It’s 2018! A new year. A fresh start. And for many people - getting fit and healthy is likely to be on the New Year’s resolution list.
Embarking on getting fitter and healthier is awesome. It takes commitment and patience - so, well done on taking the first step!
To reach this goal, to remain injury free and to maintain steady training throughout the year (and beyond), it is important to consider and integrate load management.
What is load and load management?
Load, in the context of fitness/exercise, is either internal or external.
Internal load is something that is directly associated with the athlete and can be heart rate, perception of effort, or desire to train.
In contrast, external load is seen as work completed by the athlete. It includes weight lifted, distance ran, andduration or frequency of the exercise.
Therefore, load management is the process of controlling and monitoring internal-external loads, which is important for injury prevention.
Why is load management important?
Load management is important because increasing training load by more than 10 per cent per week can lead to a greater risk of injury. For example, increasing training load by just 15 per cent per week increases the risk of injury 21-49 per cent.
Conversely, keeping training load within the range of five to 10 per cent minimises the risk of injury to less than 10 per cent.
How can I manage my training load?
Keep an exercise log of the activity you are completing including details such as weights/distance and rate how hard you worked for that session.
Consider a section for how much and the quality of sleep you are getting, as research indicates enough and good quality sleep is important for preventing injuries.
Only increase your training load by up to 10 per cent
Stick to increasing training by up to 10 per cent per week to reduce the risk of sustaining an injury.
You want to gradually increase training in all aspects to allow muscles, tendons and bone to adapt to your exercise. This will allow you continue working towards getting fitter and healthier with fewer or no injuries.
Train smarter, not harder and be a wise tortoise like in Aesop’s fable as slow and steady wins the race.
A note on post-Christmas holiday training
During the Christmas holidays, training schedules either temporarily go out the window or reduce dramatically.
When returning to your exercise regimen after the Christmas break, it is important to continue observing the 10 per centrule even for those who have consistently exercised/trained before the festive season. Ease back into your training.
Don’t ignore any aches and pains
Finally, if you do have niggles, give us a call on 9580 1985 to get some advice.
The quicker an injury is addressed the less time there is away from training.
Happy New Year – train smarter to get fitter and stronger, injury free!
Author
Brendan Mason - Director and physiotherapist at Back In Motion Aspendale Gardens