The New Year is a time where many of us make well-meaning resolutions to get fitter and lose weight. However, injury and dwindling motivation mean those resolutions can quickly be forgotten.
We all know that exercise is good for us. However, moving too quickly into intense exercise can lead to certain injuries including back pain, tendinopathies and even stress fractures. When you increase your exercise load without allowing your body the time to adapt and rest, you are setting yourself up for an overload injury. The good news is that by following a program which appropriately considers the frequency and intensity of your training, you are much less likely to become injured.
Below are some tips of how to reduce your risk
- Start small before you think big
The greatest health benefits accrue by moving from nothing, to even small amounts of physical activity. If you’ve never exercised in your life, your best form of exercise might be walking around the block every day until you feel like you can step it up. And how much should you increase it by? Use the 10 percent rule. This guideline simply states that you should increase your activity by no more than 10% per week. This includes distance, intensity, weight lifted, or length of your exercise session.
For example, if you are running 10 km’s per week and want to increase, adding 1 kilometre the next week follows the 10 percent rule. If you are lifting 20 kilograms and want to increase, add 2 kilograms the next week to follow the 10 percent rule.
If you are a beginning exerciser, 10 percent may be too much, and a 5 percent increase per week may be much more comfortable. If you aren't sure of your ability or if you experience any aches or pains, simply modify your increases accordingly.
- Make sure you warm-up correctly
Warming up is an important part of your exercise routine as it helps prevent injury. The best way to warm up is to spend 5-10 minutes moving the area of the body it is that you are going to be working. For example, if you’re going for a run, try leg swings forwards and backwards, as well as across your body. This helps to mobilise the hip joint and dynamically stretch the muscles to prepare them for movement. If you want to train your upper body at the gym, the rowing machine can be good to warm up the axioscapular muscles. Then include lighter weights before moving on to heavier loads.
- Focus on lumbar and pelvic stability
Having good control through your lumbar spine and pelvis are really important, especially if you’re going to be lifting weights at the gym, or if you have a job with heavy lifting requirements (our tradies out there!). If you are lifting weights but have a weak core and poor posture, you are likely to place excessive load through your lower back. This can cause niggly low back pain, or in worse cases- a back injury. Knowing if you have good control sometimes requires a proper assessment by a Physiotherapist. To work on your postural control, Clinical Exercise is one of the most effective exercise modalities. At Back in Motion Hawthorn, we offer tailored, small group exercise classes combining Clinical Exercise and other gym exercises to help work on your specific needs. To book in for your free assessment click HERE.
- Train smart
If your goal is to run a half marathon, you need to do more than just run. In the average Joe or even in more experienced runners, there’s likely to be biomechanical factors which predispose one to back, knee or ankle pain. Excessive running and skipping resistance training is where many runners go wrong. Take a day off between runs and lift weights and stretch. Which weights you need to lift will be different for every individual; however as a general rule, it’s import to have a strong core, glutes and quads. If you’re unsure of where to start, an assessment by a Physiotherapist is the best place to start.
- Get help!
Physiotherapists are experts in working out a training program just for you. They will consider your goals, your current level of fitness as well as any injuries or health conditions which prevent you from being as active as you’d like.
And always- listen to your body. If something doesn’t feel quite right it’s often a good idea to get things checked out sooner rather than later. Getting help sooner may mean you’ll require less treatment and will be able to get back into your trainer quicker!