09/30/2026
āFocus on What You CAN Doā
By Coach Ali
When you have an injury, one of the best things you can do is keep moving.
Obviously, this doesnāt mean ignoring your doctor or physiotherapist, pushing through pain, or doing something you havenāt been cleared to do. It means focusing on what you CAN do instead of everything you canāt. But this isnāt always easy.
After an injury, I often find myself struggling with the mental side more than anything. I think about where I should be, what I used to be able to do, how much strength or fitness Iāve lost, and how far Iāve fallen.
Iāve had to deal with this a lot over the years.
Iāve broken bones, had a concussion, and needed multiple surgeries. I was extremely limited. It wasnāt even a situation where I could just train around one injured body part.
Physically, recovery was hard. But I found the mental part even harder.
Youād think after going through that I would be really good at taking my own advice.
Surprise, Iām not.
Earlier this year I badly broke my finger and needed surgery. At first, there were legitimate reasons I couldnāt train. But eventually there were things I could do, and I still wasnāt doing them.
I stopped training consistently.
Now Iām looking at where my fitness was before my injury compared to where it is today, and thatās hard. Iāve lost strength. Iāve lost conditioning. Things that used to feel easy donāt anymore.
And ironically, the more fitness Iāve lost, the harder it feels to come back.
I think thatās the trap.
We tell ourselves weāll go back when weāre healed. When we can do more. When we feel more like ourselves again.
But you donāt have to wait until youāre back to where you were before you come back.
Come back as you are now.
Maybe all you can do is your rehab exercises and go for a walk. Maybe you canāt use your shoulder, but you can train your legs. Maybe your workout has to look completely different from everyone elseās.
Who cares?
Youāre there. Youāre moving. Youāre doing what your body is capable of doing right now.
Progress doesnāt always have to be a PR. Sometimes itās another five degrees of range of motion. Sometimes itās doing something without pain. Sometimes itās using a fraction of the weight you used to use. And sometimes itās simply showing up. But It still counts.
Thereās also something pretty powerful about continuing to show up when things arenāt going your way. You might not realize it, but someone else in the gym is watching you modify, struggle, and keep going, and that can be incredibly inspiring. Thatās also one of my favourite things about CrossFit. We donāt have to do this alone. We celebrate each other on our best days, but more importantly, we support each other through the hard ones too.
So if youāre recovering from an injury or surgery and youāve stopped coming because you donāt think thereās anything you can do, I get it.
Iām writing this as much for myself as I am for anyone reading it.
Talk to your coaches. Tell us what youāve been cleared to do and what your restrictions are. Let us help you figure out what you can do.
And Iāll be taking my own advice too.
Start where you are. Keep moving. Keep showing up.
