#227 Try Something Crazy

Just Try Something

I’m always looking for ways to push the limit. For example, take my rotator cuff injury. I decided against having surgery, so it was entirely up to me on whether or not I was going to take my rehab seriously. The road to recovery was steep.

The big question: what could I do to keep pushing to get myself back to where I was before… and then some?

How could I bring back the durability & strength in my upper back, chest, and shoulders? How could I make everything around the injured area stronger?

Push-ups & Rotator Cuffs

If you’ve followed me for any period of time, you know I’m all about walking lunges for my GPP (general physical preparedness) and conditioning. My thought to myself was, “What if I did the same for my upper body?” 

Enter push-ups & rotator cuff raises. 

First-off, I have read a ton of jailhouse workouts in my day. People that are locked up obviously are doing a bunch of bodyweight work – aka push-ups. I was able to find a way to bench press to better load my triceps, protect my shoulders, and get a sick chest pump.

Here’s What I Did…

20 rotator cuff raises, 20 push-ups. Set a number to hit and do it every day after I lunge. 

What happens if I do 200 reps each? Now, that sounded easy. But if you’re loading relatively slow on the way down and pressing out all the way, then it’s much more difficult.

Think about it… you’ll be at 1,000 extra reps – on top of your normal workout – by the end of day five. I’m willing to do everything I can to give myself a chance to get my strength back to where it was, and then surpass those numbers.

Coming back from an injury like this was going to be super difficult. On paper it almost didn’t make any sense. But all the consistent work I put in to making my back, shoulders, and chest stronger really has paid off. 

And now I’m back in a place where I can push myself to a new level of strength. The point is that you never know what is going to work. It’s different for everyone, and you must be willing to put in the work and try out new things.