Going too hard too soon?

Posted 27 February 2017 in Training

When we’re fit and healthy we generally feel that we’re moving at 100% capacity, but is this true? Many people today are working harder to become stronger and healthier, constantly striving to improve certain activities. This is achieved by increasing mobility, power, strength and endurance. However many of these individuals are undertaking dynamic styles of exercise (cross fit, fighting) even though they lack basic fundamental movements.

These people commonly present with poor movement patterns, compensatory patterns around pre-existing injuries and are failing to address these deficiencies.

Individuals now have access to multiple areas of fitness, personal trainer, fitness classes, boot camps, however you won’t gain any benefits from these classes if deficiencies in your fundamental movement patterns are present. The risk factor for ‘another injury’ is broken down into the following.

1. Previous injury – Are you running around with a weak hip, is this throwing the rest of your body out?
2. Body asymmetries – Is one side of your body stronger than the other?
3. Motor control – Do you lack control when doing exercises?
4. BMI – Are you overweight?
5. Recklessness – Lifting 200kg when you should only be lifting 50kg

When commencing an exercise program to ‘get fit’, this is often without first assessing for restricted movement patterns. If a correct assessment is not completed before training, a deficient movement pattern can’t be identified, resulting in a poor movement and altered pattern.

A study by Knapik identified that no link existed between tightness and weakness of a specific muscle group with injury; rather injury was associated with right and left strength and mobility asymmetries (that’s if one side is stronger than the other). Knapik also concluded that your 2.6x more likely to injure yourself if you have a hip extension flexibility asymmetry of 15% or more.

It is important that a body assessment is completed before implementing any exercise program.