Question

3.82K viewsDecember 11, 2018

Brian Carroll 484 December 6, 2018 0 Comments

I read your book and a few others by Dr.McGill. I am an amateur lifter but nonetheless it’s my passion. I sustained a disc bulge injury from lifting a few months ago. Just like you went to a few doctors telling me the same bs advice they tell every patient, saw multiple PTs who gave me the wrong guidance. Finally after some intense research I found a McGill trained trainer and have a rehab plan set it motion. Now that you know my brief background, I wanted to ask you a personal question. How the hell did you deal with the mental strain of this injury? I am a medical professional and understand that this will take time and hard work to come back from. First
heal and then progress to perfect my form believe me, I get it. Although I’ve only started my rehab 2 weeks ago, I’ve been dealing with this injury for about 6 months now. Progress is slow and it’s difficult to watch all my hard work in the gym fade away. Just yesterday I picked up a heavy package incorrectly and as soon as that pain came back I lost my shit. I am a real asshole when the pain is bad and I hate myself for my inexcusable behavior. I never used to be like this, luckily I have an amazing girl by my side who understands the struggle, if it wasn’t for her I would probably throw in the towel by now. I am sure you got tons of emails but I would really appreciate some advice regarding how you kept your mental health on point

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Brian Carroll

Owner and Founder at PowerRackStrength.com

Brian Carroll is committed to helping people overcome back pain and optimizing lifts and movement. After years of suffering, he met back specialist Prof. McGill in 2013, which led to a life-changing transformation. In 2017, they co-authored the best-selling book "Gift of Injury." On October 3, 2020, Carroll made history in powerlifting by squatting 1306 lbs, becoming the first person to break this record. He retired with a secure legacy and a life free from back pain.

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Mike De La Pava Answered question December 11, 2018

2 Answers

Answer 1 · 2018-12-11T16:07:01+00:00

I cant reiterate the comment of committing 100% to your rehab as you would your training as stated by Brian. For most of us changing the simple perspective that “more is more” to “less is more” is going to make massive milestones in your rehab. I know it can sound a little crazy at first but applying this less is more concept with 100% commitment is what helped me take an entire year off from training due to disc injuries. Working with Brian and being held accountable on this concept absolutely saved my life.
I am going to write an article about this as there are a few more mental queues that I think are very important when coming back from spine injury as its a VERY unique journey but I will mention some of my top ones below:

100% physical, mental and social commitment to the CRAFT of rehab
Less is more
Be an athlete 24/7 (10/20 life rule).. meaning act professionally to your body in and out of the gym
You have to EARN the right to life again (this one got me deep)

I hope these help and I will make sure to dive in deeper on an upcoming PRS article.
Cheers
MDLP

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Mike De La Pava

Michael “MDLP” De La Pava is currently a competitive Strongman and owner of The Battle Axe Gym. Born in Miami, Florida into a Colombian household, Michael finished his schooling by attending Penn State University where he graduated with a Degree in Psychology. Having his roots in martial arts, he would go on to compete in various sports as a Muay Thai fighter, Powerlifter, and rugby player before committing himself fully to Strongman. During this time, he opened Miami’s first Strongman gym, The Battle Axe, where he currently coaches athletes from various disciplines including powerlifting, MMA fighters, Strongman, officers of multiple authorities and enlisted and active military operators. Competing in Strongman for over 6 years has given Michael the opportunity to rank as high as 15th in the nation (105kg), won Florida’s Strongest man (1st in 2014 and 2nd in 2015 in the 105kg class), lift and load a 420 pound Atlas stone, log press 335, pull 700, and most importantly, share the competitive battlefield with some of the best in the game. During this journey, Michael suffered what some would consider a potentially career-ending spine injury. It was at this time that Brian and Michael would begin working together to not only rehab his spine, allowing him to return to Strongman but also develop a new Strongman training program revolving around the 10/20 philosophy. Strongman and coaching have given Michael the opportunity to travel around the nation and the world to train, coach and be coached, as well as share ideas with various leaders in the strength community. Michael’s experience and network in strongman brings a welcome connection with the ever-growing sport of Strongman to the 10/20 team and PRS family.

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Answer 2 · 2018-12-06T19:48:08+00:00

(This question above, is one that I frequently get and received once again today)

Thank you for your question.

How do you deal with the mental strain? It’s pretty easy, honestly; you put the same amount of effort, time and patience into your rehab, movement and approach as you did your training when you’re healthy and pushing ultimate performance.
Patience, think long term. You have to earn your right to lift again. Earn your right to be pain-free. This is the time where you have to drop the ego.

I had to take the same focus that I would take with 1100+ on the squat, and channel it into my walks, my core work and my movement.

You now have a different goal that will take as much, if not more effort than any other task you’ve strived toward.

It’s only been a couple of months of work. I guess I was so fed up with years of pain when I found a ‘good enough’ explanation as to why and on how to beat my pain, I was all in just like I was prepping for a meet.

I think reading 10/20/Life will give you another bit of context on my approach to training as well. Everything I do is 100% effort, and as I started over in 2013, this was my new approach.

Thank you for the question. If you would like to do a skype consult to discuss some of the stumbling blocks, we can do that too.

BC

Bio
Latest Posts

Brian Carroll

Owner and Founder at PowerRackStrength.com

Brian Carroll is committed to helping people overcome back pain and optimizing lifts and movement. After years of suffering, he met back specialist Prof. McGill in 2013, which led to a life-changing transformation. In 2017, they co-authored the best-selling book "Gift of Injury." On October 3, 2020, Carroll made history in powerlifting by squatting 1306 lbs, becoming the first person to break this record. He retired with a secure legacy and a life free from back pain.

Latest posts by Brian Carroll (see all)

Multiple Repetitions vs. Singles for Strength Gains - March 15, 2025
A Tribute to Adam Driggers: A Mentor, Friend, and Training Partner - March 13, 2025
Breaking Down Chronic Pain, Recovery, and the Medical System with Dr. Lysander Jim - March 8, 2025

Brian Carroll

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Mike De La Pava

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Brian Carroll

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