3 Out of 10 Protocol for Training with Pain or Injury

Ask a questionTwo ways people get it wrong with training around injuries: rest until everything feels perfect (three weeks becomes three months becomes deconditioned and afraid to start), or push through and hope (which usually extends the flare). Both worked when you were 22. They don't anymore.Jarlo Ilano (physical therapist, GMB co-founder) and Andy Fossett walk through the framework Jarlo uses with patients and we use across our programs. A discomfort scale, an irritability test, and a way to keep training while you recover.What's covered:Why "rest until pain-free" stops working past your 30s, and what active rest actually looks likeThe 3-out-of-10 discomfort scale: what it measures, how to track it through a session, and why we use 3 instead of the 5 that shows up in post-op researchIrritability as a diagnostic: the difference between pain that fades when you stop and pain that lingers after the stressor is goneThe delayed-reaction problem (you felt fine during, you wake up wrecked) and how to read the next 24 hoursThe "split everything in half" rule for your first session backHow to control variables when you train injured: pick a familiar movement, fix the time, vary the loadWhy every rep is already a modification, and why that mindset beats hunting for the perfect substitute exerciseThis one's for anyone who's hit middle age (which Jarlo points out starts way earlier than you think) and noticed the rules have changed. You can run the framework yourself, and it works across most of the common stuff: knees, shoulders, tendons, adductors. Support the show👉 Try a free strength and agility workout