Reducing the Risk of Muscle Strains
I have suffered from muscle strains as I’ve gotten a little bit longer in the tooth…so I was very interested in finding out more info on how I can reduce muscle strains and possibly eliminate the risk of getting them when I work out altogether. Here is what I found out…
Most muscle strains are caused by decreased flexibility…and this is especially true in my case. Static stretches used to be considered the best way to warm up the muscles in order to avoid muscle strains, however current studies have shown that static stretches can actually inhibit muscle strength, leading to injury.
A dynamic warmup will increase flexibility, core temperature (because you don’t want to work out cold, right?), and nerve conduction velocity, leading to faster reaction time during heavy exertion exercises (i.e. Insanity, P90X). Here is a 10 minute warmup I found to use before a workout:
- Walk on your toes for 10 yards, then switch to walking on your heels for another 10 yards. Repeat 3 times.
- Walk forward, high stepping for 10 yards while turning the trunk towards the high knee. Repeat 3 times.
- Quickly bend one knee, bringing heel to butt. Alternate between both legs. Repeat 30 times.
- High skipping in one place. Repeat 30 times each leg.
- Jog at an easy pace for 50 yards, then sprint for another 50 yards.
