Strong Joints: your way back to training
Written by Coach Moose. Not yet reviewed by a physiotherapist. · Published 6 November 2026
Your physio gets you moving again. Then there's a gap nobody really owns: the stretch between "it feels better" and "I'm back in a full class." That's where people get stuck, flare it up, or quietly stop coming.
This guide is for that gap. We can't diagnose your knee from here, and we won't pretend to. What we can do is help you work out who to see, keep you training, and build you back up one step at a time.
The short version
- Get anything serious checked first. The list is below.
- Most guidelines for joint and muscle pain agree on the basics: screen for serious problems, be careful with imaging, and include exercise.1
- You can often keep training the rest of your body while one joint settles.
- Move forward by what your joint can do, not by the calendar.
Get it checked first
These are our coaching rules for when training waits. They aren't a medical test.
How we think about getting back
We use the same four phases across this series. Pass a gate, move up. If something flares and stays worse the next morning, drop back a phase for a few days.
| Phase | The job | What moves you on |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Calm it down | Ease off what sets it off and keep the rest of you training | Daily life is getting easier |
| 2. Get it moving | Find the range and loads you can handle comfortably | Easy sessions don't cause a next-day flare |
| 3. Build it back | Add real strength, one side at a time where you can | Loaded work feels close to your other side |
| 4. Make it ready | Bring back speed, jumps and your sport | You trust it in a full class |
The gates are CrossFit BC coaching benchmarks, not clinical cut-offs.
Start with your joint
Two guides for every joint
Quick answers
Should I stop training when a joint hurts?
Usually not completely, but get anything on the warning list checked first. In a trial of 38 people with Achilles pain, those who kept active using a pain-monitoring approach did no worse at 12 months than those who took six weeks of active rest.2 That study was about Achilles tendons, so don't assume it applies to every joint.
Does this replace physio?
No. Rehab belongs with your physio or doctor. This series covers training around a sore joint and building back to class once it's safe to do so.
Can I join CrossFit BC with a sore joint?
Often, yes. Talk to us first so we can tell you honestly whether it's the right time and what to change.
Not sure where to start?
Tell us what's going on. A coach will help you work out your next step, including whether to see someone first.
Talk to a coachAbout the author. Dai Manuel, known around the gym as Coach Moose, has 30 years of coaching experience across strength, conditioning and lifestyle coaching, and is a co-owner of CrossFit BC in Vancouver.
This article is general education, not a diagnosis or treatment plan. If you're unsure what's going on, or it isn't improving, see a physiotherapist or physician.