Should I continue working out (lightly)

[OUCaptain]

I'm into week 3 of the 5X5 lifting routine and have pulled something in my back. It's not the normal pulled muscle from lifting with my back instead of my knees, but up between my shoulders. It's nothing real serious (I think), just mildly painful and slow to heal. So the question as stated above is should I keep working out every other day as usual and just take it easy, work just as I usually do, or take a few days off. The pain is not so bad that that I can't easily work through it. My fear is that once I start skipping workouts, it'll be easier to skip them in the future. I want to maintain my forward momentum. What are the thoughts from you guys?

 

[paulxcook]

If it doesn't hurt that bad try workout around it. Maybe avoid movements that would put heavy strain on that area. Working "through" it might not be the best idea. I understand wanting to stay committed and that is a good thing, but if you do not give it time to heal you could be forced to take more significant time off by hurting it worse. It's hard to know without knowing the full extent of the injury, so just be cautious and try to maintain as much of your routine without placing lots of stress on the strained area.

 

[TallBill]

If it hurts, lay off. If you can work around it, lighten your weights and do so. Stretch, ice, stretch. Don't do anything with full weight until you are comfortable again.

 

[OUCaptain]

The most annoying part is that this is one of the main reasons I started working out in the first place. Anytime I would strain my back in the least, I'd end up hobbling around for a week. Guess I just over did it a bit.

I chose the middle path for today. I skipped the workout instead choosing to work in the yard digging thorn bushes out. I was at least able to only work as hard as my back would let me. I let my jeep do the pulling of the stumps though. I'll start hitting the weights again later in the week. Thanks for the advise.