Listen To Your Body
I have been wrestling with weights since 17 years and continuously conducting research through various venues—the internet, books, correspondence with peers, etc. The more I research the more I stumble upon the statement, “Listen to your body.” Well, I believe beginners to a gym will never understand this statement.
However, the more experienced lifter who has spent lot of time in not only lifting but also in learning the nitty-gritty of resistance training surely appreciates the above statement. Moreover, mostly, the more experienced you are the more you will listen to your body. It doesn’t matter to you what a famous strength training coach has said; you will rebuff what he stated and follow what your body says, whatsoever.
What is listening to your body?
Several strength training programs, perhaps when badly organized, can lead to catastrophic injuries. Whenever a beginner comes across minor over use or any injuries they might not know the next step to be treaded; whereas, an experienced lifter will know the way forward. He surely knows that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Moreover, he may even address the situation by tweaking the routine. But a beginner, unfortunately, is lost and doesn’t know the way out. He might ultimately abandon the plan and stop performing the routine.
What is the way out?
If you are a beginner and stumble upon an injury, you will have to figure out whether it is a minor or major injury. Mostly, a major injury is out of the question. However, major injuries require surgery and rehabilitation. If the injury is minor such as pulls and strains adjustments to your training has to be considered. You might be forced to lift low weights for high reps, icing, massage, heat, and stretching. Nonetheless, if you can’t make out the veracity of the injury a sports physiotherapist is your best bet.
Last but not the least, I will quote Mathew Vincent. In the book titled Strength Lab: Explosive power and maximum strength for athletes, he says, “So start actively listening and figure out for yourself when you need to back off and when you can pour the gas to it.”
Newbies beware!