Mentally Recovering From an Injury
.webp)
Whether you are a professional athlete, a weekend warrior or someone that loves to workout a few times per week, suffering an injury can feel like your whole world has stopped.
A lot of people use exercise as a coping mechanism for life stresses because exercise increases endorphins, dopamine and adrenaline. These chemicals are associated with feeling happy, confident, less stressed, less anxious and even feeling less physical pain.
Take those away and it's like taking away a drug. It’s not just the physical pain from an injury that you feel but the physiological pain as well and this can have a profound impact on our emotional well-being.
Emotional responses to injury can include: sadness, isolation, irritation, lack of motivation, anger, frustration, changes in appetite and sleep disturbance. These can lead to depression, anxiety and in some cases post-traumatic stress disorder.
Physical injury and mental health are therefore closely linked, when mental health is poor recovery often takes longer or doesn’t occur. Most people focus on doctor and physiotherapy visits, on doing their rehab exercises, eating better, reducing inflammation etc, but what is often overlooked is the importance of treating or managing the psychological side.
Recovering mentally can be equally or more difficult than recovering physically but the two need to go hand in hand.
You can take a proactive approach to mental recovery by following the below actions:
1. Acceptance
Accept your current state of injury and own your responsibility for your self-care. Acknowledging the problem makes it easier to develop a solid plan for recovery. Denial of the situation will only interfere with your recovery.
2. Honor your emotions
You may feel separated from your workout buddies, out of the loop of the action and frustrated by the inability to perform. Injury is a type of loss and you should be prepared for a variety of emotions related to your change of circumstances. You may experience the five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. These stages don’t necessarily happen in order and moving back and forth between them is a normal part of processing.
3. Focus on the present
Whenever we are injured we want to be better right now. Truth is injuries require time and patience to heal. Focus on the here and now and take each small step at a time rather than focusing on the distant future. Reminding ourselves that right now, in this moment, we are actively healing will help.
4. Focus on the things you can control
Control your diet, drink more water, eat healthier foods and find alternatives ways to exercise. As a coach we are always creating new ways to adapt our clients training based off any injuries or niggles they may have. For example: If you have a shoulder injury then you can always focus on your lower body and core until your shoulder has healed.
5. Maintain optimism and visualize
Healing from an injury and the time required to recover from it can lead to being overwhelmed with negative thoughts. Use positive affirmations to keep your attitude optimistic and you will find your body follows the suggestions of the mind. Visualize yourself back to full health. Your mind is a powerful healing tool and imagery has been used in healing for for centuries. By creating images in your mind, you can reduce pain and other symptoms tied to your condition. The more specific the visualization the more helpful it will likely be.
6. Set Goals
Goal setting is a good tool for anyone facing a lengthy healing process. It can help guide your behavior, create focus and sustain your momentum. It also helps us feel more in control. Hitting each small goal on the road to recovery will build self-esteem and keep your purpose or end goal clear.
7. Ask for help!
This is very important. We are hardwired to want to do things on our own and be independent-minded and asking for help often makes people feel uneasy because it requires surrendering control to someone else.
Having a coach or therapist that you can talk too can be a very helpful motivator and support system in getting you through your recovery process. Don’t be afraid to reach out to a friend, your coach or someone from your class. Most people do want to help.
Everyone is different and some people may take longer than others to come back from an injury for various reasons but one of the most important things to remember is that your situation is temporary and no matter what emotions you are feeling right now know that with work and time it WILL improve.
Equally if you see someone that is injured ask how they are physically but also consider what might be going on inside and not just on the outside. Don't just ask if they are ok without caring about the answer, be there to support them if needed.

ENGINE
Double Mikko’s Triangle. We’re doubling the time and aiming to double the calories. Can you match your pace and hold on?
GYMNASTICS
Tuesday morning, we're diving into all things handstand push-ups with both strict and kipping variations, plus some fun progressions to challenge your upside-down game. Expect overhead strength work and spicy core finishers, too.
Toes-to-bar will take centre stage on Thursday evening with drills on the low bar and rig to sharpen your skills. Then we’ll move on to capacity work before wrapping it up with core and lat work to boost strength, control, and coordination.
HYROX
Build the Upper body strength you need for HYROX with a focus on sled pulls, farmers carries, push-ups (to power through your burpees), push presses (for stronger wall balls) and SkiErg conditioning.
MOBILITY
We have been quite dominant with mobility for the lower body; per request, we will stick with the flows, but make sure we hit the upper body harder this weekend. This session will be aimed towards the people that have shoulder niggles.
