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CONT'D...
So you
overdid it.
Those last 5
pounds were
just enough
to make
something in
your
shoulder
give in, and
now you're
not feeling
too cool
with a
throbbing
pain that
gets worse
every time
you try to
raise your
arm. Welcome
to
injury-land,
the place
most
bodybuilders
come for an
unwanted
visit sooner
or later.
Desire and
ambition are
good
qualities to
have for a
true gym
rat, but you
have to
exercise
good
judgment
when
determining
how much is
TOO much.
Now, you
have three
objectives:
- Limit the
damage.
- Recover.
- Prevent
future
injuries.
1. Limit
the damage.
Stop
training
immediately.
If you think
that you can
"tough it
out" for the
sake of not
missing a
workout,
you're
setting
yourself up
for trouble.
By
continuing
to train
through the
pain, you're
only making
the injury
worse,
possibly
prolonging
the recovery
time by
weeks.
Calculate
just how
many
workouts
you'd miss
from, say 3
extra weeks
of recovery,
then rack
those
weights
pronto. The
next step is
to assess
the damage.
This is
tricky, so
my advice is
to have a
medical
professional
have a look
your injury
unless
you're SURE
about how
bad it is
and what
should be
done. In the
case of more
complicated
areas, such
as back, I'd
recommend a
check-up
regardless.
In many
cases, you
can improve
the
situation
with ice
and/or
taping. To
keep the
swelling
down you
have to keep
excess blood
from
gathering,
and the way
to
accomplish
this is to
simply make
sure there's
not enough
room for it.
This means
taping hard,
uncomfortably
hard. Don't
shut off the
blood flow
completely,
but keep it
so tight
there's
simply no
chance for
the swelling
to take
place. The
second part
of the
strategy is
to keep the
injured body
part high
for at least
an hour
after the
injury,
possibly
more.
If you must
drive home,
just tape it
as tight as
you can and
do your
best. But
keep in mind
that you
might be
setting your
recovery
time back,
so try to
avoid
driving or
moving about
if you can.
2.
Recover.
Like
mentioned
above, it's
always
better to
keep the
swelling
down than
let it
balloon
freely.
You're
likely to
recover much
quicker if
you kept the
swelling at
bay, so if
you're
interested
in learning
more about
this, I
suggest
getting a
book on
injury
taping.
There are
many factors
you need to
consider,
but at least
you'll be
prepared if
you or your
training
partner runs
out of luck.
This
knowledge
will help
you limit
the damage
next time
something
happens.
Another
thing that
is easily
confused is
the rest
period. You
should
ALWAYS let
your injured
muscle or
joint
recover
before
picking up
light to
moderate
training. If
you're a
week away
from full
healing -
sure, go
ahead and do
a couple of
light sets.
As long as
you feel no
discomfort
and use only
very light
weights it
will
probably do
more good
than bad, as
it gets the
blood
flowing and
may actually
promote
assist the
last bit of
healing.
This is very
different
from hitting
the weights
again three
days after
the injury,
when you're
still
swollen and
aching all
over.
There's a
time and a
place to
push the
limits, and
this ain't
it.
That is not
to say that
you have to
stay out of
the gym
altogether.
With an
elbow-injury,
you can
still do
legs, abs,
and lower
back, even
delts if you
use a
suitable
machine. Use
the time to
work on your
weaknesses.
Give those
calves an
extra
beating, now
that you
have all the
time in the
world to
spare.
3.
Prevent
Future
Injuries.
Allow full
and complete
healing
before
loading on
the heavy
weights
again. We
often tend
to
overestimate
ourselves,
so you could
be only days
away from
being home
free when
you
accidentally
pull the
same muscle
again,
sending you
back to
square one.
As a rule of
thumb, stick
with light
training
until you
feel that
you're ready
to go heavy
again - and
then wait
another week
or two. Use
that time to
carefully
work the
weights up
step by
step, not
increasing
the weight
more than
20% per
workout
until you're
back to your
old levels.
Next, you
have to
figure out
what went
wrong. Take
a look at
your
training
routine.
What caused
this injury?
Did your ego
just
override
your common
sense this
time? Or did
you use
sloppy form?
Perhaps you
routinely
train your
body
unevenly,
and your
injury was
caused by
unbalanced
strength?
There can be
a nasty
truth hiding
somewhere
here, but
it's
essential
that you nip
it in the
bud before
it causes a
second
injury, or
perhaps
tears the
same muscle
again.
If you have
a problem
finding the
cause, talk
to a local
Personal
Trainer. In
some cases
it can be
something as
simple as
bad shoes
(makes you
unstable
when
squatting)
or
ill-fitting
clothes
(tempts you
to cheat on
the movement
to avoid
discomfort).
The reasons
can be many,
but you have
to pinpoint
what it is
and figure
out a way to
fix the
problem. Or
you'll
probably be
a frequent
visitor to
Injury-land.
Matt
Danielsson
has 10 years
of personal
experience.
He became an
IFBB-certified
Personal
Trainer in
1998 and
then ran a
Personal
Training
business,
Pro PT,
prior to
moving to
California
in 1999. He
has run the
Bodybuilding
section at
Suite101.com
since 1997.
Matt has
also written
a number of
freelance
articles for
various
magazines.
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