EXERCISE FOR INJURY PREVENTION

MAX FITNESS

Exercise for Injury Prevention

Te last thing you want when you get back into working out (or anytime for that matter) is an injury. Here's how to avoid injury and some great exercises to try!

BY STEPHANIE DORWORTH, PT, DPT, MTC, CPT

WITH SUMMER upon us, I am sure you have a few health and ftness related goals written. I am also positive getting injured is not one of them. None of us go to the gym with the intent of getting hurt. Yet that happens more often than you would think. As a physical therapist, I see this every day and the majority of the time it is to people 50+. Why is that? It is not solely because of age. Other likely causes include a lack of warm-up, poor posture, not strengthening through a full range of motion, lifting too quickly, progressing too quickly and/or poor fexibility – all of which are preventable with proper education and practice! So let’s look at those in detail: WARM-UP: An active warm-up is crucial for you to begin your workout with warm muscles and a strong mindmuscle connection. Static stretches should not be performed pre-workout. Instead, perform 3-4 sets of 7-12 reps of a compound exercise that targets the muscle group you are working out that day. Be sure to fully shorten the muscle group in 2 seconds, hold that contraction for 3 seconds, and then slowly return in 2 seconds. This step becomes increasingly important as you age. 24 WWW.MAXMUSCLE.COM

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HAVE GOOD POSTURE: In today’s society, many of us are computer magnets, which results in muscle imbalances. Commonly, the head is forward, the shoulders round, the front chest muscles shorten and the back muscles weaken. So we therefore have an imbalance where the anterior muscles are short and the posterior muscles are elongated and weak. Before you begin any exercise, make sure your posture is perfect frst: head aligned, shoulder blades squeezing together and abdominals bracing. Lifting weights with bad posture and

form is the main cause of gym-related injuries I see in my clinic.

STRENGTHEN THROUGH A FULL RANGE OF MOTION: A huge mistake many people make is they strengthen through only 50 percent of the range of motion (ROM), so they are doing their muscles a disservice! Many recent research studies show strengthening through a full range is more benefcial. For example, in 2013, McMahon published a study comparing strength gains in participants who

performed their squat, leg press and leg extensions with a full ROM (090 degrees of knee fexion) versus a short ROM (0-50 degrees of knee fexion). One of the fndings was that the group that trained the full ROM developed signifcantly more knee extension strength (18 lbs. on average) compared to the group that trained through a short ROM (4 lbs. on average). The group that trained a full ROM were also able to maintain their strength gains longer during a 4-week period of detraining than the other group.

PRACTICE TIME UNDER TENSION: The time-under-tension

method is a way to lift while focusing on timing, control and effectiveness.

When it comes to lifting, fast is not always the best option when avoiding injury. Slow and steady wins the race. Much research shows that slower muscle contractions actually require more muscle force and therefore lead to more muscle growth. So with this method, a very slow eccentric (negative) contraction is the key. The optimal time for a muscle to be working under tension (not at rest) during a set is 40-70 seconds. So here is an example of timing to use for your weightlifting workout sets: 1 second concentric/ positive contraction +4 second eccentric/negative contraction. This is done without a pause at the beginning or end of the rep. So 8-14 reps with that exact timing will get you 40-70 seconds of total time-under-tension.

PROGRESS SLOWLY: Let’s say

you have not lifted weights in awhile. Walking into the gym and lifting the same amount you used to would not be safe. After two weeks off, you begin to atrophy. So allow yourself time to build back up slowly. Stretch post workout. I recommend you stretch out every major muscle group, not just the group you worked out that day. A 2012 meta-analysis concluded that pre-workout static stretching should be avoided. After your workout is the only time to perform static stretches for 30 seconds at a time. And of course, do not forget the basics like hydrate well, eat well and allow for enough rest and recovery!

MS&F

Four most common injuries in people ages 50+ and how to prevent them: Rotator Cuff Injury

Chest Injury

Sciatica

Patellofemoral Knee Pain

What is it?

The rotator cuff (RTC) is made up of four muscles/tendons in the shoulder: -Supraspinatus -Infraspinatus -Subscapularis -Teres Minor

The chest is made up primarily of two muscles: pectoralis major and minor.

Sciatica is shooting nerve pain into one or both legs that may be associated with leg weakness, numbness or tingling.

The knee is comprised of many ligaments, menisci, muscles and tendons. If those are not injured, one other possible source is poor tracking of the patella (knee cap). This can cause infammation and therefore pain.

Causes

-Repetitive overhead activity -Bone spurs -Falls -Lifting injury -Muscle imbalance -Poor posture

-Traumatic injury -Chronic overuse -Improper weightlifting technique -Muscle imbalance -Poor posture

-Disc herniation -Spinal stenosis -Spondylolisthesis -Tight piriformis muscle -Sitting long periods

-Hip internal rotation posture -Hip external rotation posture -Flat foot -High arches in the foot -Common in long-term runners

Exercises to prevent it

-Strengthen the RTC, traps and serratus anterior muscles -Stretch the pectoralis muscles

-Strengthen the scapular stabilizers so scapular depression/ retraction can be maintained during chest strengthening exercises like the Bench Press -Stretch the pectoralis muscles

-Strengthen the abdominals/core and the lower back muscles -Stretch the legs, especially the piriformis muscle

-Address the cause of the problem frst -This may require an orthotic if the cause is fat foot -This may require strengthening/ stretching to fx a muscle imbalance

Turn the page for 12 exercises for injury prevention. MAY 2015

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