Reducing the Risk of Injury
Many of us aim to lower our chances of injury—whether in training or daily life. In this email, we’ll explore evidence-based strategies to enhance tissue resilience (muscles, bones, joints, tendons, ligaments) and reduce injury risk.
Injury Prevention: A Misleading Term
Programs promising "injury prevention" or to "bulletproof" a body part are catchy but misleading. It’s crucial to recognize that injury risk can never be reduced to zero. Life inherently carries risks, and engaging in meaningful, active living is no exception. While we can’t eliminate risk, we can use proven strategies to reduce it.
The Slow and Steady Approach
When starting, returning to, or learning a new activity, adopting a slow and steady approach is key.
New movements often challenge your body’s tolerance, which includes recovery ability, movement skill, positional demands (mobility and strength), and task endurance. Prior experience with similar activities may help, but it shouldn’t be overestimated.
To minimize the risk of "too much, too soon" injuries, manipulate training variables like intensity, volume, frequency, and range of motion. As your body adapts, it will handle greater demands with improved skill and faster recovery. Over time, this enhances your ability to safely perform tasks with better stress distribution, reducing strain on tissues.
Strength Matters
Stronger tissues can handle more stress. Let’s consider two muscles:
Muscle A: Max load capacity = 50 lbs
Muscle B: Max load capacity = 75 lbs
If both are exposed to 55 lbs of stress, Muscle A is more likely to experience damage. Even under submaximal stress, Muscle B will fatigue less quickly and tolerate more volume.
This simple concept underscores the importance of strength. Yet, some trainers and providers discourage weightlifting, promoting lighter activities like yoga, Pilates, or walking. While these are beneficial, they have inherent load limits that may not prepare you for physically demanding tasks (e.g., running, jumping, recreational sports, or lifting grandchildren). For such activities, progressive strength training is crucial.
Sufficient Recovery
Recovery is essential for reaping the benefits of training and improving tolerance for future activity. Without proper recovery, microdamage from exercise can accumulate, potentially leading to pain or injury.
Strategies for optimal recovery include:
Active recovery: Gentle activities that keep you moving on rest days.
Adequate nutrition: Fueling your body with the nutrients needed for repair and growth.
Sufficient sleep: Critical for muscle, cardiovascular, and nervous system recovery.
Coupled with a slow and steady approach, these practices support long-term success.
In Summary
While we can’t eliminate injury risk, we can significantly reduce it by:
Gradually increasing activity levels.
Building strength to improve tissue resilience.
Prioritizing recovery through smart training, proper nutrition, and rest.
Injury risk is part of life, but with thoughtful preparation, we can confidently embrace an active, fulfilling lifestyle.
