Before you start: Always consult your doctor or healthcare provider before beginning your AlterMe program. Your physician is best placed to advise which movements are safe for your specific injury and recovery stage. Nothing in this article replaces that guidance.
With your doctor's consent, you can still train effectively while recovering — it just requires a smarter approach. Here's how to adapt your AlterMe sessions to work with your body.
Take more time to warm up
Don't rush into your session. Use the extra time to prime the joints and muscles that need more care — and if you've been prescribed physical therapy exercises, do them first. They're designed to prepare exactly the areas that need it most.
Move slowly
Slower movement means more control and less stress on vulnerable areas. You don't need to match the trainer's pace. Moving deliberately through a full range of motion is more valuable than keeping up. If a transition happens too fast, press pause — and press play again when you feel ready.
Modify the movement, not the effort
Every exercise in your AlterMe sessions can be adapted. Reduce your range of motion, shorten your stride, bring an overhead movement to chest height, or swap a standing exercise for a seated one. The goal is to find a version of the movement that lets you train without aggravating your injury — not to skip it entirely.
Use your environment
A chair or wall is always fair game for balance and stability. Pad your knee for any floor work. There's no version of a workout where using support makes it less effective — it makes it safer, which makes it sustainable.
When in doubt, go to recovery
On days when any movement feels like too much, the recovery library is there. Try a restorative yoga session, or skip movement altogether and work inward with our breathwork and meditation audio sessions. All support your body's healing process without adding physical load.