Acute injuries during training are not only a nuisance, but can end entire sports careers. To prevent this from happening, trainers of all ages should pay attention to designing their workout in such a way that the risk of injury is reduced as much as possible. An essential role in preventing injuries is played by complete regeneration between intensive training stimuli.
Optimist or party pooper?
Of course – you don’t want to be an unpleasant contemporary who pulls everyone else down with his pessimism. Everybody is looking for the proximity of optimists who are full of zest for action and take the bull by the horns. Less attractive, on the other hand, are those who always come along with doubts and misgivings – even when it comes to justified objections.
But let’s be honest: The build-up training is a sporting activity that should accompany you throughout the rest of your hopefully very long life. Ultimately, it’s about the quality of life you can enjoy during this time – or not. So it makes sense to think about the possible consequences of injuries.
What are the consequences of injuries in build-up training?
After acute injuries, the treatment and healing of the damage caused is of course in the foreground. But what about the time you cannot come to the training during the recovery phase? How many workouts will you miss while your body is only slowly regaining its functionality? So the question arises: Wouldn’t it have been better to take things a little slower, but to continue working consistently and purposefully on your own recovery success day after day?
How can injuries be avoided?
But let us finally turn to a more positive perspective: What can you do to reduce the ever-present risk of acute injuries? Well, first and foremost, a clean execution of exercises: Surely, fluid, controlled movement is preferable to wild weight tossing. And even if less weight can be loaded: The associated withdrawal of the own (mostly male) ego helps to not overstrain the loaded structures massively.
And what is also essential, of course: Sufficient regeneration after intensive training. Because only then can the previously heavily loaded muscles not only reach their previous level of performance, but ideally even establish an increased level of mass and strength.
How important is time for regeneration?
In any case, the fact is that the necessary regeneration processes cannot be accelerated at will. Of course, it is an advantage if, in addition to active relaxation, you also eat well and try to avoid everyday stress. But anyway: You won’t get around a certain amount of time of not exercising stressed muscle parts if you want to build up further. And how long this rest phase should be depends on the previous training intensity as well as on the loaded muscles.
So be smart enough not to ask your body to do the impossible. Give your locomotor system the time it needs. Otherwise you might soon be told to hurry up and take your time.
