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It's The Total Load You Place On Your Body, Not Just Training Load


Recently I tore my adductor and conjoint tendon. Complete tear. Training jiu-jitsu with a mate.

Now we just got caught in an awkward position as we were transitioning and my groin got stretched and caught under his body weight. I felt the snap immediately and my tendon rolled up into a ball right beside my pubic bone. I wasn't being stupid trying to resist a submission or anything like that, it was just an accident.

Most people would accept that as the reason and move on but I have had way too many tears in my days and I look for reasons as to why this is happening. It isn't normal. Maybe a little strain or tear, but not things coming off the bone so easily. I think the biggest culprit is the amount of cortisone shots I had as a rugby league player. I would of had more than 30 in my life. In just one off season I had 11. They tell you they can weaken ligaments and tendons and to rest after getting them done for a few days, which I did do, but I think there has to be long lasting affects.

In the past I was guilty of over training and pushing too hard. So that is why I thought I was rupturing things. I think it was definitely a massive contributor. Since I have backed off in my training I have been injury free for a year and a half and was getting stronger and feeling much healthier. When this injury first occurred I didn't consider I could be over trained / under recovered, whatever you like to call it, because I have kept my volume low and haven't been training all that much. What I did over look though was the total load my body is under from all aspects of my life, not just training.

Starting our own gym has been great for us and our clients but it has added a lot to my day. 5am to 7pm takes its toll over time. I knew this but because I love what I do and don't really consider how much drain it can put on my body. I sleep well and have a regular routine, always getting 8 hours a night, my nutrition is good, all those lifestyle things I have covered. There is only so much we can handle though.

The point of all this is to consider the total load you are putting on your body, not just your training load. Many people try to mimic the training of professional athletes but you have to remember that they are being paid to do that and it is there main focus. Most aren't working 9-5 jobs on top of that, they get the time to recover and prepare for the next session.

Some things to look at are psychological factors (have you had really busy weeks, stressed out, unmotivated etc.), your nutritional/nutrient status, sleep, social aspects of your life (been partying too much, not relaxing with friends family enough), school / work demands, environmental factors, any recovery interventions you may or may not be doing, all of these can impact your ability to recover from training, and just daily life, so consider these when determining how much additional work you can put into your day.

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