Do you have muscle and joint pain? Does your body ache after training? Are you losing mobility? Do you know how to prevent injury? Find the answers to all these questions and the keys to longevity in training below!
“The one thing that can stop all progress and take you backwards in training is injury.”
The one thing that can stop all progress and take you backwards in training is injury. If you are injured your focus will be set towards recovering from that injury as quickly as possible so you can continue to progress forward. However, during the time of recovery you are going to slowly be losing all that you have built before the injury occurred. That makes injury one of the most feared and dreaded things in all of strength training. Though it can be prevented, or even beneficial…
“The greatest risk of injury comes from improper lifting technique.”
Injury will likely strike us all down at some point, whether it be small or large. With every exercise, every set, every rep, and even every step we take there is a chance for injury to occur. We knowingly take that risk in order to strive for greater progress, and to become stronger. Many people think that lifting heavy, or just with high intensity, you are at a greater risk of injury, but that is not true. The greatest risk of injury comes from improper lifting technique. Even if you lift very light weights over and over again for more repetitions you are at a much greater risk of injury than someone lifting intensely with proper technique. Many people also believe that machines are safer to lift with than free weights, but again this is not true. Machines serve a purpose of attempting to focus on targeting specific muscles which often will put you in a compromised position to do so. Yes, this can help target a muscle better, but it does not mean that you are in a safe position to do so. They are easier to use and learn on as most of them only work one way, but many of them can be just as dangerous if not set up properly. Another thing to add about machines, is that they often limit the range of motion to both focus the stress on a specific muscle and to keep you out of the most compromising positions for your body that will cause injury when done repeatedly. So feel free to use machines or free weights, lift heavy or light, but when doing so, make sure you are using proper technique to help prevent injury.
If you want to learn more about how to perform exercises correctly look here: All Training Exercises
“We all need to keep moving, every single day.”
Movement is key to preventing injury. Remember the saying, “If you don’t move it, you lose it.”? Just by simply moving you can prevent countless injuries, along with other common aches and pains. We all need to keep moving, every single day. We need to take our joints through full ranges of motion, stretch our muscles and re-enforce movement patterns every day so that we do not lose what we already have. As we get older, move less, or just don’t mobilize our tissues as we get stronger, we begin to lose joint range of motion. This is commonly due to stiffening of muscles, tendons and ligaments. As they become more stiff, they become much harder to mobilize over time. Eventually they will become atrophied and nearly impossible to fix. That is why movement is so important. Even light activity every day enables your body to stay limber, and strong enough to prevent unnecessary injuries. It is when muscles become out of touch with their neuromuscular proprioception (mind-muscle activation) from lack of use that they are much more susceptible to tears and strains. You should always stay active and exercise, but you should also have a simple daily routine that you follow in order to maintain your basic movements on a daily basis. This is one of the many reasons I created the Daily 30. It allows you to practice your basic human movement patterns, while increasing mobility and allowing you to maintain your strength, all in less than 2 minutes of movement. No matter what you do, to prevent injury and be healthy, just keep moving.
To learn more about how to improve your movement patterns and mobility look here: The Daily 30
“When a joint and the muscles surrounding it are all functioning properly it is much less likely to have an injury occur…”
Strength and mobility act together to prevent injury. Both strength and mobility increase the function of a muscle, along with the tendons and ligaments surrounding joints. When a joint and the muscles surrounding it are all functioning properly it is much less likely to have an injury occur, however it also needs to be strong enough and mobile enough to withstand varied forces that may act upon it. If muscles surrounding a joint are strong, but not very mobile, then the muscles, tendons or ligaments will tear when a large force is applied. This force can even be the momentum of that person or a maximal force created by their strong muscles. If a joint is too mobile, then an improper move can dislocate the joint causing great harm. So for a joint to be healthy, the surrounding tissue needs to be able to withstand strong forces and keep a joint in place, while being mobile enough to not tear. That is why it is vital that athletes, along with others that perform intense activities, do strength training, but also mobilize so that they do not become too stiff. Muscular strength and mobility is vital for preventing injuries.
To learn how to perform numerous mobility exercises go here: Mobility Exercises
“Though injuries can be prevented…sometimes an injury can be the best thing for someone.”
Though injuries can be prevented with proper lifting technique, daily movement, and increasing muscular function, sometimes an injury can be the best thing for someone. By having an injury occur, there is always a lesson to be learned that, in the end, can make you stronger. You may learn of a new way to approach training, or how to recover better, or what you might have been missing before that held you back. So when an injury does occur, do not take it lightly. Find a way to learn from it and come back stronger. Do not accept the defeat. Always find a way to make it better. Take on your new challenges with full force and don’t accept failure. Bring out your warrior spirit and recover what the injury took from you. Now, take control of your future, and go Change Your World.