PURE STRENGTH
This week's pure strength session marks the start of the deadlift cycle, following high-volume RDLS. We also have some heavy box squats and volume reps to finish up on Monday. On Wednesday, we will start a paused bench press progression, incorporating some overhead presses and barbell rows as accessories.
WEIGHTLIFTING
This week in weightlifting, we are focusing on developing the split jerk technique. Followed by a classic complex of clean + front squat + jerk.

Monday Ride
A ride dedicated to group riding skills and some fitness. Coach Rob Foster leads this ride, if you'd like to join email Rob Foster
Start time: 05:59 am
Session Length: 1.5 hour
Location: The Loop Cafe, Bike DXB
Track Tuesday
Our weekly on track speed session! For any level of runner looking to build their run speed, threshold and Vo2max fitness and run with the best running community in Dubai.
Time: 05:59 am
Session Length: 1.5 hour
Location: Dubai Sports City Sports Park
Friday - Coffee Run
Our weekly tempo run. Sessions are built on an RPE scale and accessible to all levels of runner. We start together, run hard then finish together and chat about it over a coffee and breakfast.
Brief time: 05:54 am
Start time: 05:59 am
Start Location: Common Grounds
Saturday - Long Ride
Our weekly endurance ride.
Please email Rob Foster for more details.
Time: 05:59 am
Location: Bottom of the Stick, Al Qudra.

Monday
Time: 5:59pm
Location: InnerFight
Session: LRC Tempo
This week will be dialling into that Tempo effort (7/10 RPE) for 8 mins blocks. You will take a 3 min recovery after each block and repeat the sequence 3x.
Tuesday
Time: 5:59am
Location: Dubai Sports City Sports Park
Session: Track Tuesday
This is your chance to run fast with the wider IFE community and coaches. This week we will be running 200s and 600s at 3km and 5km pace. We will help you identify the best pace group for your ability at the session.
Wednesday
Time: 5:59am & 5:59pm
Location: InnerFight
Session: LRC Intervals
Today we have intervals in the morning and evening. We will be running1km at effort, into 4 x 400s and then back to 1km of effort. Push hard on the 400s, these should be a 9/10 RPE.
Friday
Time: 5:59am
Location: Common Grounds
Session: The Coffee Run
This week we will be running
10X
1min @ 9/10; 1min @ 3/10
5mins easy jog
then,
4X
4mins @ 7/10; 1min @ 1/10 (easy jog/walking)
Coffee post session at Common Grounds at 7am.

Monday:
We start the week with some single-leg deadlifts into a power clean front squat complex, followed by a leg-focused workout that is sure to set the tone for the week.
Strength:
A) Every 2:30 x 5 6/6 Single Leg Deadlift
B) Every 90secs x 5 2 power clean + 2 front squat
Conditioning:
17min AMRAP
3 Power Clean (60/40)
6 Front Squat
9 Box Jump
Tuesday:
On Tuesday, it's all about push and pull in the strength work, with pull-ups, bench press, gorilla rows, and some static overhead strength.
Strength:
A) EMOM x 6 - 15-20 sec UB kipping pull-ups
B) Alt EMOM x 10 - 8 DB Bench Press / 12 Alt Gorilla Row
C) Alt EMOM x 9 -M1 - 30 Sec Dual KB OH / 30 sec hollow hold / 30 sec arch hold/rock
Conditioning:
4 rounds for time:
16 Alt KB STOH
1 Lap Car Park Farmers Carry
10 Burpees Over KB
30 Double Unders
Wednesday:
On Wednesday, we will start with some heavy squats, followed by work on both the GHD hip extension and the GHD sit-up, and then a tough interval workout.
Strength:
A) Every 2 mins x 6 - 3 2 2 1 1 back squat + 1 set AMRAP @ 80% of top single
B) Alt EMOM x 12 - 5/10 GHD Sit Ups / 30 sec Pallof Press L&R / 10-15 Hip Extensions
Conditioning
In a 3-minute window:
15 TTB
30 wall balls
AMRAP cal row
Rest 2 mins x 3
Thursday:
On Thursday, we have some bodybuilding in the strength work, followed by a real test of grip and capacity in the workout with high-volume dumbbell snatches.
Strength:
A) Every 2 mins x 5 6/6 DB Strict Press
B) Alt EMOM x 9 - 30 sec banded tricep extension / 15-20 DB Lateral Raise / 15-20 Barbell Bicep Curls
Conditioning:
For time:
120 DB Hang Snatch
Every 3 mins
15/12 Cal Assualt Bike
10 Hand Release Push Ups
Friday:
Finally, we conclude the week with an awesome partner workout that combines aerobic work with strongman exercises.
