Category: 2009

There is nothing worse than getting injured! Injuries can disrupt your training goals and progress for up to months at a time.  Below are some ideas on injury prevention, rehabilitation and management.

Injury prevention:

As a teacher I have often utilised the ACC Sportsmart10 point plan to teach students about injury prevention (If you are interested check out the website acc.co.nz.) in relation to their individual sports.  Here is my take on the subject as it relates to weight training.

Exercise selection / technique:

Often we are told that certain exercises are necessary to build mass in certain areas of the body.  For example, the bench press can be an effective mass builder for people, for others it can be a shoulder nightmare!  When performing exercises you should feel it solely in the muscles, not the joints.  However, it may not just be your structure-get a qualified person to show the correct technique for all exercises so that you not only remain injury free but get the most out of the exercise.

Warm up/ Cool down:

People have different opinions on what a good warm up involves.  The traditional warm up of a jog/ treadmill/ cycle with some static stretches I feel is ineffective. If you perform static stretches for too long your muscles will be cold again before you even start.  Also, research has suggested that ‘static’ stretching before exercise may make muscles less able to fire optimally and thus affect performance.  With upper body workouts I always warm up my rotator cuffs (to get the blood flowing more in them).  Then I use a few light sets to get technique and the feel of the exercise right before my main sets. (You need to warm up the muscles specific to your workout!) Paul. T. Burke (a top bodybuilder and trainer in the states) has a good tip for people who have elbow problems and want to feel the muscles more in pressing exercises.  Warm up with a few light pumping sets of bicep curls to get more blood to the elbow joint, this allows you to train with no pain and gives you the feeling of more control during the pressing movement.  A cool down is just as important as a warm up.  This is where I think static stretches should be incorporated to help keep muscles flexible, remove toxins and to help start the recovery process.

Muscle Balance:

Often muscle imbalances occur because people stay with the same exercise selections without paying attention to whether they are working all muscles equally.  The squat is a good example; depending on how you squat will determine where you put muscle on your legs.  Do half squats and it is mainly quads.  If you go lower it hits the hams and quads hard.  Do a power-lifting squat and it hits the glutes a lot more.   To avoid injury then it would be a good idea to mix up how you perform certain exercises or choose different ones to emphasise the neglected or less hit area/s.

Training frequency & intensity:

I like to train every second day as it allows me to recover properly from each workout.  Everyone recuperates at different rates; the secret is to find out how much you need for growth to occur without becoming over trained.  Otherwise you will get weaker and pick up niggly injuries that can affect you long term.  Basically, the harder and heavier you train the more rest you will need.

Sleep:

Get between 7-9 hours sleep a night to help prevent injuries.  It is so easy to get over trained (which can often lead to injuries) without a decent nights sleep.  Also you need to be100% mentally prepared when training- it can be so easy to lose focus or be clumsy when you are sleep deprived.

Rehabilitation:

Rehabilitation should happen immediately after an acute injury or regularly to manage a chronic injury to get back to full fitness as quickly as possible again.  Here is the general idea:

 REST- (Until there is no pain in effected area).

ICE- (Up to 48-72 hours or longer if there is still swelling)

COMPRESSION- (Helps reduce swelling)

ELEVATION- (Helps reduce swelling)

DIAGNOSIS-(Necessary to apply the most effective rehab treatment)

 (This process may last from 48-72 hours minimum and can take a lot longer if injury is severe).

 As weight trainers we cause minute muscle damage every time we train so applying these ideas to our training will help recovery and muscle growth.  For example, it is important that you rest long enough so that your muscles have recovered and adapted before you hit them again.  Applying ice to worked muscles or having a cold shower after a workout may help start the recovery process sooner.  Compression garments have been proven to increase recovery and are used in a lot of sports making them an ideal recovery aid for bodybuilding!  Elevation of your legs (slant board or putting your feet up) can help remove toxins from the lower extremities; especially if you have poor venous return.

Massage: 

Massage is a great way to help recovery after the initial RICE protocol has been applied. (Make sure you do not do this too early during the rehab process as it may aggravate the injury more). Often muscle tissue and its encasing fascia can become tight and stuck together after an injury (this along with scar tissue).  Massage can free up your muscles so nutrients can be utilised and toxins removed more effectively.  It also helps to prevent permanent scar tissue formation.

Management:

 Managing injuries may have become a part of your every day life.  I have often talked to older bodybuilders who have had an assortment of training injuries they have had to work around. Here are some ideas to manage injuries:

Support aids: 

Braces and wraps can provide enough support so that you can still train pain free.  They also can keep joints warm during colder months.

Exercise selection: 

Exercise selection may have to change if the injury is continually causing pain.  However, injuries can sometimes be an opportunity to get you out of a training rut and even improve areas. I remember aggravating both biceps one year and had to resort to only performing dead-lifts, straight arm pullovers, straight arm pull downs and scapula pulls for a couple of months for my back (I think it was the best my back had ever looked!!).  Remember to choose exercises that you feel in the muscle as opposed to in the joint.  Also, alternating exercises regularly may be enough to manage your injury so you can still progress and perform the exercises you enjoy.

