Learn how to workout in a seriously injured gym. The stars of the bodybuilding world share their secrets. Unfortunately, athletes often change their attitude to the training process only after being injured. This applies primarily to warm-up and exercise technique. Today we will tell you what bodybuilding can be after back injuries.
How to train after a back injury?
The lower back is one of the most traumatic places on the body of a bodybuilder. This is especially true for those athletes who pay little attention to the muscles in this part of the body. Muscles aren't just for lifting weights. They play the role of a kind of protective corset that prevents injury. If you've had a lower back injury, then these tips may also come in handy.
Warm up and stretching
Warming up is a very important part of training. From the first days of classes in the gym, you need to accustom yourself to a high-quality warm-up, which will help to dramatically reduce the risk of injury. Begin each activity with a 10-minute walk or stationary bike. This will allow you to increase your body temperature and increase the speed of blood flow.
After that, proceed to perform several warm-up movements, allowing you to qualitatively warm up all muscle groups. Before the first exercise, complete at least two, or preferably three warm-up sets. They will allow blood to more actively enter the tissues, and the nervous system will get used to specific movements. Before all the other exercises in your program, it is enough to do a couple of warm-up sets, but they must be done. Very often, athletes pay even less attention to stretching compared to warm-up. This should not be allowed and always do dynamic stretching exercises at the beginning of the session. It is also worth doing stretching after the completion of the training, which helps to accelerate the growth of muscle tissue.
Exercises
Of course, movements like squats or deadlifts are very effective. However, if the muscles of the lower back are not developed enough, they can cause injury. For example, the classic squat can be replaced by the hack squat or the Smith machine front squat.
They are also effective, but they can reduce the stress on the spinal column. Leg presses can be left, but working weights should be revised downward. The situation is similar with deadlift, which, however, is better to replace with hyperextensions.
It is also necessary to revise the complex of movements for the muscles of the back. It is best to use safer exercises, such as one-handed dumbbell rows in an inclined position or a low block deadlift, instead of heavy exercises, for example, deadlifts in an inclined position. In addition, it makes sense to remember about pull-ups, if before this movement was absent in your training program.
Technique and working weights
The technique should be mastered at the very beginning of your career. Sometimes athletes allow themselves to loosen their control in order to be able to do a couple of extra reps. After an injury, such liberties should not be allowed to yourself.
Pay close attention to your technique for each exercise. You also need to concentrate as much as possible on the exercise. Sometimes even a moment of inattention can cause serious injury. If you have worked with large weights before, now it makes sense to lower them while increasing the number of repetitions. In addition, a slower pace of work can make your muscles feel more stressed.
You will learn about the features of training after injuring joints from this video from Sergey Bazarov:
