5-tips-for-injury-free-strength-training
Minor injuries can sometimes be unavoidable, but bigger problems can often be prevented. Here are five tips from what we at Workout Brands have learned over years of training:
- Understand your injury and what went wrong
- Review your technique
- Is your training plan adequate?
- Mobility and flexibility
- Professional help
1. Understand your injury and what went wrong
If you have a previous injury, such as runner's knee or a slipped disc, start by understanding what type of injury it is and how it happened. Was it repetitive stress, poor movement patterns, imbalances, lifting too heavy, or just an accident? Once you know the probable cause, you can analyze why it happened.
Without a thorough review of the injury, its cause, and how effective the recovery plan is, the risk of getting injured again increases. Consider the demands of your sport or training activity, and be honest with yourself. How much strain does your activity put on your body? Can you prepare for it in the gym?
2. Review your technique
Technique is everything. Your lifting technique can determine whether you succeed or fail. This is especially true if you compete in powerlifting, weightlifting, or strongman, where technique directly affects your performance and how much you lift. Even if you train for another sport where strength transfers to performance on the field, in the pool, or on the track, lifting technique can still be crucial for success and injury prevention.
If you lift with poor technique, you overwork certain muscle groups, weaken others, and create imbalances.
When you lift, you ask your body to perform many movements and contractions that build, support, and stabilize your muscles. Poor technique can lead to overworking some muscle groups while others weaken, creating imbalances. All these weaknesses can be exposed during competition, and suddenly something goes wrong.
Could your technique cause an injury that's just waiting to happen? If you're unsure, consult a coach who knows what they’re talking about and focus on your fundamental movement patterns.
Lifting puts great demands on the body, so make sure you're doing it the right way.
3. Is your training plan adequate?
Make sure not to neglect parts of your training. Have you completed enough specific and focused training for the task, or are you just hoping your body can handle the load in your sport?
If you're constantly getting injured during competitions, it's likely that you're not preparing adequately.
For example, your legs and back might be strong enough to lift a heavy weight, but the supporting muscles also need to be strong. Are your quadratus lumborum and erector spinae trained and strong enough to handle the torsion that a heavy weight puts on your back? If not, you're putting yourself at risk of injury.
Don't assume your body can handle everything you throw at it. Review your training and make sure your preparations are sufficient to protect your body from the demands of your sport. If you're constantly getting injured during competitions, it's likely that you're not preparing adequately.
4. Mobility and flexibility
Both the general public and athletes are more aware than ever of the importance of mobility and flexibility. Pay attention to your joints, their range of motion, and your muscles' ability to perform the movements they are asked to do. There are many screening tests that can map out how your mobility is. If you take your training seriously, carry out a screening test to identify your weaknesses.
Identify areas that feel stiff, locked, and don’t move through a full range of motion, and address them.
Mobility and flexibility work can easily be integrated into warm-ups and recovery sessions. Without this, joints are often unable to handle the stress they’re exposed to, and something has to give.
Don’t let poor hip mobility lead to an injury in your glutes or hip flexors. Don’t let poor hamstring flexibility contribute to a strain on competition day. Identify areas that feel stiff, locked, and don’t move through a full range of motion, and address them.
Prevention is easier than curing. That’s why movement patterns and mobility are the highest priority in my five-step training method:
- Fix the movement
- Refine the repetition
- Apply effort and intensity
- Achieve results
- Repeat
Walking around with joint pain all day, every day, is neither normal nor acceptable. It's not a badge of honor either. If this describes you, address it now before you end up walking with crutches instead.
What’s the point of lifting heavy if you can barely walk the rest of the day?
5. Professional help
Don't always try to self-diagnose. A trained eye is better than your own observations, so find a good physiotherapist, naprapath, or chiropractor, and let them check your posture, movement, and proprioception.
They can detect imbalances, problems, and potential weaknesses and give you a protocol to follow to ensure these ticking time bombs are defused. Poor posture and stability can lead to a range of different injuries and pains. If you sit down all day or already feel like you're leaning forward, have it checked by someone.
Prevention is key
Remember – prevention is easier than curing. Take the time to consider if your preparations are putting you in a position for success or injury. Improve the quality of your training time and stay on the field longer than your competitors.
