Stop Beating Yourself Up Physically (Part 2)

Are you either not exercising because of an injury (or several) or struggling to work around one?

Common hot spots are shoulders, knees and backs. Likely contributing factors include sustained impact, muscle imbalances, improper movement patterns like bending and twisting while lifting heavy loads and general de-conditioning. In other words, most people are either not exercising at all or are exercising, to some degree, unsafely and inefficiently.

A common swimmer's injury is a damaged rotator cuff (interior shoulder connective tissue tear, rupture or detachment) because of the position of the elbow (high and back) during aggressive rotation, or, turning the forearm. But they don’t usually develop back injuries, which are a frequent companion of heavy, explosive weight lifting. And yogis rarely develop serious injuries but are generally not as strong per body part as those who do resistance training for full-body development. And their stamina does not usually rival that of endurance athletes.

So, the short answer to this problem is, if you have an injury, seek medical guidance, rest the injury and follow the treatment path of your physician. Then get to the root of the problem. Balance out your training with a variety of modes that create symmetry of development throughout the body that bring into alignment:

• Strength, stamina, core stability and range of motion
• Muscle capacity and flexibility for the upper and lower body, the dominant and non-dominant sides and antagonistic muscle groups (those that perform opposing functions like push vs. pull)
• Work and rest periods to allow for full recovery between workouts and a linear progression of improvements across the modes listed above

The only real way to ensure you achieve this is to design your program with the guidance of a qualified, experienced professional who applies a direct focus to these areas. Here’s how to find one.

If the trainer or program you choose is the right fit, it can be the best value you’ve every invested in for your lifelong health and vitality. There are terrific personal trainers and small group programs at a number of local fitness providers like Club Sport Pleasanton, Lifestyle Rx, Bay Area Family Fitness Center, and, of course, our studio.

But your first priority should be to educate yourself so you can make the decision about where and with whom you work as wisely as possible. A trainer or program director should be happy to provide as much information about what they do and how they do it as you like, with absolutely no pressure on you to make a decision that day.

The best fitness professionals want you to have the safest, most rewarding experience with exercise possible.

So, what are you waiting for?