Ice & cream for joints:

Chronic injuries created over years of training need to be managed so if changing exercises does not provide relief, ice may be a necessity after training.  I like to use ice initially then I prefer to use a cream (by Radiance-Joint connection creme which has aloe vera to support tissue healing, essential oils beneficial for providing blood supply and MSM to regulate inflammation).  I have also used different arnica formulations with success too.

Nutrition:

Nutrition is an important aspect in injury prevention, rehabilitation and management.

A typical clean and balanced bodybuilding diet is ideal for preventing injury and helping the recovery process.  Supplements can also help.  Here are a number of supplements that have helped me in the past:

Whey protein,  glutamine, BCAA’s, chondroitin and glucosamine,

A multi B formula

Multi-mineral supplement: that includes zinc, magnesium, iron (for ladies) and calcium.

MSM, fish Oil and Vitamin C

Although I have only touched on the area of injury prevention, rehabilitation and management in this article I hope some of these ideas here help you remain both injury and pain free!!

 

 

 

Here are some tricks I use to maintain my motivation to train and diet in both the on and off-season.

Have a series of specific goals!!  I have discussed this topic in another article, but this is one of the main ways to stay on track during both the off-season and pre-contest.   In the off-season goals should be based on improving specific areas to develop overall proportion and symmetry. You can have goals for training, body measurements or even nutritional goals like eating a certain amount of protein per day.  Pre-contest goals could be more like holding on to the new muscle mass you have gained in the off-season while aiming for a specific body fat level, weight or both.  What ever goals you have make sure you write them down so you can evaluate your progress regularly.

Use affirmations or phrases you can repeat to yourself to keep you either focussed, calm or motivated.   At my school gym I have a number of phrases on the wall which can help to motivate me!  One I read today that suits me I think (because I’m small) is ‘it’s not the size of the dog in the fight, rather the size of the fight in the dog! (D. Eisenhower). You can google motivational phrases and choose the ones that you know will get you pumped up. Self talk like “You can do it”; “Light weight” or “Fire up” can all also help.

Use psychological skills like imagery.  Imagine yourself achieving a personal best in a specific lift.  Picture yourself being shredded to the bone with extra muscle where you need it!  If you struggle with this cut out a few pictures of a physique you aspire to and go from there.  I also use imagery to put myself in the right zone for training by imagining a thermostat at normal temperature and just before I lift I see the liquid in the thermostat rise and boom I’m in the zone!!

Have a positive outlook on things.  Have the attitude you are going to have fun with whatever you are doing (training, work, and home) and approach everything with a positive frame of mind.  No matter how busy, stressed or hungry you get keep your sense of humour!! No one likes a grouch!  I feel there is no point competing if you don’t enjoy the whole experience of dieting and competing- how could you be motivated if you didn’t?

Reward yourself regularly.  When you achieve a milestone or have completed a whole lot of tasks reward yourself (spending more quality time with your loved one! movies, cheat meal, new experience) as long as it doesn’t hinder your goals.

 Train with someone.  This can definitely get you going.  I find I have to be careful as I am a competitive person and will sometimes push too hard.  But if you are struggling to get to the gym having someone else in your corner can keep you on track.  I‘ve had some of my best workouts when I’ve felt terrible and then decided to train with one of my students at school!

Train differently.  Every once and a while do something different with your training; try a new exercise, rep range, rest period or training split.  As they say a change is as good as a holiday. It can really renew your motivation to train if you ‘ve got yourself into a bit of a rut- also planned alterations to your training can often lead to growth and strength gains as well.

Look at old bodybuilding videos or magazines.  I enjoy watching Ronnie Coleman train on DVD- what a freak!  Reading articles about specific muscle groups or reflecting on my progress in my training log usually gets me motivated too. Looking over old competition videos of yourself can help.  In 2006 I came 2^nd 3 times.  I knew I had to make improvements and watching myself come 2^nd and seeing what I needed to improve really motivated me to train hard during 2007 to compete in 2008.

Eat right.  Diet is huge when discussing motivation.  I always feel energetic and in the right frame of mind when I’m on a high protein, high fat and low carbohydrate diet.  Find a diet that makes you feel good while allowing you to add or maintain muscle, while losing body fat.  This does require some research and knowing how your body works but it is well worth the effort.

Add supplements.  There are lots of pre-workouts out there.  They are extremely effective at getting you at the right level of activation for a wicked workout, however the active ingredient in most of these products is caffeine so a good strong cup of coffee can do the trick too.  I do find vaso-dilators like L-arginine useful as there is nothing more motivating than getting an awesome pump when you’ve been dieting for 3 months!!

Take an extra day off.  Sometimes you just need to have an extra day off.  Whenever I do this I am itching to get to the gym and my next workout is always a real beauty!!

Well there you have it- the tricks I use to motivate myself on and off season.  I hope some of these tricks are as useful to you as they have been for me!

We have all read somewhere that your muscles will adapt to workouts if they remain constant for too long.  I decided after the Masterton show that I would try the German volume training routine of 10×10 espoused by Charles Poliquin (I have been meaning to try it for years) for a change of pace.  I chose one exercise for each body part and kept my normal split.  Rest periods were between 15-30 seconds between sets or no rest if I super-setted exercises.

Chest & Back

1. Incline Bench                        10×10
2. Cable Row                              10×10

I super-setted these two exercises.

Quads & Calves

1. Leg press                               10×10
2. Squat                                       10×10

I super-setted these two exercises.

Leg press raise                   10×10

Shoulders & Arms

1. DB Seated side row          10×10
2. High cable row                    10×10

I super-setted these two exercises.

1. Triceps shoulder press (top range to hit triceps)       10×10
2. Drag Curl                                                                                        10×10

I super-setted these two exercises.

Hams, Calves & Forearms

1. Leg curl                       10×10
2. Stiff dead-lifts         10×10

I super-setted these two exercises.

1. Leg press raise        10×10
2. BB forearm curl       10×10

I super-setted these two exercises.

This was a great way to get back into training after a competition, both physically and mentally.  I was surprised to find how hard this workout was to complete, even with the light weights I used.  The pump was amazing and it was satisfying to get the ridiculous muscle soreness the next day (that’s what happens when you put new stress on the body).  The workouts were short, lasting only 15-25 minutes long.

I realise one week is not long enough to see any noticeable results or to ascertain whether this style of training is better than my normal routine.  However, I definitely intend to incorporate some volume work in my training in the future to not only break up my normal workouts, but to take advantage of the wicked pump it provides (An important part of muscle growth). They say a change of pace is as good as a break, so if you feel a little tired or bored of your current training programme,  or just need a change of pace to get your body adapting again give this workout a go!!

Emphasising your back will definitely put you at an advantage come contest time as most bodybuilders look more impressive from the front than the back.  A well developed back will give you a thicker look from the side and back while the extra width will accentuate the x-frame look from both the front and back. Here is my current back workout. I use the basics that work for me and add techniques like P.O.F, rest pause, x’s, DXO to increase intensity and stress on the muscles.

I train chest and back together, once every 8 days.  Workouts take between 20-30 minutes.  Below are my current workouts that I alternate between:

A       Exercise                       Weight              Reps                 Technique used 

1. Weighted Chins                 25kg               10, 6, 2             rest pause
2. Incline BB Bench               90kg                8, 3                    rest pause
3. Bent row                                90kg                8, 4, 3               rest pause
4. Incline Db flye                     25kg               13, 6                    rest pause
5. Knee dead-lift                    150kg             5, 5                     rest pause
6. V-dips                                     BW                    17+7, 5+5        rest pause, x’s
7. Pullovers 30kg                9, 4                  rest pause

B       Exercise                       Weight              Reps                Technique used

1. Blitz chain Chins*             16kg                8, 4, 2              rest pause
2. Incline Db Bench                40kg                8, 3, 2               rest pause
3. Supine row*                          16kg                8, 4, 3               rest pause
4. Incline Db flye                      25kg                13, 6                   rest pause
5. Knee dead-lift                     155kg              5, 5                    rest pause
6. Bench press up                   20kg                12, 5                   rest pause, DXO
7. Straight arm pulldown  30kg                9, 4                     rest pause, DXO

Chin ups and pull ups have been a mainstay in my workout since I began training.  I alternate grips: supinated, pronated and semi-supinated as well as using a variety of grip widths.  I continue to lift as heavy as I can right up to contests so I keep as much muscle as possible.  At present I only weigh 66kg so adding weight with a vest/ belt is a necessity.  Blitz chains are an excellent tool for back training (from Get strength) and the extra work on the stabilisers provides a wicked pump and soreness every time.

I perform a variation of a row every workout, with Db rows, supine rows and BB rows being my preferred choices.  The supine row (using the blitz chains) is an excellent contracted exercise that hits my upper back like no other.  I set the chains up so the handles hang about bench height.  Lying on the ground holding the handles I place my feet on a bench and pull up as high as possible.  I perform both standard and reverse BB rows for variety and to emphasise different muscle fibres.  I utilise a pronated, semi-supinated and supinated grip when performing DB rows and pull towards my hip.

Knee/ Rack deadlifts give me the benefits that regular dead-lifts do without too much stress on my nervous system (and allowing my legs to recover properly).  I also try to flare my lats on the concentric movement giving me a good pump throughout my back.

Db pullovers are awesome for the stretch position and also provide a great workout for the long head of the triceps too.  You can emphasise the lats better by flaring your elbows out more.  Straight arm pull-downs are a great contracted exercise and allow you to focus on the lats with minimal arm involvement (I use DXO predominately when performing this exercise).

If your back training is going no where give these basic back exercises a try and watch your back get bigger and better!!