Aidan Donnelly Coaching

Not a fan of absolutes or sweeping statements - but when it comes to back pain people generally tend to focus on specific exercises or singular details without recognising the massive contribution of constant stressors without reprieve or sufficient recovery.

Adaptation goes out the window, and a host of other issues start to arise if there is chronic stress and not enough time to recover.

Demand exceeding capacity. 📉

That’s how most injuries happen. 🩹

You can draw a direct parallel between this and how so many life problems arise: what is being demanded outstrips the capacity available to tolerate or cope with it. ⚖️

I post a lot about pain - and this concept is deeply applicable there, too. Pain frequently stems from the nervous system responding to an overwhelming level of stress. 🧠⚡

When it comes to actual tissue damage, MOST issues (not all, there are always exceptions!) arise from stress exceeding tolerance - aka demand exceeding capacity.

* When stress is tolerable, we adapt and grow stronger.
* When stress is intolerable, things go wrong - either in an instant or gradually over time through chronic overload.

Posture, positioning, stability, and technique are simply tools to redistribute stress across a system, helping tissues accommodate more or do less. But they are not the sole drivers of injury.

🚫 ‘Poor’ posture or ‘poor’ technique does not instantly lead to tissue damage.

The trickiest part? Figuring out where all that stress is actually coming from and identifying what’s pushing you past your threshold. 

Most people blame a single movement or exercise, completely missing the big picture - and the forest for the trees. 🌳👀

Feeling stuck with a nagging injury or persistent pain? Stop guessing and start looking at the bigger picture. Drop a comment below or send me a DM today so we can map out your total stress load and build back your capacity!

Ever feel a sudden pull or ‘tweak’ during a workout and instantly assume the worst?

You’re not alone - especially when it comes to back pain, people tend to panic. But most of the time, nothing is torn, snapped, or broken. It’s usually not your posture or technique, either.

You likely just overloaded the area.
Training is all about balancing demand vs. capacity. If demand spikes past what your body can handle right now (from pushing too hard, poor sleep, or high stress), things get irritated and need time to recuperate.

That doesn’t mean you have to stop training entirely. Unless it’s severe, we can usually modify movements, train around it, and use a simple scale to guide recovery:
* Keep pain at or below a 4/10 during movement.
* Check how it feels 24 and 48 hours later.
* (Swipe through the slides for a full breakdown)

Most importantly: don’t let a minor setback keep you stuck.

Sidelined by a recent tweak? Let’s get you back on track to hitting personal bests safely.
Drop me a DM with ‘PB’ whenever you’re ready to chat through it - no pressure.

Disclaimer: This isn’t medical advice and isn’t intended for severe or debilitating injuries.

Keep the goal the goal!

Having a priority, a focus and maintaining that over enough time to see it pay off or know how best to adjust can be a challenge.

Check out the slides for more information.

If you struggle with this DM me the word ‘goal’ for a framework to help solve this.

Change is difficult. Easier to keep doing the same thing hoping for a different outcome, especially when you don’t want to have to change what you are doing.

Load management, proper recovery and identifying what triggers your back pain is huge for being able to make sustainable progress.

Do you have ongoing back pain?