Strength:
EMOM x 5 6 Sandbag Over Bar
Conditioning:
In Pairs for Time:
800m run together
20 Sandbag Over Bar
100 Cal Ski
Park Run Together
20 Sandbag Over Bar
80 Cal Ski
Half Park Run Together
20 Sandbag Over Bar
60 Cal Ski
Car Park Run (Together)
20 Sandbag Over Bar
40 Cal Ski
.webp)
Whether you are a professional athlete, a weekend warrior or someone that loves to workout a few times per week, suffering an injury can feel like your whole world has stopped.
A lot of people use exercise as a coping mechanism for life stresses because exercise increases endorphins, dopamine and adrenaline. These chemicals are associated with feeling happy, confident, less stressed, less anxious and even feeling less physical pain.
Take those away and it's like taking away a drug. It’s not just the physical pain from an injury that you feel but the physiological pain as well and this can have a profound impact on our emotional well-being.
Emotional responses to injury can include: sadness, isolation, irritation, lack of motivation, anger, frustration, changes in appetite and sleep disturbance. These can lead to depression, anxiety and in some cases post-traumatic stress disorder.
Physical injury and mental health are therefore closely linked, when mental health is poor recovery often takes longer or doesn’t occur. Most people focus on doctor and physiotherapy visits, on doing their rehab exercises, eating better, reducing inflammation etc, but what is often overlooked is the importance of treating or managing the psychological side.
Recovering mentally can be equally or more difficult than recovering physically but the two need to go hand in hand.
You can take a proactive approach to mental recovery by following the below actions:
1. Acceptance
Accept your current state of injury and own your responsibility for your self-care. Acknowledging the problem makes it easier to develop a solid plan for recovery. Denial of the situation will only interfere with your recovery.
2. Honor your emotions
You may feel separated from your workout buddies, out of the loop of the action and frustrated by the inability to perform. Injury is a type of loss and you should be prepared for a variety of emotions related to your change of circumstances. You may experience the five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. These stages don’t necessarily happen in order and moving back and forth between them is a normal part of processing.
3. Focus on the present
Whenever we are injured we want to be better right now. Truth is injuries require time and patience to heal. Focus on the here and now and take each small step at a time rather than focusing on the distant future. Reminding ourselves that right now, in this moment, we are actively healing will help.
4. Focus on the things you can control
Control your diet, drink more water, eat healthier foods and find alternatives ways to exercise. As a coach we are always creating new ways to adapt our clients training based off any injuries or niggles they may have. For example: If you have a shoulder injury then you can always focus on your lower body and core until your shoulder has healed.
5. Maintain optimism and visualize
Healing from an injury and the time required to recover from it can lead to being overwhelmed with negative thoughts. Use positive affirmations to keep your attitude optimistic and you will find your body follows the suggestions of the mind. Visualize yourself back to full health. Your mind is a powerful healing tool and imagery has been used in healing for for centuries. By creating images in your mind, you can reduce pain and other symptoms tied to your condition. The more specific the visualization the more helpful it will likely be.
6. Set Goals
Goal setting is a good tool for anyone facing a lengthy healing process. It can help guide your behavior, create focus and sustain your momentum. It also helps us feel more in control. Hitting each small goal on the road to recovery will build self-esteem and keep your purpose or end goal clear.
7. Ask for help!
This is very important. We are hardwired to want to do things on our own and be independent-minded and asking for help often makes people feel uneasy because it requires surrendering control to someone else.
Having a coach or therapist that you can talk too can be a very helpful motivator and support system in getting you through your recovery process. Don’t be afraid to reach out to a friend, your coach or someone from your class. Most people do want to help.
Everyone is different and some people may take longer than others to come back from an injury for various reasons but one of the most important things to remember is that your situation is temporary and no matter what emotions you are feeling right now know that with work and time it WILL improve.
Equally if you see someone that is injured ask how they are physically but also consider what might be going on inside and not just on the outside. Don't just ask if they are ok without caring about the answer, be there to support them if needed.

Monday Ride
A ride dedicated to group riding skills and some fitness. Coach Rob Foster leads this ride, if you'd like to join email Rob Foster
Start time: 05:59 am
Session Length: 1.5 hour
Location: The Loop Cafe, Bike DXB
Track Tuesday
Our weekly on track speed session! For any level of runner looking to build their run speed, threshold and Vo2max fitness and run with the best running community in Dubai.
