When fitness lovers think of strength training, they might think of traditional movements like deadlifts, squats, push-ups and pull ups, or they might even think of core specific strength training movements like curls, crunches or the plank.
Then they get stuck into the rut of doing the same movements in exactly the same way each time, with the only variation coming in the form of changing the type of equipment they use to do these same movements.
They’ve been taught that there is one “correct” way of doing it and that repeating these movements will make them strong.
But what if these movements weren’t building strength, they were simply contributing to muscle stiffness?
The body only gets strong in the way that you use it, so for me, unless you’re building equal strength in any direction you can possibly move in, all your efforts are simply creating stiffness.
This increased stiffness will help you to move more load or create more speed/power for a while, but only to a point.
Over time, the increased stiffness will begin to alter joint positions, which leads to reduced joint function. This reduction in joint function then increases the amount of strain on the muscle tissue and reduced performance and/or injury is the result.
Am I suggesting your should stop doing your strength training? No. I’m simply suggesting that it would be more beneficial to add more variation to the movements you’re already doing, or use supplementary methods to counteract the stiffness created through your training.
If you’d like to discover “How to Stop Nagging Injury Stifling Your Performance”, I’d like to invite you to my FREE 30 minute webinar.
We’ll cover:
– The Performance Stifling Mindset
– How standard injury practices are feeding the injury cycle
and I’ll reveal 3 secrets to banishing your injuries for good.
Book your place now and I’ll see you there!