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- Aug 3, 2010
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Let's face it...training your hardest you will always be riding that line between healthy and injured. We train as hard as we can, push our bodies to the limits, and those nagging aches and pains always somehow manage to turn into an injury. Most of us will probably want to "gut it out" and continue training, but what about the consequences of not letting an injury take the time to heal?
Most importantly...remember that it is OK to train through pain, but it is never OK to train through a serious injury. So if you are injured, that is something you need to take care of right away before it turns into a chronic problem or gets worse.
If you want to continue to lift with minor injuries, here are a few things that may allow you to train effectively so you don't miss significant time away from the gym
1. NUTRITION
Healing from an injury can take weeks or even months (healing time can vary from person to person), but you can dramatically accelerate the healing process by getting adequate nutrition and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
Healing is largely dependent on blood supply, and the stronger the blood supply, the faster you can heal because blood supplies the injured area with important oxygen and nutrients which help the injury heal.
Certain foods can promote inflammation within the body, while others have an anti-inflammatory effect.
Avoid inflammation-promoting foods such as fried foods, processed white flour, eggplant, cayenne, tomatoes, potatoes, and hot peppers, and eat more foods that are high in omega-3 fatty acids.
Be sure to drink plenty of fresh juices made from fresh, organic, raw veggies, because raw veggies are high in important enzymes and vitamins that can speed up the healing process.
2. KNOW WHEN TO PUSH THROUGH IT
It is very important to know the difference between a real injury and pain. During a workout, you may tweak something and experience pain. If you have pain, stop working out right there and evaluate your symptoms to check the severity. Don't just try to walk it out and hope for the best.
we all want to be tough and gut it out, but the consequences for continuing to train and not taking enough time off to heal can be severe. Most of the time, it is a good idea to just stop and heal up before training again.
3. USE THE "RICE" METHOD
RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation), is a great way to treat that injury, reduce swelling quickly, alleviate pain, protect the injured area, and accelerate the healing process.
Ice: Using ice is still the best way to treat an acute sports injury. Ice helps reduce swelling and provides temporary short-term pain relief by reducing blood flow to the injured area. I recommend using ice post-workout for 15 minutes at a time for up to an hour. 15 minutes on, then 15 minutes off.
Tip: Never use heat on an acute injury. Heat dilates blood vessels, accelerates blood flow, and increases swelling, which can make an injury much worse. Ice reduces blood flow to tissue and by doing so, reduces swelling. Use ice instead!
Compression: Just like ice, compression can help reduce swelling. Getting rid of swelling is important because when swelling occurs, the injury can take longer to heal. I recommend using an ACE bandage wrap plus ice because this combo is much more effective at reducing swelling than by just using ice only.
Elevation: This is another useful tactic to keep swelling in check, and it works best when the injured area is raised above your heart. For example, if you have a sprained ankle, prop it up on a few pillows while you lie down.
3. ADJUST TRAINING
Use lighter weights and higher repetitions.
Don't jerk or throw the weight around; instead, use slower, more concentrated reps, and feel the target muscle so you don't overstep the limitations of the injury and aggravate it.
4. WORK AROUND THE PAIN
Unless the injury is serious, try to find a way to work around it. For example, if you have an elbow problem, you may want to try using alternative movements instead of normal movements.
Try changing your grip on the weight, or see if alternative exercises for the same muscle group cause pain.
5. USE PROPER FORM
Training injuries can occur for a variety of reasons, but the most common reason is a failure to use proper form when lifting.
Incorrect technique can place your muscles, tendons, and joints in awkward positions and increase the likelihood of a freak injury such as a muscle or tendon tear. If you are already in pain, bad form will increase your injury risk even more.
So instead of looking at your injury as bad luck, or as an obstacle, think of it as an opportunity to work on and improve a weaker body part while the injured parts heal up. It always pays to look on the bright side, so even if you are injured, stay positive and you can still make progress, even while injured.
GD
Most importantly...remember that it is OK to train through pain, but it is never OK to train through a serious injury. So if you are injured, that is something you need to take care of right away before it turns into a chronic problem or gets worse.
If you want to continue to lift with minor injuries, here are a few things that may allow you to train effectively so you don't miss significant time away from the gym
1. NUTRITION
Healing from an injury can take weeks or even months (healing time can vary from person to person), but you can dramatically accelerate the healing process by getting adequate nutrition and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
Healing is largely dependent on blood supply, and the stronger the blood supply, the faster you can heal because blood supplies the injured area with important oxygen and nutrients which help the injury heal.
Certain foods can promote inflammation within the body, while others have an anti-inflammatory effect.
Avoid inflammation-promoting foods such as fried foods, processed white flour, eggplant, cayenne, tomatoes, potatoes, and hot peppers, and eat more foods that are high in omega-3 fatty acids.
Be sure to drink plenty of fresh juices made from fresh, organic, raw veggies, because raw veggies are high in important enzymes and vitamins that can speed up the healing process.
2. KNOW WHEN TO PUSH THROUGH IT
It is very important to know the difference between a real injury and pain. During a workout, you may tweak something and experience pain. If you have pain, stop working out right there and evaluate your symptoms to check the severity. Don't just try to walk it out and hope for the best.
we all want to be tough and gut it out, but the consequences for continuing to train and not taking enough time off to heal can be severe. Most of the time, it is a good idea to just stop and heal up before training again.
3. USE THE "RICE" METHOD
RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation), is a great way to treat that injury, reduce swelling quickly, alleviate pain, protect the injured area, and accelerate the healing process.
Ice: Using ice is still the best way to treat an acute sports injury. Ice helps reduce swelling and provides temporary short-term pain relief by reducing blood flow to the injured area. I recommend using ice post-workout for 15 minutes at a time for up to an hour. 15 minutes on, then 15 minutes off.
Tip: Never use heat on an acute injury. Heat dilates blood vessels, accelerates blood flow, and increases swelling, which can make an injury much worse. Ice reduces blood flow to tissue and by doing so, reduces swelling. Use ice instead!
Compression: Just like ice, compression can help reduce swelling. Getting rid of swelling is important because when swelling occurs, the injury can take longer to heal. I recommend using an ACE bandage wrap plus ice because this combo is much more effective at reducing swelling than by just using ice only.
Elevation: This is another useful tactic to keep swelling in check, and it works best when the injured area is raised above your heart. For example, if you have a sprained ankle, prop it up on a few pillows while you lie down.
3. ADJUST TRAINING
Use lighter weights and higher repetitions.
Don't jerk or throw the weight around; instead, use slower, more concentrated reps, and feel the target muscle so you don't overstep the limitations of the injury and aggravate it.
4. WORK AROUND THE PAIN
Unless the injury is serious, try to find a way to work around it. For example, if you have an elbow problem, you may want to try using alternative movements instead of normal movements.
Try changing your grip on the weight, or see if alternative exercises for the same muscle group cause pain.
5. USE PROPER FORM
Training injuries can occur for a variety of reasons, but the most common reason is a failure to use proper form when lifting.
Incorrect technique can place your muscles, tendons, and joints in awkward positions and increase the likelihood of a freak injury such as a muscle or tendon tear. If you are already in pain, bad form will increase your injury risk even more.
So instead of looking at your injury as bad luck, or as an obstacle, think of it as an opportunity to work on and improve a weaker body part while the injured parts heal up. It always pays to look on the bright side, so even if you are injured, stay positive and you can still make progress, even while injured.
GD
