Please enjoy the latest in a new article series from the Franchise himself currently running as a blog on Broadwayworld.com.
It’s not uncommon for people to get injured in the beginning of a new workout regime. Unfortunately, for some people it’s a pretty consistent challenge, particularly as they get older.
So what gives? Are some people just prone to injury? Are some people just not cut out to work out?
For many people, the main culprit is not taking the time to learn good technique. Exercise is really a skill. Since many people don’t move a whole lot in their day to day lives, most of us begin to get stiff and and and our muscles become deconditioned. When we dive deep into an exercise routine, we generally equate working hard with success. And working hard is a great thing!
However if we don’t take the time to learn how to move in a way that lets us use our muscles (yay!) versus other tissues like tendons and ligaments (boo!), we can wind up getting ouchies.
Additionally, even if you have pretty good technique, if we go too hard right out of the gate when picking up a new exercise regime, sometimes it’s too much for our body to handle. And keep in mind, this can happen even if you’re already pretty fit (like a dancer) but aren’t used to a new type of exercise (like strength training).
To set yourself up for success when you start a new workout, always do less than you think you can do and go slow enough to learn the basics. At Mark Fisher Fitness and on MyBroadwayBody.com, we spend a lot of time working on technique so we can learn to “move well” before we “move often” and “move fast.”
While some soreness is to be expected, excessive soreness suggests we overdid it. And if you do find yourself with joint pain, shooting pain, pinching pain, or any other pain besides soreness in the muscle belly, it’s important to have it looked at by a clinician like a physical therapist!!
Want to learn more? Click here to get our free report, The 5 Most Common Fitness Mistakes Performers Make. (HINT: Many of these apply to non-performers too!)