4 Top new year training tips to keep you injury free!
Hi, I'M alex!
January is the month of new beginnings and a great time to get back into exercise. However, Nothing puts a halt to progress like an injury! here are my 4 new year training tips to keep you on track!
warm up
Making sure you get the blood flowing and wake up the muscles you’re about to use is really important. Whether that’s jogging before you run, bodyweight exercises, or
dynamic stretches, not only will movements feel easier and help you to perform
better once you get started but it can help to reduce your risk of injury.
Spend 5-10 minutes before starting your workout focusing on the muscles or areas of
the body that you’re going to be training with a few different exercises and
that help to mimic the type of movement you’ll be performing. For example, if
you’re a runner, you could try adding exercises such as high knees, leg swings
and walking twisting lunges into your warmup, followed by a steady speed jog
before setting off at your planned pace.
If you’re doing barbell exercises, don’t forget to do warm up sets with just the bar before adding weight, let
your body get used to the movement by increasing mobility, body temperature and
activating the nervous system before you start making it challenging!
Build steadily
Whether you’re brand new to exercise, or you’ve just had a break, make sure you start at the right level for your current ability. It’s difficult to accept that you can’t move the weights that you could a year ago, or that you can’t lift your goal weight after a few sessions. Try not to let your ego take over- you’ll get there if you put the work in!
Take the build-up in weight, speed or intensity slowly. If you’re squatting and aiming for 10 reps, you could try and keep the intensity at a 7/10. This would be equivalent to 70% of maximum effort, or leaving 3 reps in the tank. Once the weight you started at becomes easy, add a little bit more and push yourself within the limits you’ve set.
Not all sessions are created equally. Sometimes you wont be at your best, and this is often due to outside factors, like sleep and stress. Getting good at adjusting your sessions to match how you feel on the day can be a useful tool. Not only will this approach help to reduce injury risk, but it can reduce muscle soreness being in the next few days.
stretch
This one is very often missed out of people’s sessions for various reasons, but it’s important for injury reduction so it’s a great idea to include it now, making it part of your New Year routine from the start.
Work on stretching your whole body regularly, focusing particularly on the muscles you’ve used during your workout each time. Aim to hold your stretches for 30s-1 minute to get the most benefit, and be gentle, going to a point where you can start to feel the stretch and aiming to ease a little further over the time, without pushing yourself too far. Your body will respond to consistency with stretching so aim to build these into a regular routine each week and see how you progress!
rest
Don’t forget to include days off in your New Year workout routine! You won’t achieve your goals any faster if you’re too tired to perform properly or you’re struggling through your session. This can be active rest - change the movements and intensity of what you’re doing, go for a walk, do some yoga, or have a complete rest, just find something different to normal! The number of days of rest can vary based on different factors but aim for at least 1-2 days off your normal exercise routine per week and let your body recover!
Written by alex walsh
If you’re looking to get back into exercise this New Year and need some help designing a program that will keep you healthy, get in touch at https://www.summitphysio.co.uk. We offer Strength and Conditioning services, including bespoke training plans and 1 on 1 coaching.
If you’re struggling with an injury that’s stopping you getting back into exercise, call us on 0800 731 2738 or book online here.
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