Think of an injury that
is occurred while exercising. It could be you or someone you know.
What caused the injury? Maybe a complex exercise such as a squat or a deadlift (yes these are two very complex exercises) or maybe they were just doing their regular routine and BANG something popped.
Whatever the case may be, these injuries can be long lasting and painful BUT preventable.
Now looking at your
injury or the injury of the person you may know, what was being done to prevent
that injury?
Probably not too much
which is unfortunate. Injury prevention doesn’t mean that you have to be scared
of every exercise or make sure the weight is so light you barely notice.
The main thing you must
keep in your mind about these injuries is that it is better to be proactive
than reactive.
What I mean by this is
that you must take steps to keep yourself healthy and safe before things become
an issue. In most cases it is the other way around.
There are a few areas
that must be taken into consideration when discussing the prevention of injury.
FIRST: Mobility Routines
Everyone that exercises
should do mobility work before each workout. Some people just stretch random
parts of their body, which is okay and better than nothing.
The best approach to
mobility routines is addressing what your body NEEDS.
Some people need full
body mobility routines due to tight shoulders, traps, thoracic, external
rotators of the hip, ankles and many times even more areas.
In the cases where clients
fit this criteria then our priority for most sessions is a whole lot of
mobility and a little bit of resistance training.
Now say I skipped
mobility with a person who has a tight shoulders and their hips are so tight it
hurts to sit down. I tell this person to squat, there is a high chance that
things will take a turn down injury lane.
Do not be this person,
be aware that or your bodies abilities and limitations and prioritize your
body’s want to be able to move better.
Mobility before exercise
consists of movements that will be held in the flexed position for a short
pause and then released. This will ensure that you won’t be too flexible when
performing your exercises. (Look
back at my mobility vs. flexibility post)
After the workout is a
good place to instill longer holds for your stretches to work on that
flexibility.
If you are ever
interested in mobility routines that are effective for your body shoot me an
email at JNHealthandFitness@aol.com
SECOND: Preparing For Your Exercises
Yes, mobility is one way
or preparing for your exercise but we also must prepare the muscles that we are
about to be focusing on.
This portion will take
place after your mobility work and before your first true exercise.
We are preparing the
muscles for what they are about to perform so they can execute the movement
with good control and strength as compared to doing 5 warm-up sets.
I will keep this section
short and sweet with an example.
Example 1: We are getting ready to bench press. Now think of the muscles
involved the main ones being chest, shoulders, and triceps as the movers.
We also need to look at
the stabilizer muscles, which would be the rear delts and the upper back. We
want these muscles to be activated prior to the movement to make sure we are
locking in our body to the bench.
So the quick preparation
for this would consist of
- Band
pull-aparts - Light bent
over rows - Slow
controlled pushups
This will activate all
the muscles I want and need to be able to perform a bench press in the most
optimal way.
THIRD: Listen To Your Body
In many cases even with
a good mobility routine and preparation for exercises there are still some
aches and pains that come along with the movements.
This means that you need
to focus on the areas and joints around them.
Also this means your
body is trying to tell you that something is not right and then sending pain
signals to your brain.
Do not ignore these
signals, your body is not working against you, it is trying to warn you.
So listen to these
warnings and either move onto something that does not hurt or if your ego can
handle it, stop your workout and change to a full mobility session on that
particular area.
FOURTH: Respect The Exercises
I have said this before
and I am going to say it again, all exercise is a skill and must be treated as
such.
Take your time to learn
the movements and practice them. You do not always have to add more weight just
because you feel like you can.
Just like any skill in this
world, it takes time to learn and master it. Although it may take time, once
you have it mastered moving forward in that area is a breeze.
I tell all my clients to
be patient. Most of them get so eager to move forward or add more weight before
they are ready, and I feel bad having to pull them back but it is a game of
longevity and that’s what we are shooting for.
This doesn’t just apply
to resistance training, I had one of my clients come in and say they are
getting back into running. Now we have done all necessary mobility work to make
sure her body is prepared to such activity. The first thing I told her is to go
see a running specialist to correct her form before she starts messing around
with speed and distance.
She understands this
aspect of skill, which is why she is going to be seeing this running specialist
until she has it mastered.
In the long run it will
always be better to take it slow and steady when it comes to injury prevention.
Yes, mobility work will
take up some time in your workout. Yes, preparing your muscles takes time. Yes,
listening to your body may stop you during your favorite exercise. And yes,
learning a skill may take more time than you want.
BUT do not let these things deter you from doing the right thing for your body. You body deserves to be treated in a healthy and safe manner and it will thank you in the long run.
JNHealthandFitness@aol.com
