It Was The Straw That Broke The Camel’s Back…
I’ve had numerous people come to me this week seeking advice about how to prevent aches and pains. And all too many of them have said…
“I don’t understand how I got hurt. I was only lifting light weight.”
Often injuries “occur” on seemingly light or harmless movements. Movements where we aren’t really even considering the chance of getting injured.
Bending over to pick something up off the ground. Turning our head. Deadlifting a warm up set. Picking up a light sandbag.
Heck Ryan once injured his neck in high school picking up a pencil from the ground of a car.
A PENCIL.
But these injuries aren’t really occurring because of that specific move right then and there….
Have you ever heard the phrase “It’s the straw that broke the camel’s back?”
Well those movements we do when we finally end up in pain are just that final straw.
Often it has been consistent and perpetual overload that finally builds up enough that even the smallest movement can do us in.
It is why it is key we note imbalances and don’t forget about our mind-body connection and those silly activation moves even when we aren’t in pain.
It is why we can’t just rush through our workouts but also have to think about our recruitment patterns. It is why we need to TRACK and PROGRESS and create clear programming for ourselves.
Because while it may come as a surprise when you get hurt on that silly light movement, there have probably been annoying little warning signs we’ve been ignoring.
So take a few extra minutes in your warm up this week and address those imbalances. Focus on that activation and improving your mind body connection. Heck don’t even be afraid to do a progression where you return to basics.
Be a little more conscious during your workouts and you may see those signs you’ve been missing.
Because if you start with the prehab, you can help make sure you don’t end up throwing an extra “straw” into the bundle that may lead to overload!
Remember, sometimes you need to regress to progress!
– Cori
P.S. If you are struggling to combine foam rolling, stretching and activation exercises into a quick prehab or warm up routine, check out my RStoration.
