HOW TO AVOID INJURY AFTER A TRAINING BREAK

AVOIDING OVERLOAD AND OVERUSE

With everyone throwing out 6, 8 or 12 week transformation offers right now or offering transformations on the reopening of gyms. You’ve got to ask the question whether this is the right option for you? If you’ve been out of physical activity completely or at a reduced rate, which many of us have due to the lock-down then you will have to manage your training stress intelligently, avoiding sudden spikes in training load or volume.

One of the reasons why a typical “transformation” or attending as many classes as possible on return to gym just isn’t optimal. Typically these formats revolve around a lot of repetitive actions performed through similar ranges and planes of motion at a high volume with the promise of burning fat and dropping body weight, but at what cost to your structure?

Any sudden spike in training intensity can increase risk in injury, especially if you have been sedentary for a period of time. The study referenced below shows a 50-90% injury rate within the first 6 weeks of training! In fact you may have been one of the many who have taken up running or been performing online workouts from certain celebrity influencers and have become one of the many victims of overuse injuries from the repetitive nature that I’ve talked about.

Don’t rush straight back in at 100MPH when gyms reopen. By all means get in and start working straight away but avoid the temptation of the ego to go straight back in where you were before, as it just won’t be the case. Start off at a reduced rate, lower volume and load than you typically would, make sure you have the relevant mobility and stability to perfect movement patterns again, then incrementally progress loading and volume based on how you can recover. A training session is only as good as your recovery. If you have a massive session but can’t recover then was it really a good session?

What Steps Can You Take?

Find areas of weakness in mobility and stability and prioritise these
Control other stressors, nutrition, sleep, electrical devices and you will be able to handle more training stress
Focus on quality, not quantity. Accuracy of reps is important in building a foundation to build on
Progress is dictated by recovery, don’t overshoot!