Whether you’re an athlete or avid gym goer, there is nothing more disruptive and damaging to your training regime than picking up an injury. As fitness enthusiasts we will often be tempted to find a way to work around an injury in a desperate bid to not forfeit our hard-earned gains. I have been there many times myself, for example, substituting optimal exercises for ones that cause less discomfort, not using a full range of motion such as when squatting to prevent pain at the bottom of the movement or replacing an outdoors run for a run on the treadmill.
Despite my best efforts to continue working through any injury, ultimately my progress would always stall, and it would become harder to achieve my goals. This may seem like common sense but when you’re completely committed to and invested in your fitness journey, you can act out of impulse and subject your body to more damage just to remain active. This can often happen when you have goals with specific timeframes in mind, for example, wanting to hit that elusive bench press PB by Christmas or running a sub 50-minute 10k by the summer.
Following an injury rehabilitation programme is the best thing you can do when you’re injured but I think we can all agree that not getting injured in the first place is much preferable. While injuries will always be inevitable, many are preventable. I’ve found that following the below steps has helped me to remain injury free for a couple of years now and I’ve never looked back!
Warm up and cool down
It amazes me how many people don’t bother with a proper warm up before exercising. If you’re going for a run, start by walking gently for five minutes and then jog for two minutes before gradually increasing the pace. When lifting weights, start with a light weight or just the barbell and do many repetitions before gradually increasing the weight. The whole point of a warm up is to prepare your body for exercise by increasing heart rate and circulation, loosening your joints and increasing blood flow to the muscles. This will in turn decrease the risk of injury.
A cool down is particularly important after activities that involve running, jumping or throwing and should last around 3-10 minutes. It can help remove the build up of lactic acid, avoid lowering your heart rate and breathing too soon and prevent muscle injury. This can include stretches or gentle variations of the movements completed during your workout, for example, completing a light jog or walking after running.
Stretch
The clinical literature suggests that there is no clear link between stretching and injury prevention. However, I feel stretching has helped me significantly and would wholeheartedly recommend you find the time to do so in your routine. You’ll benefit from greater flexibility and increased range of motion. I weight trained for years without ever even thinking about stretching and my mobility definitely suffered. I did not stretch because I felt it was boring and would encroach on time that I could use to lift weights but I can honestly say that since following a stretching routine, I feel looser and better not only when lifting weights but also during my day to day life. Long gone are the days of constantly having tight hips and shoulders that felt like they could be strained from the simplest of daily activities or even just sleeping in the wrong position, let alone when pushing weight and undertaking cardiovascular exercise!
Dynamic stretching involves moving your body through ranges of motion that will prepare you for exercise. I recommend 5 minutes of this form of stretching before undertaking physical activity and this can be a part of your warm up. I complete the following stretches prior to working out and usually do 10 repetitions for each:
- Lunges
- Arm circles
- Leg swings
- Cat-cows
- Squats
- Jumping jacks
I also undertake static stretching after a workout as part of a cool down or on rest days. This form of stretching requires moving a muscle to the end of its range of motion and maintaining it without pain for around 30 seconds. This is the best way to increase flexibility. I like to repeat each stretch 2 times and complete the following in a session:
- Calf stretch. Put your hands on a wall with feet shoulder width apart. Place one foot a couple of feet in front of the other. Keeping both heels flat lean towards the wall by bending the knee closest to the wall and keeping the other leg straight.
- Hamstring stretch. Standing up, keep your legs straight and reach downwards with your hands to try and reach your toes.
- Quadriceps stretch. Standing up, hold onto a support with one hand and use your other hand to hold your ankle. Pull your heel into your buttocks.
- Cobra stretch for the chest, spine and shoulders. Start by laying flat on the ground with your stomach and then place your hands under the shoulders at the same time. Keep your toes in contact with the ground. Stretch the arms and lift your chest off the ground, relax the buttocks muscles, press the tailbone and push the shoulders together.
- Groin stretch. Stand with your feet about 2 metres apart, toes pointing forward. Slowly shift your weight to one leg by bending your knee. The other leg remains straight. Place your hands on the bent knee for support.
- Cross-body shoulder stretch. While standing grab one arm above your elbow with the opposite hand and pull it across your chest.
- Hip stretch. Lie on your back and cross your foot over the opposite quad and bend the knee that your foot is resting on. Hold the back of your bent leg and gently pull it toward your chest.
Listen to your body
This can be particularly hard to do when you’re goal oriented and emotionally attached to your training programme but the importance of staying in tune with your body can’t be underestimated. We often hear the famous words ‘no pain, no gain’, however, it is important to understand the difference between feeling discomfort as opposed to pain in a specific part of the body due to an overuse injury.
I’ve found incorporating a deload phase into my weightlifting programme, which involves lifting lighter weights or reducing training volume for a week or so has particularly helped me recover adequately and avoid injury. When I first started running, I would experience all sorts of injuries due to my body not being used to the repetitive motion and often running too hard and far too soon. I experienced much better results by gradually building up the distance and pace of my runs as well as allowing for easier runs as opposed to always giving maximal effort.
Stress can make a workout harder and take a larger toll on your body, so be kind to yourself on those days when you’re not feeling so great or recovering from a recent period of illness. Finally, make sure you get adequate sleep, eat well and stay hydrated!
The Fitness Project 