How to keep training after an injury in CrossFit gyms

Kelley Laxton shared a firsthand account of returning to CrossFit after breaking a foot and laid out coachable strategies athletes and gyms can use to train through injury safely. The piece emphasized practical medical communication, clear scaling, and the mental value of remaining part of the box during recovery.

The core advice begins with medical clarity: talk to your doctor about movement-specific permissions rather than asking a blanket question like "Can I do CrossFit?" Laxton recommended enabling an open line between the doctor and your coach when possible so programming reflects actual tissue limits. From there, create a written plan with your coach before class so parameters and scaling options are clear to both athlete and staff.

Pain should be the primary guide during return-to-play. Avoid any movement that reproduces pain and remain pain-free in a specific movement for seven to ten days before increasing load, volume, or intensity. That conservative approach favors long, linear progress over rushed attempts to hit pre-injury loads and helps protect healing tissue.

Practical scaling examples make staying in class realistic. Olympic lifts like cleans and snatches can be done with a dumbbell and from a seated bench to remove lower-limb loading when appropriate. Squats can be performed to a high box or with a hand on a stable support to reduce stress on an injured foot or knee. Replace box jumps with low step-ups to maintain tempo and power without impact. For conditioning, substitute the SkiErg or a bike with the injured limb supported in place of running or double-unders. Wall-ball shots can be performed seated or from a raised surface so lower-limb loading is minimized while core and upper-body work continues.

Laxton also highlighted the often-overlooked recovery levers outside the hour of class. Sleep, nutrition, stress reduction, and daily movement habits are part of the "other 23 hours" and materially affect healing and performance. Staying engaged in the community, whether through scaled participation or coaching, provided psychological benefits that helped sustain motivation and adherence to rehab plans.

For coaches and gym owners, the takeaway is to build predictable, coachable scaling into class plans so injured athletes can train with intent rather than drift. For athletes, the path back is procedural: get movement-specific medical guidance, agree a plan with your coach, use pain as the guardrail, and prioritize slow, steady gains. Showing up to the box in a modified capacity preserves fitness, keeps you plugged into the community, and reduces the risk of setbacks as you rebuild toward full Rx capacity.