Time: 05:59 am
Session Length: 1.5 hour
Location: Dubai Sports City Sports Park
Friday - Coffee Run
Our weekly tempo run. Sessions are built on an RPE scale and accessible to all levels of runner. We start together, run hard then finish together and chat about it over a coffee and breakfast.
Brief time: 05:54 am
Start time: 05:59 am
Start Location: Common Grounds
Saturday - Long Ride
Our weekly endurance ride.
Please email Rob Foster for more details.
Time: 05:59 am
Location: Bottom of the Stick, Al Qudra.

Monday
Time: 5:59pm
Location: InnerFight
Session: LRC Tempo
This week will be dialling into that Tempo effort (7/10 RPE) for 8 mins blocks. You will take a 3 min recovery after each block and repeat the sequence 3x.
Tuesday
Time: 5:59am
Location: Dubai Sports City Sports Park
Session: Track Tuesday
This is your chance to run fast with the wider IFE community and coaches. This week we will be running 200s and 600s at 3km and 5km pace. We will help you identify the best pace group for your ability at the session.
Wednesday
Time: 5:59am & 5:59pm
Location: InnerFight
Session: LRC Intervals
Today we have intervals in the morning and evening. We will be running1km at effort, into 4 x 400s and then back to 1km of effort. Push hard on the 400s, these should be a 9/10 RPE.
Friday
Time: 5:59am
Location: Common Grounds
Session: The Coffee Run
This week we will be running
10X
1min @ 9/10; 1min @ 3/10
5mins easy jog
then,
4X
4mins @ 7/10; 1min @ 1/10 (easy jog/walking)
Coffee post session at Common Grounds at 7am.

Monday:
We start the week with some single-leg deadlifts into a power clean front squat complex, followed by a leg-focused workout that is sure to set the tone for the week.
Strength:
A) Every 2:30 x 5 6/6 Single Leg Deadlift
B) Every 90secs x 5 2 power clean + 2 front squat
Conditioning:
17min AMRAP
3 Power Clean (60/40)
6 Front Squat
9 Box Jump
Tuesday:
On Tuesday, it's all about push and pull in the strength work, with pull-ups, bench press, gorilla rows, and some static overhead strength.
Strength:
A) EMOM x 6 - 15-20 sec UB kipping pull-ups
B) Alt EMOM x 10 - 8 DB Bench Press / 12 Alt Gorilla Row
C) Alt EMOM x 9 -M1 - 30 Sec Dual KB OH / 30 sec hollow hold / 30 sec arch hold/rock
Conditioning:
4 rounds for time:
16 Alt KB STOH
1 Lap Car Park Farmers Carry
10 Burpees Over KB
30 Double Unders
Wednesday:
On Wednesday, we will start with some heavy squats, followed by work on both the GHD hip extension and the GHD sit-up, and then a tough interval workout.
Strength:
A) Every 2 mins x 6 - 3 2 2 1 1 back squat + 1 set AMRAP @ 80% of top single
B) Alt EMOM x 12 - 5/10 GHD Sit Ups / 30 sec Pallof Press L&R / 10-15 Hip Extensions
Conditioning
In a 3-minute window:
15 TTB
30 wall balls
AMRAP cal row
Rest 2 mins x 3
Thursday:
On Thursday, we have some bodybuilding in the strength work, followed by a real test of grip and capacity in the workout with high-volume dumbbell snatches.
Strength:
A) Every 2 mins x 5 6/6 DB Strict Press
B) Alt EMOM x 9 - 30 sec banded tricep extension / 15-20 DB Lateral Raise / 15-20 Barbell Bicep Curls
Conditioning:
For time:
120 DB Hang Snatch
Every 3 mins
15/12 Cal Assualt Bike
10 Hand Release Push Ups
Friday:
Finally, we conclude the week with an awesome partner workout that combines aerobic work with strongman exercises.
Strength:
EMOM x 5 6 Sandbag Over Bar
Conditioning:
In Pairs for Time:
800m run together
20 Sandbag Over Bar
100 Cal Ski
Park Run Together
20 Sandbag Over Bar
80 Cal Ski
Half Park Run Together
20 Sandbag Over Bar
60 Cal Ski
Car Park Run (Together)
20 Sandbag Over Bar
40 Cal Ski

ENGINE
Double Mikko’s Triangle. We’re doubling the time and aiming to double the calories. Can you match your pace and hold on?
