COMMUNITY: Injury prevention (Part I)

Editor's note: Part I of a two-part series on how to prevent injuries by Adam Rees, founder of GRIT GYM, a gym based on results, creating a culture and lifestyle of performance, strength, health and freedom to live life on your own terms. Rees attended Wartburg, worked under nationally recognized strength coach Matt McGettigan at ISU and is generally a glutton for information and improvement in all forms.

1. Soft tissue work via self myofascial release.

Equipment will usually include foam rollers, lacrosse balls, tennis balls, a theracane, “the stick” and just about anything else you can lay or roll on. Actually frozen water bottles work quite nicely as well.

This improves the tone (more like piano wire than aesthetics) and overall quality of the muscle. We can trace the affects of soft tissue work down to the cellular level. It is a must to do on a regular basis. SMR is performed every single workout at GRIT GYM.

2. Mobility where we need mobility, stability where we need stability and not the other way around.

This is completely dependent on the person and hardly anyone has any need to stretch their hamstring. Hamstring tightness typically has with hip position, lack of stability in the trunk (specifically anterior), not enough mobility in extension of the hip (meaning the hips are held in a flexed position) and very poor breathing patterns.

3. Strength.

You're just plain not strong enough. And if you can't squat your body weight with one leg, then you are not strong enough. If you can't squat, that also means you are not strong enough.

Strength helps us absorb force, like during a run. Strength also plays into proprioception and kinesthetic awareness, which goes far beyond this write up, but both are typically what people think of as “balance.”

4. Decrease repetitive, excessively high volume exercise.

These are usually endurance exercise, the most common being “jogging.” Most people will take 1,500-2,000 strides per mile and each time the foot strikes the ground it's absorbing 3- to 6-times the force of the weight of the body. This is way too much.

The next hardest one on the body actually is swimming because the same repetitive overhead reach will eventually wreak havoc on both upper quadrants. It might take 1,000 reps or it could take 300,000 but it's going to cause compensation patterns, overuse issues and stress responses that will go unnoticed. Eventually things will break down, even if it's not in the water.

5. Balance your hormones.

Steady State Cardio (SSC) runs a muck on our hormones. Switch to intervals, such as repeat sprints, and everything improves.

Lack of sleep kills testosterone, of which women need, too. It also increase cortisol levels. So get regular with your sleep. From an extremely basic standpoint our bodies are set up to go to sleep at 10 and wake up at 6, with the first four hours being mental repair and the second four being physical repair.

We also want to eat before we go to bed. This does not mean eat deserts or pizza. Waiting two hours into your day to eat breakfast and eating protein and vegetables late at night is a very good idea.

• For more of Rees' advice go to www.GRITGYM.com/resources and adamrees.blogspot.com. Email Rees at adam@gritgym.com Adam Rees