Moving off Hip Rehab Program after Block One

Training Q&A [Moderated]
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Hi Barbell Medicine friends.

Quick background. I’m 34 and have been lifting in one way or another for the last ~7 years and doing BJJ for the last ~10.

I developed some anterior hip stiffness and mild pain over the last 6 months, so I signed up on the Barbell Medicine mobile app to try out the Hip Rehab program. My only other experience with Barbell Medicine was running the free strongman template a few times in 2025.

I finished the first block of the program and my hip issue seems resolved. I was thinking about transitioning to the start of the gen 2 beginner prescription as a way to bridge back to normal resistance training instead of finishing the hip rehab program. I think a sort of reset would be good for me.

I have two questions. 1.) is that an unwise move and should I complete the rehab program? 2.) if running the gen 2 beginner prescription, is there validity in the idea that doing the machine-based version would be a better choice coming off rehab? I have never run a machine-only program.

Thanks!

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Howdy!

Thanks for joining the forum. I’m happy to hear your hip is feeling better :slight_smile: While it is not unusual for people to feel better after a few weeks of a good rehab program, one common issue is returning to the previous training load too quickly (assuming it was correct). Invariably, some fitness has decayed during a rehab program, often limited to how much training load a person can tolerate. So, when people jump back to their previous programming too quickly, the risk of reinjury goes up significantly.

For that reason, we normally recommend people finish the rehab programs. In this case however, I think the Beginner Prescription would be fine given that it’s designed for people who haven’t been working out consistently. If given my druthers, I’d do blocks 1 and 2 of the 2nd gen beginner template (vs just the free beginner prescription), but your plan seems reasonable.

-Jordan

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Thanks Jordan!

I’ll give the 2nd gen beginner template blocks 1 and 2 a go with a contingency plan of returning back to the hip rehab program.

I was surprised by how quickly my hip issues were reduced on the hip rehab program, so thank you all for that. I’m sold on doing a lot more of your templates now.

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Happy to hear it, and most importantly, that you’re feeling well!

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I ended up running out the Hip Pain program! My hip is in a much better place than earlier in the year.

I’m a little torn on where to go next. I want to lift 3 days per week and I don’t have a specific training goal, I just want to be stronger/more muscular and healthier.

I do BJJ 3x per week and although I don’t train very hard or competitively, I feel a little beat up on a regular basis.

Any program recs for someone who just came off the Hip Rehab program, wants to train 3x per week without specific goals, and has mild concerns about injury/fatigue from grappling?

I liked the Hip Rehab program, although it was more lower body volume than I’d want to do consistently.

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Happy to hear it. I’d run the General Strength and Conditioning 1- 2nd Generation program. I’d start with 3-4 weeks of the 2-day per week version (included) and see how you do with that. If all good, switch to the 3-day/wk version (also included).

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Sweet!

I’ll give that a go.

Question regarding the conditioning sessions. Is it recommended to do those on top of other cardiorespiratory activity? Or should someone adjust according to the type/volume of activity they do outside of the program?

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If someone is already doing more conditioning activity, I have some concerns regarding its training load on a lower body rehab program. Ultimately, I want the person to (at least) be meeting the guideline minimums, e.g. 150 min per week of moderate conditioning, in a way that doesn’t prolong their injury.

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Makes sense! I disregarded the 2 conditioning sessions while doing the Hip Rehap program.

I’m feeling good about moving forward with the S and C program as a non-injured person. Would you have similar advice for that program?

I want to adhere to the S/C program, and I like that the conditioning is organized and progressive. However, I have a fairly active lifestyle and wonder if it’s worth making time for the sessions.

Every week I train grappling or boxing for roughly 3 hours across the week days. Note, I do not kill myself in the gym like so many combat sports hobbyists.

I also hike and/or ride my bike on the weekends, which can vary in time/intensity. Anywhere from 2-4+ hours.

I’m not too concerned about my conditioning from a performance perspective, I just want to be healthy. I feel like I’m meeting guidelines, but it’s difficult to qualify/quantify the various activities.

Thanks a bunch! That’s the last thing on my mind about your programs. I’m impressed with how you all keep up with this forum.

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Yea, it certainly sounds like you’re getting enough conditioning to meet (likely exceed) the guidelines. I suspect even more would beneficial for health, but that’s pretty much true for everyone because we think there’s continued benefit to more and more cardiorespiratory fitness.

I would play around with doing a few conditioning sessions on the General Strength and Conditioning program if you can swing the time commitment. You’ll know after ~ 6-8 weeks if you’re getting much out of them.