GYMNASTICS
Tuesday morning, we're diving into all things handstand push-ups with both strict and kipping variations, plus some fun progressions to challenge your upside-down game. Expect overhead strength work and spicy core finishers, too.
Toes-to-bar will take centre stage on Thursday evening with drills on the low bar and rig to sharpen your skills. Then we’ll move on to capacity work before wrapping it up with core and lat work to boost strength, control, and coordination.
HYROX
Build the Upper body strength you need for HYROX with a focus on sled pulls, farmers carries, push-ups (to power through your burpees), push presses (for stronger wall balls) and SkiErg conditioning.
MOBILITY
We have been quite dominant with mobility for the lower body; per request, we will stick with the flows, but make sure we hit the upper body harder this weekend. This session will be aimed towards the people that have shoulder niggles.
PURE STRENGTH
This week's pure strength session marks the start of the deadlift cycle, following high-volume RDLS. We also have some heavy box squats and volume reps to finish up on Monday. On Wednesday, we will start a paused bench press progression, incorporating some overhead presses and barbell rows as accessories.
WEIGHTLIFTING
This week in weightlifting, we are focusing on developing the split jerk technique. Followed by a classic complex of clean + front squat + jerk.
.webp)
Whether you are a professional athlete, a weekend warrior or someone that loves to workout a few times per week, suffering an injury can feel like your whole world has stopped.
A lot of people use exercise as a coping mechanism for life stresses because exercise increases endorphins, dopamine and adrenaline. These chemicals are associated with feeling happy, confident, less stressed, less anxious and even feeling less physical pain.
Take those away and it's like taking away a drug. It’s not just the physical pain from an injury that you feel but the physiological pain as well and this can have a profound impact on our emotional well-being.
Emotional responses to injury can include: sadness, isolation, irritation, lack of motivation, anger, frustration, changes in appetite and sleep disturbance. These can lead to depression, anxiety and in some cases post-traumatic stress disorder.
Physical injury and mental health are therefore closely linked, when mental health is poor recovery often takes longer or doesn’t occur. Most people focus on doctor and physiotherapy visits, on doing their rehab exercises, eating better, reducing inflammation etc, but what is often overlooked is the importance of treating or managing the psychological side.
Recovering mentally can be equally or more difficult than recovering physically but the two need to go hand in hand.
You can take a proactive approach to mental recovery by following the below actions:
1. Acceptance
Accept your current state of injury and own your responsibility for your self-care. Acknowledging the problem makes it easier to develop a solid plan for recovery. Denial of the situation will only interfere with your recovery.
2. Honor your emotions
You may feel separated from your workout buddies, out of the loop of the action and frustrated by the inability to perform. Injury is a type of loss and you should be prepared for a variety of emotions related to your change of circumstances. You may experience the five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. These stages don’t necessarily happen in order and moving back and forth between them is a normal part of processing.
3. Focus on the present
Whenever we are injured we want to be better right now. Truth is injuries require time and patience to heal. Focus on the here and now and take each small step at a time rather than focusing on the distant future. Reminding ourselves that right now, in this moment, we are actively healing will help.
4. Focus on the things you can control
Control your diet, drink more water, eat healthier foods and find alternatives ways to exercise. As a coach we are always creating new ways to adapt our clients training based off any injuries or niggles they may have. For example: If you have a shoulder injury then you can always focus on your lower body and core until your shoulder has healed.
5. Maintain optimism and visualize
Healing from an injury and the time required to recover from it can lead to being overwhelmed with negative thoughts. Use positive affirmations to keep your attitude optimistic and you will find your body follows the suggestions of the mind. Visualize yourself back to full health. Your mind is a powerful healing tool and imagery has been used in healing for for centuries. By creating images in your mind, you can reduce pain and other symptoms tied to your condition. The more specific the visualization the more helpful it will likely be.
6. Set Goals
Goal setting is a good tool for anyone facing a lengthy healing process. It can help guide your behavior, create focus and sustain your momentum. It also helps us feel more in control. Hitting each small goal on the road to recovery will build self-esteem and keep your purpose or end goal clear.
7. Ask for help!
This is very important. We are hardwired to want to do things on our own and be independent-minded and asking for help often makes people feel uneasy because it requires surrendering control to someone else.
Having a coach or therapist that you can talk too can be a very helpful motivator and support system in getting you through your recovery process. Don’t be afraid to reach out to a friend, your coach or someone from your class. Most people do want to help.
