If you’re like me, you occasionally get injured. Last season, I hurt my back playing soccer. However, it had nothing to do with any kind of collision. It also had nothing to do with lack of strength or imbalance in my lower back. Instead, it involved a simple fix that most everyone neglects.

The Importance of a Warm-Up

A proper warm-up is one of the keys to remaining injury-free. I used to not think this was such a big deal. I’d get to the gym, do 1 quick warm-up set and jump right into my lifting. Luckily, I didn’t severely injure myself doing this, but it really isn’t a great way to start your workout, let alone get the most out of it. Warming up can help you lift more, as your muscles can contract harder. The increased blood flow helps to bring much-needed oxygen to the muscles during the lifts, especially the first few lifts.

The first part of warming up is to, well, get warm. Like, break a sweat. For me, the easiest way to do this is simply to do some light cardio. Jump on a treadmill or an elliptical machine, and just do a light jog until I begin to break a sweat.

After that, I’ll move into a more specified warm-up. If I’m doing upper body lifting, I’ll do some push-ups and light resistance band movements. I also make sure to use a foam roller on every part of my upper body that will be used during that day, especially the shoulders, chest, and upper and lower back — even my forearms!

Finally, I’ll do a warm-up set for the exercise I’m about to do. So, if I’m bench pressing, I’ll do a warm-up set of 12 reps. I pretend the weight is heavy, contracting the muscles that are going to be used, practicing my breathing and form in order to make sure my next heavier lift will be performed safely and correctly.

The Importance of Stretching

Stretching has been a little bit vilified as of late, and I’m not exactly sure why. Should you stretch before a workout? No, probably not. For one thing, it doesn’t appear to have any immediate benefit at this specific time, and secondly, it has the potential to keep your muscles from contracting as hard as possible, hindering your lifts.

Stretching after a workout? Sign me up!

That being said, stretching is an essential part of remaining injury-free. Ninety percent of the injuries I have sustained through sports and lifting over my life have been because of inflexibility. When I hurt my back, it was because my hamstrings were so tight, they would pull up into the muscles in my back. Tight hamstrings weren’t exactly news to me. I knew I had tight hamstrings, yet, I neglected them because it hadn’t caused a huge problem before.

And this is where mostly people are. They haven’t had a problem, so they neglect their stretching. But stretching is preventative. Even if you don’t have a problem area, that doesn’t mean one won’t develop. So, it’s best to take some time every day, or at least 2-3 times per week, to do a full-body stretch. Most of my injuries could have been prevented if I had simply taken the time to stay flexible. I hope that I’ve finally learned my lesson.

I really like yoga for this. I used to neglect yoga because I didn’t want to tax my muscles on days that I didn’t lift. I didn’t want anything to interfere with my lifting progress. Well, that’s just silly. Injuries take a far bigger toll on lifting progress than putting a bit of strain on them every day. I found that out the hard way. I don’t want you to make the same mistakes I have.

I also like to follow up every workout with some work on the foam roller. After a run, I like using The Stick (look it up; it’s fantastic!) to rub down my leg muscles. This works like a great, deep massage to really stimulate healing in the muscles.

To conclude this section, I’ll talk a bit about static stretching. Yes, it works. Yes, it’s fine to do, and beneficial, even if the muscles aren’t fully warmed-up. If you have a problem area, it’s best to take about 5 minutes, 5 times per day and work on stretching it out, whether it’s warm or not. Trust me, it will help out in the long run.

If you don’t know exactly how to stretch out your muscles, Exrx is a fantastic resource. Just click on the body part you want to stretch (on the right-hand side), and it will show you how to stretch that particular muscle group (again, displayed on the right-hand side).

A Word About Form and Technique

You always want to make sure you’re exercising with correct form. If you’re trying to lift too much weight with improper form, you’re very likely to create a muscular imbalance, which can lead to injury over the long-term. You may have to check your ego at the door, and use significantly lighter weight than you’re used to. But you’ll decrease your chance of injury and work your muscles much better.

But, you may find that your lifts will increase with proper form. For example, I know a lot of guys that think using your legs during the bench press is “cheating.” Well, I hate it break it to them, but you’re supposed to use your whole body for this lift.

By engaging your core, driving your legs into the floor, having a slight arch in the lower back, and driving the upper back into the bench, you can distribute the load much more efficiently and increase your bench press! Wouldn’t you like to be able to lift more with less chance of seriously hurting yourself?  I don’t know anyone that wouldn’t.

There are many ways to prevent injury. These are just a few, but I find them to be extremely important. Find time to warm-up properly and stretch, even if you have to cut out a couple of sets from your workout. I know it’s boring, but it’s REALLY important for fitness longevity. Better to be bored for a few minutes per day now than to be really bored for a few weeks (or months!) at a time when you break down from injury.

Take a week off every couple of months or so. This will allow your body to really heal up. You’ll come back refreshed and stronger for it!

-Drew

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