Preventing Injury

Given that I am writing about fitness for sport, this article may seem a little redundant in the context of the impacts we endure during the competitive phase of your chosen sport.  In sport, we must expect to suffer injuries on a regular basis but these, barring major accidents, should be no more serious than bruising and minor sprains.  The injuries I’m about to address are those that we can prevent.

Injuries don’t just happen; most of the time, we set ourselves up for them.  Most injuries involve damage to soft tissue, muscle rather than ligaments, bones or cartilage, namely pulls and strains.  “Soft” refers to the fact that muscles are pliable, stretchable and compliant, which generally makes them able to withstand quite a deal of punishment. 

But, muscles do have their limits and we have to respect those limits to avoid short-term pain and inconvenience and, to avoid unforeseen difficulties later in life.  Many muscle injuries can have serious ramifications both physically and financially.  People complain all of the time about injuries they suffered “years ago”.  If you can avoid muscle injury, you will also be less likely to damage other parts of the body like bones, tendons and ligaments.

Gradual Progression

We have all heard the expression; “good things come to those that wait.” I can promise you that it is true, particularly when it comes to fitness and strength training.  An equally familiar refrain is “no pain, no gain” which I can assure you is totally NOT true.  After a heavy weight training session, you can expect some Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) but that should not be so painful as to be debilitating. 

The fact of the matter is, your muscles need between five and seven days to fully recover from a weight training session.  Smashing those same muscles again within that timeframe will achieve very little indeed and may in fact injure the very muscles you are trying to strengthen. 

The secret to maintaining a fit and healthy body throughout your training is to start low and go slow.  Begin your program with weights that are light enough that you can complete the required number of sets and reps without discomfort.  The exercise should be difficult and the weight lifted should become harder to move every time you lift it but, do not push it harder than you need to.

Warm Up

Failure to adequately warm up before exercise is without question the major cause of injury.  Muscle fibres are like rubber bands, when they are cold they are stiff, brittle and liable to tear.  Warming the muscles up makes them more pliable, they contract faster and become stronger for that.

The whole idea behind warming up is multi-faceted, firstly by raising the core body temperature by a couple of degrees, we increase blood flow to the exercising muscles, increase lubrication of the joints and improves the muscles’ ability to convert oxygen and glucose into ATP, or energy.

The warm up is not a workout in its own right; it is a light exercise, a jog or even walking for long enough to break into a light sweat.  Do not exhaust your energy reserves on the warm up, save it for when the real work begins.

Practice Good Technique

If you learn nothing else from this article, this is the one thing I sincerely hope you take away with you; Practice Good Technique, always!

There is no substitute for correct form and proper technique, especially in strength training and competitive sport.  You will be shown hundreds of different ways to move, kick, throw, duck and weave during your sporting life but if you don’t pay attention to what you are being taught and do not work diligently at perfecting the technique, two things will happen. 

1. Your technique will be less effective and will not deliver the desired outcome; and,
2. You will be setting yourself up for a major, or chronic, injury.

Pay attention to the structure and flow of every technique you are being taught and practice it exactly as you have been taught.  Take your learning to the next level and watch and analyse the technique of more senior players and/or your coaches.  Watching can be as valuable a learning tool as listening or doing.

Good technique is even more critical in weight training than it is in sport.  Failing to maintain a neutral spine or not aligning your body correctly during an exercise can have a number of detrimental effects, not least of which is a failure to actually exercise the targeted muscle group. There are innumerable cases of gym users failing to follow correct technique and subsequently developing chronic joint problems as a result.

If you begin an exercise and it just doesn’t feel right, stop.  Re-set our position, ensuring that your head is up, shoulders back and down, chest up and that there is a slight curve in your lower back.  These simple steps will help keep you healthy and will ensure your workout is effective.

Join me next time when I begin exploring nutrition for sports performance and nutrition for life.