Everyone is different and some people may take longer than others to come back from an injury for various reasons but one of the most important things to remember is that your situation is temporary and no matter what emotions you are feeling right now know that with work and time it WILL improve.
Equally if you see someone that is injured ask how they are physically but also consider what might be going on inside and not just on the outside. Don't just ask if they are ok without caring about the answer, be there to support them if needed.

Monday
Time: 5:59pm
Location: InnerFight
Session: LRC Tempo
This week will be dialling into that Tempo effort (7/10 RPE) for 8 mins blocks. You will take a 3 min recovery after each block and repeat the sequence 3x.
Tuesday
Time: 5:59am
Location: Dubai Sports City Sports Park
Session: Track Tuesday
This is your chance to run fast with the wider IFE community and coaches. This week we will be running 200s and 600s at 3km and 5km pace. We will help you identify the best pace group for your ability at the session.
Wednesday
Time: 5:59am & 5:59pm
Location: InnerFight
Session: LRC Intervals
Today we have intervals in the morning and evening. We will be running1km at effort, into 4 x 400s and then back to 1km of effort. Push hard on the 400s, these should be a 9/10 RPE.
Friday
Time: 5:59am
Location: Common Grounds
Session: The Coffee Run
This week we will be running
10X
1min @ 9/10; 1min @ 3/10
5mins easy jog
then,
4X
4mins @ 7/10; 1min @ 1/10 (easy jog/walking)
Coffee post session at Common Grounds at 7am.

Monday:
We start the week with some single-leg deadlifts into a power clean front squat complex, followed by a leg-focused workout that is sure to set the tone for the week.
Strength:
A) Every 2:30 x 5 6/6 Single Leg Deadlift
B) Every 90secs x 5 2 power clean + 2 front squat
Conditioning:
17min AMRAP
3 Power Clean (60/40)
6 Front Squat
9 Box Jump
Tuesday:
On Tuesday, it's all about push and pull in the strength work, with pull-ups, bench press, gorilla rows, and some static overhead strength.
Strength:
A) EMOM x 6 - 15-20 sec UB kipping pull-ups
B) Alt EMOM x 10 - 8 DB Bench Press / 12 Alt Gorilla Row
C) Alt EMOM x 9 -M1 - 30 Sec Dual KB OH / 30 sec hollow hold / 30 sec arch hold/rock
Conditioning:
4 rounds for time:
16 Alt KB STOH
1 Lap Car Park Farmers Carry
10 Burpees Over KB
30 Double Unders
Wednesday:
On Wednesday, we will start with some heavy squats, followed by work on both the GHD hip extension and the GHD sit-up, and then a tough interval workout.
Strength:
A) Every 2 mins x 6 - 3 2 2 1 1 back squat + 1 set AMRAP @ 80% of top single
B) Alt EMOM x 12 - 5/10 GHD Sit Ups / 30 sec Pallof Press L&R / 10-15 Hip Extensions
Conditioning
In a 3-minute window:
15 TTB
30 wall balls
AMRAP cal row
Rest 2 mins x 3
Thursday:
On Thursday, we have some bodybuilding in the strength work, followed by a real test of grip and capacity in the workout with high-volume dumbbell snatches.
Strength:
A) Every 2 mins x 5 6/6 DB Strict Press
B) Alt EMOM x 9 - 30 sec banded tricep extension / 15-20 DB Lateral Raise / 15-20 Barbell Bicep Curls
Conditioning:
For time:
120 DB Hang Snatch
Every 3 mins
15/12 Cal Assualt Bike
10 Hand Release Push Ups
Friday:
Finally, we conclude the week with an awesome partner workout that combines aerobic work with strongman exercises.
Strength:
EMOM x 5 6 Sandbag Over Bar
Conditioning:
In Pairs for Time:
800m run together
20 Sandbag Over Bar
100 Cal Ski
Park Run Together
20 Sandbag Over Bar
80 Cal Ski
Half Park Run Together
20 Sandbag Over Bar
60 Cal Ski
Car Park Run (Together)
20 Sandbag Over Bar
40 Cal Ski

ENGINE
Double Mikko’s Triangle. We’re doubling the time and aiming to double the calories. Can you match your pace and hold on?
GYMNASTICS
Tuesday morning, we're diving into all things handstand push-ups with both strict and kipping variations, plus some fun progressions to challenge your upside-down game. Expect overhead strength work and spicy core finishers, too.
Toes-to-bar will take centre stage on Thursday evening with drills on the low bar and rig to sharpen your skills. Then we’ll move on to capacity work before wrapping it up with core and lat work to boost strength, control, and coordination.
