When “Backing Off” Is Actually the Strongest Move You Can Make

As a performance physical therapist in Denver who works with CrossFit athletes, hybrid athletes, HYROX competitors, lifters, and runners, I am almost never the person encouraging you to stop training. My entire approach at Power in Movement Physical Therapy and Performance is built around keeping you active while addressing the root cause of pain so you can continue moving toward your goals.

But there are specific times when modifying training, reducing load, or temporarily backing down is not only smart but necessary. If your goal is long term progress, injury prevention, and sustainable performance, knowing when to pull back is just as important as knowing when to push.

Here are the three situations where backing off is actually the most effective way to improve strength, reduce pain, and enhance performance.

You Do Not Yet Have the Baseline Strength Requirements

One of the most common causes of running injuries and lifting injuries is training at a volume or intensity that your tissues are not yet prepared to handle. When someone comes into the clinic with knee pain from running, shin splints, Achilles pain, or general lower body irritation, one of the first things I look at is strength and tissue capacity.

For example, if a runner comes in with significant knee pain during running, one of the first things I test is calf strength. If you can only perform five quality calf raises and I am typically looking for thirty for basic running capacity, your calves simply do not have the strength to absorb the load required for running. Instead of that force being managed by the lower leg, it shifts directly into the knee, which is why the knee becomes irritated or painful.

This is not a weakness issue. It is a capacity issue. When the demand of the sport is higher than the strength of the tissue, pain shows up quickly. Temporarily reducing running volume and focusing on improving calf strength is one of the fastest ways to reduce knee pain, improve running mechanics, and build long term durability. This is the foundation of effective Denver sports physical therapy and one of the most proven ways to prevent repeat injuries.

You Are Dealing With an Acute Injury

Acute injuries require a different strategy than chronic stiffness or mild irritation. If you tweak your back during deadlifts and suddenly cannot bend forward, there may be inflammation, muscle guarding, or disc irritation. This type of injury shows up often in people who are lifting heavy, training in CrossFit gyms, or pushing volume in HYROX or functional fitness programs.

When the back is in a highly sensitive and protective state, continuing to lift heavy or push through pain often increases the inflammation and slows down healing. If I were to tell you that it is totally fine to keep deadlifting through severe back pain, we would almost guarantee a flare up that takes longer to calm down.

Instead, we temporarily steer away from movements that dramatically increase symptoms, find positions that your body can tolerate, reintroduce controlled loading strategies, and build you back up from a place of stability and confidence. This is one of the most effective approaches for treating acute low back pain, disc irritation, and barbell related injuries. It does not mean stopping training entirely. It means adjusting the plan so you can return to lifting safely and without fear.

Your Training Volume Is Too High and Your Recovery Is Too Low

Many athletes in Denver, especially those in CrossFit and hybrid training communities, come to physical therapy because they are unintentionally overtraining. The motivation is high, the goals are exciting, and the plan jumps from four hours of training per week to twelve. The problem is that the body adapts gradually, not instantly. Volume tolerance must be built over time.

When training volume increases faster than your recovery capacity, symptoms such as persistent soreness, declining performance, nagging tendon pain, irritability, sleep issues, or recurring injury begin to show up. These are classic signs of doing too much too soon.

And to be clear, recovery is not created through more zone 2 cardio, sauna sessions, cold plunges, or supplements. Those may be helpful tools, but they do not replace the fundamentals. Real, meaningful recovery comes from eating enough calories, especially for athletes training at high volumes, drinking enough water, sleeping eight or more hours consistently, and managing overall life stress. You cannot out sauna or out cold plunge chronic under fueling or sleep deprivation. Calories and sleep remain the two most powerful recovery strategies for every athlete, regardless of sport.

So When Should You Back Off?

The answer is simple. You should reduce load or modify training when your body does not yet have the strength required for your sport, when you are experiencing an acute injury like sudden low back pain or knee pain during running, or when your training volume is exceeding your ability to recover. Backing off does not mean quitting. It means respecting physiology so you can build long term resilience rather than bouncing between flare ups and setbacks.

At Power in Movement Physical Therapy and Performance in Denver, we specialize in helping athletes understand when to push, when to adjust, and how to keep training through injury safely. If you are unsure whether your pain means stop, slow down, or simply modify, that is exactly what performance based physical therapy is designed for.