INJURY PREVENTION – WHY ARE CORRECT MECHANICS SO IMPORTANT?
Your body is designed and set up to work through millions of movement patterns and cycles. Every single time you put your body in a comprised or unsafe position, you are burning through these movement cycles.
Think of your brick house, if everyday you knocked out a brick before leaving home in the morning, it wouldn’t affect the house initially, but over time eventually, the house would become weak and collapse!
Well, your body is exactly the same! Those few times you move in a compromised position may not hurt you initially, but over time this is when the injuries occur and your body starts to break down.
If you learn to move your body the way it is designed to move, there’s going to be less stress on the body and joints, reducing the number of patterns and cycles your body has to burn through.
It is so important to listen to your body and the signals it is giving you before these little niggles manifest into injury!
MOBILITY.. WHY DO WE DO IT?
Mobility is about being able to perform basic maintenance on your body and keeping your body in peak performance condition, with the reduced risk of injury. Mobility won’t fix everything but what it does allow for is increased/normal joint range of motion and allows us to achieve and maintain a good biomechanical position throughout movements. This does not mean basic static stretching is enough! It’s about mobilising the whole body to improve your capacity and to perform and move efficiently. There’s so many different ways of doing mobility for the body.
Some key things to remember when mobilising –
- Always mobilise in a good and safe position. Think of the cues you get taught when lifting. If you start to lose this position, reset and fix the position into the correct and safe position. It’s about teaching the body to move safely and efficiently through all movements and every day life.
- Feel free to explore your range of motion as long as the body is not in a comprised movement pattern or unsafe position. Feel what your body is feeling and if there is any challenges as you start to move into different positions. The key is to target areas that feel the tightest!
- There’s no day’s off from mobility! Your body is an adaptation machine. If you take a few days off, the body will become stiff and it’s about training good movement and position. Mobility is best done in short doses and allows for the effect to take change and it is much more manageable.
What are some of the different mobility tools you can use?
- Lacrosse balls
- Floss Bands
- Power bands
- Soft balls
- Weight Plates
- Barbells
- Kettlebells
- Rollers
REST AND RECOVERY.. IT IS A MUST DO!
Rest and recovery is where the magic happens from your training! You can’t slog your body every single day without it eventually stopping and saying, “whoa hold up, I need a rest!” But is there a difference between rest and recovery though? Well yes..
Rest is not exercising, it’s allowing your body to have a sleep in, getting a massage, taking a nap when you need one, getting enough sleep and feeding and fueling your body effectively. It’s about knowing when to rest and what the body needs to recuperate. With the nature of Crossfit and the programming surrounding it, it is advised to have one complete day of rest! We are not saying make every second day a rest day, but schedule rest in, it is just as important as your training. By avoiding rest days you are missing out on achieving your maximum results and potential!
It’s through rest your body can repair, recover and get STRONGER!
Recovery is techniques that supplement training. It may be taking a restorative yoga class, doing mobility, having an ice bath just to name a few. It’s about helping to relieve muscle soreness within the body but recovery isn’t just limited to muscle repair, it can include hormonal balance and emotional and mental wellbeing. It’s giving back to your body what it needs to restore and have you in peak performance condition!
Through following these simple tips and tricks, you will help your body move in the way that it should and help to most importantly minimise injury.
