Sprained Ankle - Missed a week in the Gym

I missed the third week of a six week program I am doing, It finally feels good enough to get back into the gym today.

my question is, should I restart the program or just restart that week or continue on as normal?

I don't know your program so I won't comment directly on your question, howeve...

You will injure yourself from time to time. You have to learn to work around your injuries. Even with a sprained ankle there are many exercises you can do in the gym. Most of the upper body work (on machines) is kindly to ankles.

Just do what you can, and especially pick one exercise (or body part) that you can still train with full intensity even while injured and work that body part extra hard. It will give you a reason to get to the gym. Instead of going and "doing a half assed workout" you will be going and "blitzing" some body part. A much more positive approach.

Most injuries can be worked around (a few cannot). Always try to get in the gym and work around your injuries.

Can't comment on your program, as you haven't posted it.

However, unless it was one that varied from week to week, then probably, providing you have no residual pain or discomfort issues, I'd say get back into it, and perhaps do the 6 weeks.

You'd effectively then take 7 weeks to complete, factoring in the layoff time. Instead of cutting out a weeks training, to retain the initial timeframe.

Any residual injuries or discomfort will either

A: limit exercise choices.

B: limit weight tolerances on some exercises.

Though perhaps expanding more on what this program is, might benefit us more in terms of what we can and can't say.

couldn't you have done upper body still?

couldn't you have done upper body still?

That was my point. If he has access to machines I'm certain he could. If he had only free weights then the selection of exercises becomes more limited, but certainly most seated exercises would be fine.

I continued to exercise with some upper body, just got off the program for a week.

The program I was doing was

weeks 1 to 3, alternating an A and B workout,

A - 5 sets of 5 pull ups then 3 circuits of (10 to 12 reps) step ups, squats/ shoulder press, bent over row row
B - 5 sets of 5 squats then 3 circuits of (10 to 12 reps) incline bench, dead lift / bent over row, Cable PNF

Weeks 4 -6

same but do 6 sets of 3 to start out instead 5x5

KEEP IT BANDAGED!

Hey, Just so you know, keep it bandaged for a couple of weeks.

Even though you think it might be healed up, it takes ages for the sprain to repair.

Get on to expert village on you tube for bandaging technique (figure of 8 method).

If you don't, you will get repeated minor - major sprains in it over the next month.

Be careful about wrapping your own bandages. A bad wrap job can set you back, or cause further injury.