HYROX
Build the Upper body strength you need for HYROX with a focus on sled pulls, farmers carries, push-ups (to power through your burpees), push presses (for stronger wall balls) and SkiErg conditioning.
MOBILITY
We have been quite dominant with mobility for the lower body; per request, we will stick with the flows, but make sure we hit the upper body harder this weekend. This session will be aimed towards the people that have shoulder niggles.
PURE STRENGTH
This week's pure strength session marks the start of the deadlift cycle, following high-volume RDLS. We also have some heavy box squats and volume reps to finish up on Monday. On Wednesday, we will start a paused bench press progression, incorporating some overhead presses and barbell rows as accessories.
WEIGHTLIFTING
This week in weightlifting, we are focusing on developing the split jerk technique. Followed by a classic complex of clean + front squat + jerk.

Monday Ride
A ride dedicated to group riding skills and some fitness. Coach Rob Foster leads this ride, if you'd like to join email Rob Foster
Start time: 05:59 am
Session Length: 1.5 hour
Location: The Loop Cafe, Bike DXB
Track Tuesday
Our weekly on track speed session! For any level of runner looking to build their run speed, threshold and Vo2max fitness and run with the best running community in Dubai.
Time: 05:59 am
Session Length: 1.5 hour
Location: Dubai Sports City Sports Park
Friday - Coffee Run
Our weekly tempo run. Sessions are built on an RPE scale and accessible to all levels of runner. We start together, run hard then finish together and chat about it over a coffee and breakfast.
Brief time: 05:54 am
Start time: 05:59 am
Start Location: Common Grounds
Saturday - Long Ride
Our weekly endurance ride.
Please email Rob Foster for more details.
Time: 05:59 am
Location: Bottom of the Stick, Al Qudra.
.webp)
Whether you are a professional athlete, a weekend warrior or someone that loves to workout a few times per week, suffering an injury can feel like your whole world has stopped.
A lot of people use exercise as a coping mechanism for life stresses because exercise increases endorphins, dopamine and adrenaline. These chemicals are associated with feeling happy, confident, less stressed, less anxious and even feeling less physical pain.
Take those away and it's like taking away a drug. It’s not just the physical pain from an injury that you feel but the physiological pain as well and this can have a profound impact on our emotional well-being.
Emotional responses to injury can include: sadness, isolation, irritation, lack of motivation, anger, frustration, changes in appetite and sleep disturbance. These can lead to depression, anxiety and in some cases post-traumatic stress disorder.
Physical injury and mental health are therefore closely linked, when mental health is poor recovery often takes longer or doesn’t occur. Most people focus on doctor and physiotherapy visits, on doing their rehab exercises, eating better, reducing inflammation etc, but what is often overlooked is the importance of treating or managing the psychological side.
Recovering mentally can be equally or more difficult than recovering physically but the two need to go hand in hand.
You can take a proactive approach to mental recovery by following the below actions:
1. Acceptance
Accept your current state of injury and own your responsibility for your self-care. Acknowledging the problem makes it easier to develop a solid plan for recovery. Denial of the situation will only interfere with your recovery.
2. Honor your emotions
You may feel separated from your workout buddies, out of the loop of the action and frustrated by the inability to perform. Injury is a type of loss and you should be prepared for a variety of emotions related to your change of circumstances. You may experience the five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. These stages don’t necessarily happen in order and moving back and forth between them is a normal part of processing.
3. Focus on the present
Whenever we are injured we want to be better right now. Truth is injuries require time and patience to heal. Focus on the here and now and take each small step at a time rather than focusing on the distant future. Reminding ourselves that right now, in this moment, we are actively healing will help.
4. Focus on the things you can control
Control your diet, drink more water, eat healthier foods and find alternatives ways to exercise. As a coach we are always creating new ways to adapt our clients training based off any injuries or niggles they may have. For example: If you have a shoulder injury then you can always focus on your lower body and core until your shoulder has healed.
5. Maintain optimism and visualize
Healing from an injury and the time required to recover from it can lead to being overwhelmed with negative thoughts. Use positive affirmations to keep your attitude optimistic and you will find your body follows the suggestions of the mind. Visualize yourself back to full health. Your mind is a powerful healing tool and imagery has been used in healing for for centuries. By creating images in your mind, you can reduce pain and other symptoms tied to your condition. The more specific the visualization the more helpful it will likely be.
