aps Coaching

Know that shoulder pain that settles down, then plays up the moment you actually push it?

The shoulder that's fine round the house, then gets grumpy again after doing, say a climbing session on harder problems or a weekend match playing tennis or paddle.

You wouldn't say you're injured.

You don't exactly need to stop, but it is getting in the way, and you feel kind of stuck… like you always have to dial it back or be careful, maybe even quit eventually.

Each time you go back round that loop… it settles down - feels better - push it - flares up again… you lose a bit of faith in your body.

Honestly, I think it’s more frustrating than being properly injured in many ways!

You're still doing your thing,
Still getting on with life,
Just always having to hold back, never quite at the level you want to play at or maybe it’s more about the freedom you’d love.

After a while, it's easy to start thinking: "maybe it’s just how it is now, not getting any younger"

Totally normal headspace to drift into, and there's probably a bit of truth in it but in my experience, a niggle like that usually isn't asking you to stop or quit.

It's a nudge to do things a bit differently…

What's the niggle that keeps coming back, getting in the way when you actually push it?

You did the physio. It helped. But you're after a bit more… just not sure where to find it.

I hear some version of that most weeks, at our private gym round the corner from Sonning Bridge.

Usually it goes something like this: something starts hurting, you see a physio or chiro for a few sessions, do about half the exercises you're given, and it gets better. Pain's less, you're doing more, maybe even back playing... kind of.

Then progress slows right down or even stops.

Your knee — or your shoulder, or your back – still isn't where you want it to be and doing the stuff you actually want to do properly feels out of reach. It still gets aggy and you're still half-expecting it to buckle going downstairs.

It’s around then you start wondering if this is just how it is now.

In my experience though, it stalls because nobody really shows you how to go from "less pain" to "I don't even think about it anymore."

So it feels like the right call to just keep being careful. Stick with the same exercises. Try Pilates. Book a few more physio sessions. Or just climb, run, play, and hope another few weeks somehow does the trick.

But more often than not, weeks drift into months and you end up stuck in an awkward middle ground. You’re not injured anymore, everything's "fine" on paper, but there's still niggles, nothing's great, and a fair bit of doubt. Never trusting it enough to properly go for it.

That's the gap I love helping people bridge after physio.

Not from pain to pain-free.
But to that next level, from "it's better..." to "I don't even think about it anymore."

Anyone else spent time in that awkward middle ground?

It's always good to have a "why" for your exercise. 😂💪

“I’ve got niggles, I’m slowing down and I don’t play as much as I used to … but that’s all part of getting older I guess”. 🧓

I’m not a fan of the “it’s all part of getting older” phrase. 😠

“I refuse to get old”.

I don't particularly like this one either.

Don’t get me wrong, ageing can be as irritating as it is inevitable.

There are the obvious downsides that hold us back from the active lives we want:

💥 The Physical Toll: Aches, pains and niggles.
📉 The Performance Drop: A loss of strength, speed, stamina and suppleness.
⌛ Longer Recovery Times: a body that just doesn’t respond to exercise and activity like it used to.

Heavy gym sessions or intense classes now take 3 days to recover from.

Playing your favourite sport is hit and miss because of your knees… shoulder… ah, this week it’s your back. 🩼

Now you face a dilemma – push on and accept the pain that comes with it or leave the active stuff to the younger crowd and take up your place on the sidelines.

These are the 2 choices I see people box themselves into. Push against it or give into it. ⚖️

That’s the reason I don’t like the phrases above. They’re a bit too black and white. One is too accepting and one is too stubborn.

I don’t think you need a different goal (although you are certainly welcome to one). You don’t even need to accept a different outcome (unless you’re expecting to start a career as an elite athlete).

But what you do need is…
… a DIFFERENT APPROACH. 🤔

Things do change as you age. Not only physically, but your life changes. How much time you have, your priorities, your preferences, everything. 🔁

Leaning into these changes and adjusting accordingly is, I have found (through doing a lot of the opposite!), the best method for staying healthy, competent and active in the long term. 🏆

So ...

1️⃣ Are you still trying to exercise and train like you did in your 20’s?

2️⃣ Are you accepting defeat to Father time?

3️⃣ Or have you found the middle ground?

Felt good to be back! 😊

Injuries, new baby and life in general have kept me away from Friday night Jiu-Jitsu for about a year.

It was worth the wait. Great to be back, reuniting with some old friends and rolling without the gi as well.

See you next Friday.

"I've been rubbed, stretched, cracked and punctured, but I still don't feel like I'm making progress." 🙍

“It improves for a while but then flares up again. I’m just stuck in a loop”

There’s nothing more frustrating than putting effort into your rehab and still feeling like you’re back at square one.

Long-term pain is exhausting. 😩

Not just the physical side, but the mental toll of worry and frustration that occurs when your life feels taken away from you…

❌ Unable to play with the kids
❌ No weekend runs with friends
❌ Missed days of work

When people finally walk into our gym in Sonning, it’s almost a given they’ve been round the houses trying to solve the pain that’s holding them back.

They’re confused, frustrated and tired of being told “what’s wrong” without making progress back to the life they want.

So why does this happen? 🤔

It’s rarely because the other treatments were "bad." We work alongside some incredible Physios, Chiros, Osteopaths and Massage Therapists, who do amazing work.

But sometimes, traditional rehab has a ceiling.

And it can often fall short when:

1️⃣ There’s more going on than just a site-specific problem - Sometimes back pain isn’t just about your back.

2️⃣ You’re low on confidence and exercising on your own feels scary, confusing or a waste of time.

3️⃣ You want to get back to an awesome active life – not just be pain free when you rest.

Rehab exercises can do a great job initially but can fall short of getting people strong and confident enough to get back to running around wild and free with the kids or playing a great game of tennis with friends.

This is where we like to position ourselves. As a bridge between initial rehab and living the life you want. We believe in the importance of:

🟢 A Comprehensive Approach: Focusing on recovery, nutrition, mindset and an overall approach to training, rather than site-specific exercises.

🟢 Time to Listen: Our 60-75 minute sessions allow us to listen to you, communicate with you and guide you through the exercises. Building your confidence to allow you to do things by yourself.

🟢 Combined knowledge: We bring together our understanding of pain and early stage rehab with that of strength and conditioning so we can map out and execute a plan to take you from the treatment table to the active, unrestricted life you want.

So how is your rehab going right now?