Workouts with Injury Prevention and Muscle Gain from a Physical Therapist
Most people begin their venture into weight training at a gym with no real idea of the proper way to perform the exercises. Most life heavy weights and move their bodies in ways that can possibly create injury to feel they can fit in. Depending on the gym you go to, some of those that train frequently may be able to assist and correct, but more than often their own training would make a physical rehab professional cringe.
Most people after a few months of training become self proclaimed experts with regards to exercise, and form for weight lifting. They will even avoid the advice of professionals with doctorates in physical training, which can end up being at the expense of their own results in the long term. Over-training and over use injuries from in proper techniques when training are common causes of injury amongst those that attend gyms.
There are numerous benefits that can be learned from a trained physical therapist or physical therapy assistant. Most people think of a physical therapist, and generally accident or injury recovery is what comes to mind, not physical strength training. A physical therapist with a background in sports science, and sports medicine can also be an excellent tool for injury prevention, which for those of us that train in the gym or for a specific discipline is just as essential as the strength and muscle we gain.
A physical therapist has a strong education in human movement, and their strength lies on being able to know how to help you achieve optimal muscle activation through proper workout techniques. Proper muscle activation will help balance the muscles of the body as well help you prevent the types of injuries that can be common with years of weight training. This is how a physical therapist can help you stay out of the treatment room, and in the gym. Learning to exercise properly from one, will stop you from needing to see on in the future!
The influence of physical therapy and form detailed training is evident amongst many of the top strength coaches these days. A workout with a physical therapist will often be considered more form focused, you will no be pushing the same weights you are used too, or jarring your body to move heavy weights. Instead you will be building from the ground up the body, with proper activation, which in the long run produces a better stronger, more effective and efficient body. These type of workouts can make you feel much weaker than you do in your normal workouts in the beginning, because with proper muscle activation in the correct balance, it generally is harder. The body is a master of compensation, this compensation can lead to injuries and a decrease in performance.
A correction to form will allow you to focus on building your true strength, through your proper muscle activation. Essentially with proper activation and balance you have the potential to get much stronger. This can lead to stronger lifts, increased speed, increased mass gain, and increased sports specific performance. The benefits to having muscles and joints that work properly goes beyond just cosmetics, and strength, it will also keep your body healthier longer period. Flexibility and the movement of fluid through the joint is essential for the health of the muscles and the joints. Lifting heavy weights like many of us do when we hit the gym can have a compounding effect on the body if it is not counteracted with stretching, and it is not done in a proper manor that follow the biomechanics of the human body.
While most of don’t have the luxury of affording professional help for our workouts, the investment of even a couple of training sessions with a physical therapist can help our training long into the future. The tips you can learn can keep you in the gym and out of the injury clinic.
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