When low level rehab exercises get punched in the face by reality.. and what we can learn about longevity From Mike brown.

Rehabbing an injury is a process. Once you fully understand what the injury is and what is causing it, you need to ask yourself three key questions:

Where am I now?

Where do I want to be?

What milestones do I need to hit along the way?

To visualise this, think of yourself at the bottom of a ladder, with your goal sitting annoyingly at the top. When climbing a ladder in real life, you cannot just jump to halfway and fling yourself to the top. That would end in catastrophe. You take it step by step. Your rehab ladder is no different.

When you start your rehab, the injury might still be painful. The exercises are likely to be very low level and focused on getting the specific muscles and tissues around the injury working again.

This is rung number one.

Now, for simplicity, let’s say there are ten rungs on the ladder. We are rehabbing a knee injury to return to running. The ten rungs might look something like this:

• Physio prescribed glute, hamstring, quad and calf exercises

• Pain free bodyweight isometrics (holding still in specific positions to encourage muscle activation)

• Loaded isometrics (adding weight to stage two)

• Slow eccentrics (focusing on lengthening the muscle)

• Movement through full range

• Strength through full range

• Low level hopping

• Moderate level hopping

• High level hopping

• Return to running

You need to climb this ladder rung by rung. If you miss a rung, you are likely to slide back down. If you try to leap from rung two to the top, reality will punch you straight in the face.

Too often I see people jump from the early stages of rehab to full performance, and it rarely ends well. The intensity of the rehab simply has not prepared the body for what you are asking it to do.

So next time you are questioning why your injury is still lingering, consider which rungs you might have skipped.

If you are unsure which rung you are on, or what the rungs even look like, that is where I can help. Think of me as a rung three to ten guy.

What we can learn from Mike Brown about longevity

Mike Brown is an English rugby player who recently retired at 39 after an astonishing 430 Premiership appearances and 72 tests for England.

He posted last week thanking his fans, his family, and his coaches. But one thank you stood out.

Margot Wells. His performance mentor and speed coach.

I knew Mike back in our Harlequins academy days. He was very good, but not the most naturally talented player in the group.

But he knew what he needed. He invested in it. And it served him well.

He needed speed. That is where Margot Wells came in. I remember him telling me he was paying four hundred pounds a month to train with her, despite already being on an academy contract and having access to all the club resources.

At the time, it seemed like madness.

I am sure the strength and conditioning coaches were not especially pleased he was seeking advice outside the club. But he did it anyway. And it paid off.

Margot was a bit marmite. Her methods were different from the norm. But they worked. Mike got faster. He stayed injury free. And he had one of the longest careers in the game.

She understood him and his body better than anyone else. That made the difference.

Last week someone asked me, why are you better than other coaches?

I should have said this:

I am not better than everyone. But for your exact problem, right now, I might be the best person in the world to help.

Margot might not have been the best coach in the world for everyone. But for Mike, at that point in his career, she was exactly what he needed. And that decision shaped his future.

There is no one size fits all in rehab or training. Whether it is a ladder or a coach, the magic is finding the person who gets your body and your goals. Then taking it step by step.

If you have been stuck on rung three wondering why your knee still hurts, maybe it is time to climb properly.

If your rehab isn’t working, maybe you’ve missed a rung. If your progress has stalled, maybe it’s time to find your version of Margot.

If you need help with your injury or your performance, or solving one to optimise the other, I offer all of my subscribers a free 30 minute programming audit to answer all of questions on these matters.

Nothing to buy, just value, and if you need help implementing it I can do that as well.