5 Tips For Lifting With An Injury

Even if you are not injured these tips will be helpful and give you a little something to think about next time you hit the gym. Depending on the severity of the injury of course you should not be trying to exercise unless you have been cleared by your health care provider. These principles also apply to those working out post joint replacement surgery.

Focus On Form Before Adding Weight

This is probably the most important point when it comes to lifting with some type of injury. When we do certain movements they can be very technical, and doing the movement properly not only ensures safety but means the muscles are firing properly and are being used efficiently. Our bodies movement patterns may be different once an injury has occurred. Ensuring these movements patterns are working properly first again before adding resistance means less stress on the joints and moving force through our muscle. As long as our joints are in the right places when we lift, they will become stronger too. Even the injury prone ones.

Train Your Body Evenly

Everyone has target areas and certain muscle’s they’d like to see grow more than others. Thank you nature. To improve your injured area it will need to be worked just as much if not more than the okay side. One side will be able to do more than the other, try your best to train the injured side first and set the pace with this side, not doing anymore with the non injured side. Doing more just because that side can will not help your body become even and will only continue the path it’s already on.

Do Functional Movements

Nothing solid was built overnight, but you can pick certain movements that will get you to where you want to be sooner than others. When doing compound movements a lot of core is involved, and these are usually movements that we have to perform on a daily basis. To prevent injury having a strong core is important - it means we will also have stronger balance. Doing movements like deadlifts, squats, overhead presses and pushups too are also important as they mimic daily tasks like picking something up off the floor or reaching for something on the top shelf.

Train In The Water

Training in the water or just swimming in general is a great low impact way to exercise. It promotes strength building as your body is still moving through resistance (the water), but you are not loading it in the same way. Water buoyancy reduces impact and stress on the joints when exercising. It helps the injured muscles and joints during recovery. Water pressing in on injured areas helps reduce swelling resulting in improved range of motion.

Last but certainly not least..

Try to enjoy it! You are using exercise to heal your body like medicine. How cool is that? When we put stress on our bodies it will adapt, it’s finding the right threshold for your situation. Rather than look at it as something you have to get done and over with. Look at what you GET to do with your body.. some people don’t have the privilege or capabilities to do what you can, so take advantage!

Happy exercising :)

Robyn