitation location (training hall/training room/physical therapist’s office etc.) is now your gym, it is your second home, but only temporarily. Remember, it is not forever! You may have traded a barbell for a 5lb resistance band, but you need to approach that band the same way you do lifting a barbell. An injury is not a break from the gym. If anything, it is a true test of your dedication to being a weightlifter.
It might be emotionally painful and taxing to go into the training hall and watch your teammates do what you are not physically able to right now. It is important though to continue to be a supportive member of your team. Sometimes the absence of one teammate can affect the atmosphere of the training hall. You have more value than you realize as a teammate. So, go into the gym, and do what you can within reason, even if it is sitting on a bench being a cheerleader. Listen to the coach and cues they are giving to athletes. You may pick up new knowledge that you can use yourself.
 
If getting back on the platform is not a possibility, remember that there are ways that you can still be part of the weightlifting community. You can become a referee or a coach. You can serve on your Local Weightlifting Committee or part of one of USA Weightlifting’s Committees or Board of Directors. Your knowledge as a weightlifter (whether you’re lifting or not!) can make an impact on our community and spread the good word of weightlifting.
 
Let’s not avoid the fact that injuries stink and no one is excited or happy to have one. Injuries may trigger sadness, even depression. If you know you’re prone or susceptible to depression, seek out a therapist or counselor during this time. A sports psychologist would be optimal if you have access to one. If you’re not willing to see a counselor or therapist, then find someone you can confide in. This person also needs to be someone who can hold you accountable for your rehabilitation plan. An accountability partner is someone who can check in on you and ensure you’re sticking to your plan and on the right path to recovery. They can also be a shoulder to cry on should you need too. Talk to them about your ups and downs of rehab. Also, talk to them about your goals once you get back on the platform. You’ve been knocked off track a little, but your goals can still be your goals, it just may take a little longer to get there with this speed bump in the road.

Another piece of advice I want to share this: do not devalue the benefits of mental imagery. Go through the lifts in your mind. Practice seeing yourself lift and feeling the lift. Three-time Romanian Olympian (1976, 1980, 1984) and former US Olympic Team Coach Dragomir Cioroslan sustained a debilitating back injury a year out from the 1984 Olympic Games. As he lay in a hospital bed recovering, he practiced mental imagery. I once heard him tell a group of athletes that he became so proficient with mental imagery that he could smell the chalk. I will always remember him saying that training for mental imagery was just as important as the physical training itself. At the 1984 Olympic Games, Dragomir placed 3^rd in the 67.5kg class totaling 332.5kg, only 2.5kg away from Silver and 7.5kg away from Gold. I would say he knows what he is talking about.
 
When you have been released by a medical professional to start lifting again, give yourself a huge pat on the back and recognize all the hard work you have put in to overcoming your injury. Even if you are unable to compete again but have simply improved your quality of life, don’t discredit your hard work. We are highly critical of ourselves and often own worst critics.
 
Even if you’re not able to be on the platform, or can only lift with heavily modified workouts, don’t make excuses. You can still grow mentally and physically in ways that you can’t imagine.  Remember, when you make excuses for yourself, they rob you of future successes and accomplishments. Why be your own worst enemy when you can be your biggest cheerleader?!