What really is joint pain?
Not only what is it, but what the hell do I do about It?
Both valid questions, both don’t have a set answer. Joint pain is a signal from your body due to something that is going on.
We may not always know exactly what the hell is causing the pain but we know our body is trying to let us know that something isn’t “right”.
Now what we do about that pain can be very individual to each person.
But what we can do is limit that joint pain from coming around in the first place. It is not always easy or fun but hey, neither is living with joint pain.
Two Easy Steps
Step One:
Never skip your warm-up
I think everyone is sick of me saying It but the damn warm-up is mandatory! If you skip It, you are already taking a step closer to pissing your body off.
The warm-up is an extension of your workout, don’t skip it.
We need to address the areas that are either in pain or will give us pain. For me, shoulders, low back, and knees all need to warm-up. So what does that look like.
1.) Pressure– I start by foam rolling or doing some soft tissue work to get that tissue ready to move. I feel 100x more prepared to move after putting some pressure on my body that I added It in as a staple to these warm-ups.
2.) Deep stretches– These help me “feel” loose, they may not be lengthening any muscle fibers but I am able to move better after doing these stretches to help in every other part of my warm-up/workout.
3.) Mobilize– This is where things start to move. Adding in 1-2 mobility drills is where you can create good patterns that will last longer than just the warm-up. For me, I have a tough time rotating my hips so a 90-90 variation is very common in this part of the warm-up.
4.) Activate– Now we need to get the muscles working. Not only will these muscles activate they will also be strengthening during this time. So take this part seriously because the areas that you focus on will become stronger over time and can help eliminate and prevent pain from coming in the first place. I like to add 2-3 exercises together in a circuit and aim for 10-25 reps for 1-3 rounds.
It could look something like this:
A. Band pull aparts 2×15
B. Band hip flexion 2×15
C. Side plank 2x:30
Step Two:
Pick exercises that are joint friendly.
If we are doing things that help our joints move well then we will be on a great path of no pain.
On the other hand, if we keep picking exercises that are tough on the joints, no matter how thorough your warm-up is, the pain will find its way back.
Remember, there are no mandatory exercises. There is an exercise, a progression, a regression, or a modification that can work for just about any situation.
Find what feels and works good for you and keep getting better at them.
I made a post yesterday about bench pressing without pain, you can look at It HERE
The main idea behind the post is working WITH your body. Find modifications that you can work with. Straight bar bench presses may hurt your shoulder, but a slight decline may feel great. Maybe cutting out a few inches of range of motion makes all the difference.
Choose things that are easy on the joints and feel good for your body.
Never stop experimenting, keep kicking ass!
In good health,
Jeff
P.S Whenever you are ready, here are 3 ways I can help you change the way your body looks and feels…
1.) Would you be interested in testing out our program for two weeks… With no payment?
Right now you can give our program a shot for two weeks with no payment and get on the road to looking and feeling how you really want.
If you are interested in this free test, reply “TEST” to this email.
2.) Come in for a FREE body scan
We are letting you get a better idea of where your starting point is by getting a free InBody scan. This can test your body fat, muscle mass, and water levels.
If you would like a free InBody scan, reply “SCAN” to this email.
3.) Workout Programs
I have been toying with the idea of creating programs for anyone to use and follow. They would come complete with videos, descriptions, and program demos.
If you have any interest in a program such as this, reply “PROGRAM” to this email and I will get you the ideas that I have been thinking about.
