Hi there—new subscriber and big fan of the podcast!
I recently completed my NASM cert and am starting my journey as a fitness coach. Over my 15+ years of lifting, I’ve tweaked my lower back several times, leading me to avoid squats and deadlifts entirely. Now that I’m certified, I want to overcome that fear and finally master squats.
So, my question is: How do you work through fear of injury or re-injury, especially after multiple past injuries? I’m really finding it difficult as once leg day rolls around its a huge mental battle to know if today will be a “good day” or “bad day”
I know “just get over it” isn’t always practical. I’d love your thoughts on managing this fear—and if you have reading recs on the topic, I’m all ears! (Im officially hooked on steve magness)
Thanks for the kind words. They’re much appreciated.
As far as how to address fear in training, the specifics tend to be unique to the individual. Generally speaking, I prefer to treat this fear like a sort of injury itself, i.e. finding an entry point and gradually progressing from there.
In your case, I’d hazard a guess that you have minimal fear about performing BW squats and deadlifts with the empty barbell. Perhaps a goblet squat and tempo deadlift from mid shin- both for higher reps (to reduce the load) would be a good entry point. Over time, moving towards normal tempo, lower reps, and higher loads would be reasonable.