What if i cant ____ ?

What if i cant squat? How will i build my legs?
What if i cant do clean? Mah traps!
What if i cant bench? My wife will expode?

We've all heard this guy and been this guy. When injury inevitably comes, the plans we had made for ourselves are followed by a question mark instead of a comma.

My injuries are always accompanied by a few things. Grief, disbelief, stubborn behavior (I CAN STILL SQUAT NO I CANT MAYBE), and depression. I distinctly remember herniating a disc deadlifting 430 6 years ago. As i felt a baseball bat reverberate up ans down my spine and legs, i thought, 500 is never going to happen. But injuries are also accompanied by something else if you let them. Focus and creativity

Focus
Your back is fucked. You've tried everything, and the only movements you can still do are rehab for your back and glutes. Guess what? You get a mother fucking back vacation! Remember that whackadoo shoulder, chest, and arm specialization program you scoffed at 10yrs ago? You get to do that now! Every fuckin day, work on building your delts, chest, and arms until the pump threatens your life.

Creativity
Your back is fucked, but you still want traps. Youve gone on the delt train hard and have reaped the gains. But something looks weird. Your traps look puny next to the rip known as your shoul dars. What do?

Find something that doesnt load your spine in the same way that a regular shrug does. Overhead shrugs, front rack shrugs, neck extensions, overhead presses, etc.

Same dealeo for your lats.

The first thing i was able to do post herniation that didnt hurt were seated cable rows. And by george i hit them with a vengence.