Setbacks can be huge steps forward

I always said that a person's perspective is what sets them apart.  Champions from participants. Warriors from ordinary.  Whatever comparison you want to use, really.  Its not about what cards you are dealt.  Its how you play them....

I'm no champion and I'm no warrior, but I strive to always press forward toward my goal, even when I have setbacks.  This time it is a broken finger, and this time the setback has been pretty freaking awesome.

I broke my finger on Thanksgiving morning playing flag football.  At first  I was aggravated that I'd likely miss 8 weeks of training. After taking a weekend to let the swelling and pain subside, I went online and bought some hook grips.  As long as I keep my hands open and disengage my finger flexion, I can do whatever I want.  The wrist straps have their limits, but this is proving to be a great boost to my mass phase.

I can't deadlift because these straps won't support that much weight.  Pullups are testing the limits of the velcro. I can't use dumbbells or barbells for any pressing movements because I can't stabilize the load.  I'm pretty much relegated to cable stacks, Hammer Strength, squats, and leg presses.

The cool thing is that because I've NEVER made machines part of my training, I'm responding incredibly well and am seeing cosmetic / physique changes rapidly. An example is on back work.  I'm finding that I get muchh more mid-back engagement with lat pulldowns than with chinups or pullups, and the details of my back are filling in rapidly.

My chest is getting some nice striations between upper pecs and lower, most likely because I'm using the Hammer Strength incline press. I'm able to overload the working muscles and not give a thought to balance or stabilization.

Now, I'd never train this way intentionally, as the carryover to sport is negligible, but it's nice to see these rapid cosmetic changes from a situation where others might not be training at all.

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