Injury is something that we all face from time to time when training hard. I’d argue that having some pain is inevitable if you’ve been training long enough. A lot of factors contribute to having pain too. Things like training volume, technique, prior injury, strength and asymmetry can all play a role.
One factor that I think gets overlooked often is a simple but important one, ego…
The goal of training is generally to get better. We want to be stronger, faster, bigger, look better etc. etc. In order to do that things like using the right weight, going at the right pace and using the right technique is vitally important. However, how often do we follow this advice?
How often do athletes use a bit more weight then they can handle with good technique? How often do we “forget” to scale the workout for your abilities when we want to perform the workout written on the board or in our training program. How often do we do a bit more then we might be prepared to handle because the workout or program looks like fun?
It happens a lot. We have an understanding of what the “right” choice is during our training but we don’t always follow it. Our egos get in the way. We want heavier weights, faster times, movements we aren’t prepared for (muscle-ups, snatch etc.) but don’t always put the time or dedication needed for those weights, times training programs etc.
One of the best pieces of advice that I got when I first started training was to “Let your ego go at the door”.
What this means is that we have to have some strict principles that we train by. Use the correct loads to perform the movement properly. Master the basics before moving to more complex movements. Slowly ramp up your training volumes and intensities. Don’t hammer movements you don’t have the mobility to perform properly. It’s not rocket science. We just need to be conscious of the decisions we make o a regular basis in the gym.
I made a video describing this principle in a bit more detail. Check it out below:
This video is a short segment of an entire video series on “How to Avoid Injury and Train Pain Free for the Rest of Your Life – The 6 Step Checklist”. Here are the principles:
- Know Your Goals
- Technique is King
- Listen to Your Body
- Modification is Queen
- Assess Don’t Guess
- Training vs. Competing
You can find the rest of the series contained in my Insiders Online Mentoring Program:
The Insiders Online Mentoring Program is an online rehabilitation and performance library of webinars 20-60 minutes in length. We cover a large array of topics including:
- How to Get Out of Shoulder Pain and Back to Training
- What the Shoulder Really Needs for Health and Performance
- Your Guide to Subacromial Impingement Syndrome, Rotator Cuff and Labral Injuries
- Rehabilitation and Treatment of AC Joint Issues
- Rehabilitation and Treatment of Upper Body Strain Injuries
- 3 Step- Guide to Assessing and Correcting Overhead Mobility
- How to Guide to Mastering Kipping for Pull-ups, Toes to Bar and Muscle-ups
- Your Master Mobility Guide to the Olympic Lifts, Handstands and Muscle-ups
- Gain access to a private facebook group to ask questions and get feedback directly from me
Click HERE to Learn More about The Insiders Online Mentoring Program
Who would have thought,
Dan Pope DPT, OCS, CSCS, CF L1