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Summary
On episode 491 of 40+ Fitness, Coach Allan shares what he learned coming back from his own COVID diagnosis and lays out a framework for bouncing back from any injury or illness after 40. His core message: getting hurt or sick isn’t a stop button, it’s a pause button.
He walks through the mindset shift required first (accepting that setbacks are inevitable, then evaluating whether anything about your behavior or environment needs to change), followed by the practical steps: prioritize actual recovery, use downtime to work on neglected areas like mobility or mindfulness, and retrace your training volume gradually instead of jumping back in at full intensity.
Co-host Rachel joins with a real-time example, planning her own post-race recovery after a 50-mile ultramarathon, and Allan shares how he handled a torn rotator cuff by keeping his ego in check and following his physical therapist’s plan to the letter.
Links
- https://40plusfitness.com
Key Takeaways
- Injury and illness after 40 are inevitable, so evaluate rather than spiral. Instead of getting angry or discouraged, take an objective look at whether a behavior or environmental factor (like a dark staircase or an ego-driven lift) contributed, and fix what you can.
- An injury or illness is a pause button, not a stop button. The real tragedy is people who get hurt once and quietly stop training for years afterward. Stopping permanently means letting the injury win.
- Recovery has to be job one. Do the physical therapy homework, complete the actual rest or quarantine period, and don’t just mask symptoms with pain medication and push through, because that cycle repeats.
- Downtime is a chance to work on neglected areas. A hurt arm is an opportunity to build leg strength and mobility; illness downtime can go toward mindfulness and mental clarity you wouldn’t otherwise make time for.
- Come back by retracing your route, not jumping back to where you left off. Cut volume roughly 10 percent after a short layoff, up to 50 percent after a longer one, then rebuild from there. Muscle memory means the comeback is usually faster than people expect.
- Plan the comeback before the injury is even resolved. Allan scheduled physical therapy to start immediately after his rotator cuff surgery and surprised his therapist with his range of motion, because he prepared in advance instead of just resting in a sling and waiting.
- Ego causes as many injuries as accidents do. Allan tore his own rotator cuff pressing 80 pound dumbbells overhead. Knowing your real limits, and not chasing a number to prove something, prevents a lot of these setbacks in the first place.
- Post-hab matters as much as rehab. Hydration, protein, gentle movement, and compression gear help the body recover even from planned exertion like an ultramarathon, not just from injury, and recovery simply takes longer as you get older.
“When you stop moving, you stop living. When you stop moving, you start deteriorating. You have to move to live.”
Coach Allan Misner
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