As I started my sprint—my last sprint of the day—it happened. My left knee stopped working. It locked up and wouldn’t move. I stumbled to a stop on my right foot while my left leg gingerly hung, semi-flexed. Sharp, searing pain.
Until then, it was a Tuesday like any other.
I didn’t have any work in the morning. (The gym didn’t need me until ~3:00 PM.) My mornings were lazy and comfortable. And my workout was simple—hill sprints up the mild incline of Dustin Street.
Usually, I loved Tuesdays. But this one was different.
When I finished—or failed, rather—my final sprint, I limped my way home. But I couldn’t walk it off. If anything, it felt worse. Walking hurt. Climbing the stairs to my third-story room? Unbearable.
Something was seriously wrong.
“I’ve Got Good News And Bad News”
That’s what Dr. Zilberfarb told me after he got the MRI results. Bad news? I braced.
“It’s not your meniscus.”
Phew. Based on my nerdiness with functional anatomy, where the pain was, and the initial examination by Dr. Z, we both thought it was my medial meniscus. If torn, that’d mean surgery and a lengthy recovery. Which would have made working as a fitness coach tricky. Definitely good news. But wait. He said good and bad news.
“You have a small tear in your patellar tendon.”
The nature of the injury was strange. Instead of a complete tear, mine was a small inter-substance tear. Basically, the center of the tendon tore but it was still surrounded by healthy tissue. Surgery was an option, but not the best option. Because we’d have to cut through healthy tendon to repair the damage, he advised against it. (And again, 2–3 months of recovery would have made work a struggle.)
I was referred to another doctor that specializes in injuries like these. He recommended starting with physical therapy and exploring potential treatments afterward.
Hope.
Cue Miraculous Recovery Montage
Driven by that hope, I followed my PT regimen religiously. I may have lost my mind doing the same 5 exercises day after day, but I got my knee back. It was working. I felt less pain, more stability, and mostly normalish. (Sometimes it’d flare up, but a lot of things, like walking and climbing stairs, weren’t a problem anymore.)
In fact, I even started adding resistance to my PT program. Nothing crazy, just some light dumbells. I was recovering, progressing, and wholeheartedly excited to meet with the doctor for a follow-up. I expected great news.
But it didn’t come. What’s more, the bad news got worse when he reexamined the knee.
I had two potential options. One of them was Platelet-Rich Plasma Therapy (PRP), an aggressive and fairly invasive approach that only had about a 50% chance of doing anything. And even if I won that proverbial coin toss, there was no telling exactly how helpful the treatment would be. PRP was an option, but the doctor advised against it.
The second option—his recommendation—floored me.
“You could also keep doing what you’ve been doing, follow your PT, and there may just be certain things that always hurt your knee.”
Woah.
Sometimes, We Don’t Have Control
I hadn’t considered the potential longevity of the injury. Always? Like, that means forever. Would I ever be able to coach and demonstrate proper squatting without pain? Would I ever be able to throw a few hundred pounds on my back and make it move like I used to?
I mean, I make my living doing a lot of the “certain things” that, according to the doctor, might always hurt my knee.
But wait. I did everything I was supposed to do to help my knee heal. I spent hour after hour on my “knee-hab.” I thought that was going to fix it. What’d I do wrong?
Well, nothing.
Here’s the thing—sometimes, even despite our best efforts, we just don’t have control. It’s hard to grapple with, but it’s true.
For me, it was my knee’s recovery. For you, it might be losing fat. Or gaining muscle. Or getting stronger. Regardless of the goal, your body’s timeline is very different than your personal calendar. Your physiology doesn’t care about the wedding you’re going to in a few months, the upcoming beach season, or that high school reunion you want to look great at.
You can’t control how quickly your body chooses to adapt or change. Rarely—if ever—will it work with your personal timetable or hopeful expectations. And even though that’s frustrating, it’s okay. Truly. Because while you may not be able to control how quickly you change, you’re still in control of what really matters.
Control What You Can, Forget What You Can’t, See Amazing Results
We’re all guilty of worrying about things we can’t control. But it’s a sure-fire way to cause unnecessary stress.
I see it all the time with fitness. People might be making leaps and bounds of progress—dropping inches all over, gaining all kinds of strength, looking amazing in the mirror—but the scale hasn’t moved as much as they were hoping. Suddenly, they’re worried the program isn’t working at all. They worry themselves into discouragement because of something they can’t control.
Ever done that? It’s not fair to yourself. Next time you feel it happening, focus on this instead:
The Trifecta of Control: 3 Things You Can Always Control
1. Expectations
With my knee, my expectations were way off. I thought I’d be back to normal after a few months. That’s why the doctor shocked me when he said that certain things may always hurt my knee. Normal, at least the normal I knew before the injury, might be gone forever.
Realistic expectations are critical.
Six weeks to six pack might sound nice, but it’s completely unrealistic for most people. (Just like how it was unrealistic to expect my knee to be good as new after a few quick months.) If your goal is to lose fat, understand that losing one to two pounds per week is great progress. If you’re looking to gain muscle, understand that gaining one to two pounds per month is fantastic.
Fitness is a long game. Lasting progress takes time. If you’re expecting a jaw-dropping transformation in a matter of weeks, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment and discouragement.
Is transforming possible? Of course. But you can’t always expect your body to change when you want it to.
This isn’t to say you should set the bar low. Set lofty goals. Be ambitious. But make sure it’s all based on realistic expectations.
2. Effort
You can’t directly control how quickly your body changes, but you can control your effort. And that matters a lot. Our bodies adapt on their own schedule. However, that adaptation is specific to imposed demands. That’s where you and your effort come in.
Higher intensity stimulates more change. Results and progress are directly related to the level of effort you give. You can’t lose 25 pounds of fat with 10 pounds of effort. Nobody can.
World-class effort will lead to world-class results.
Listen, sometimes giving your best effort feels hard. I get that. But “best” is a fluid term. Your best effort when you have a head cold is going to be drastically different from your best when you’re feeling like a million bucks.
Bringing your best—whatever it is that day—will help you control what you can when it comes to your progress.
3. Consistency
It’s simple—consistency is king. Three years of consistency beats three months of crushing something unsustainable. Remember, fitness is all about the long-term. And even though crushing it for three months may get better immediate results, consistency will win in the long run. Every single time.
You’re in complete control of how consistently you follow your plan because you’re in control of the plan itself. Pick something you can follow perfectly and you’ll consistently crush it.
I injured my knee over a year ago. I’m still working my way back to where I was before. It’s been slow. It’s been strategic. And, at times, even disappointing.
When I learned to control what I could—the trifecta—everything changed. It’s unrealistic to expect that I’ll ever squat or sprint like I used to. A year ago, that would have frustrated me. But now, it’s totally okay.
I’m controlling what I can, I’ve forgotten about what I can’t, and I’m thrilled with the progress I’m making.
Now it’s your turn. Take control of what you can, don’t worry about things outside your control, and trust the process. Do that and progress will come.