6. Set Goals
Goal setting is a good tool for anyone facing a lengthy healing process. It can help guide your behavior, create focus and sustain your momentum. It also helps us feel more in control. Hitting each small goal on the road to recovery will build self-esteem and keep your purpose or end goal clear.
7. Ask for help!
This is very important. We are hardwired to want to do things on our own and be independent-minded and asking for help often makes people feel uneasy because it requires surrendering control to someone else.
Having a coach or therapist that you can talk too can be a very helpful motivator and support system in getting you through your recovery process. Don’t be afraid to reach out to a friend, your coach or someone from your class. Most people do want to help.
Everyone is different and some people may take longer than others to come back from an injury for various reasons but one of the most important things to remember is that your situation is temporary and no matter what emotions you are feeling right now know that with work and time it WILL improve.
Equally if you see someone that is injured ask how they are physically but also consider what might be going on inside and not just on the outside. Don't just ask if they are ok without caring about the answer, be there to support them if needed.
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Whether you are a professional athlete, a weekend warrior or someone that loves to workout a few times per week, suffering an injury can feel like your whole world has stopped.
A lot of people use exercise as a coping mechanism for life stresses because exercise increases endorphins, dopamine and adrenaline. These chemicals are associated with feeling happy, confident, less stressed, less anxious and even feeling less physical pain.
Take those away and it's like taking away a drug. It’s not just the physical pain from an injury that you feel but the physiological pain as well and this can have a profound impact on our emotional well-being.
Emotional responses to injury can include: sadness, isolation, irritation, lack of motivation, anger, frustration, changes in appetite and sleep disturbance. These can lead to depression, anxiety and in some cases post-traumatic stress disorder.
Physical injury and mental health are therefore closely linked, when mental health is poor recovery often takes longer or doesn’t occur. Most people focus on doctor and physiotherapy visits, on doing their rehab exercises, eating better, reducing inflammation etc, but what is often overlooked is the importance of treating or managing the psychological side.
Recovering mentally can be equally or more difficult than recovering physically but the two need to go hand in hand.
You can take a proactive approach to mental recovery by following the below actions:
1. Acceptance
Accept your current state of injury and own your responsibility for your self-care. Acknowledging the problem makes it easier to develop a solid plan for recovery. Denial of the situation will only interfere with your recovery.
2. Honor your emotions
You may feel separated from your workout buddies, out of the loop of the action and frustrated by the inability to perform. Injury is a type of loss and you should be prepared for a variety of emotions related to your change of circumstances. You may experience the five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. These stages don’t necessarily happen in order and moving back and forth between them is a normal part of processing.
3. Focus on the present
Whenever we are injured we want to be better right now. Truth is injuries require time and patience to heal. Focus on the here and now and take each small step at a time rather than focusing on the distant future. Reminding ourselves that right now, in this moment, we are actively healing will help.
4. Focus on the things you can control
Control your diet, drink more water, eat healthier foods and find alternatives ways to exercise. As a coach we are always creating new ways to adapt our clients training based off any injuries or niggles they may have. For example: If you have a shoulder injury then you can always focus on your lower body and core until your shoulder has healed.
5. Maintain optimism and visualize
Healing from an injury and the time required to recover from it can lead to being overwhelmed with negative thoughts. Use positive affirmations to keep your attitude optimistic and you will find your body follows the suggestions of the mind. Visualize yourself back to full health. Your mind is a powerful healing tool and imagery has been used in healing for for centuries. By creating images in your mind, you can reduce pain and other symptoms tied to your condition. The more specific the visualization the more helpful it will likely be.
6. Set Goals
Goal setting is a good tool for anyone facing a lengthy healing process. It can help guide your behavior, create focus and sustain your momentum. It also helps us feel more in control. Hitting each small goal on the road to recovery will build self-esteem and keep your purpose or end goal clear.
7. Ask for help!
This is very important. We are hardwired to want to do things on our own and be independent-minded and asking for help often makes people feel uneasy because it requires surrendering control to someone else.
Having a coach or therapist that you can talk too can be a very helpful motivator and support system in getting you through your recovery process. Don’t be afraid to reach out to a friend, your coach or someone from your class. Most people do want to help.
Everyone is different and some people may take longer than others to come back from an injury for various reasons but one of the most important things to remember is that your situation is temporary and no matter what emotions you are feeling right now know that with work and time it WILL improve.
Equally if you see someone that is injured ask how they are physically but also consider what might be going on inside and not just on the outside. Don't just ask if they are ok without caring about the answer, be there to support them if needed.

One-Hour Workout: Revving Your Swim Engine
