A few people have said to me over the last few weeks “ohh I’ve always had issues with my *insert muscle group here*. They’re usually people who have played sport and are now getting back into training, very similar to the kind of person we talked about early in last week’s blog. They go on to say that they suffered through their playing career with injuries in said muscle group because they were always tight. Let me tell you a secret, they’re not always tight. Most of the time they’re weak.
So, last week was a big week for the blog and I got some amazing responses from people that I had no idea even read my posts every week, it was pretty cool. For those who didn’t get an opportunity to read it, I talked about psychology with regards to exercise. I’m just going to tip on another psychology point this week before hitting the main topic. A problem shared is always a problem halved when it comes to negative thoughts and a negative mindset. Whatever’s eating away at you and bringing you down, it’s always a good idea to confide in someone you trust to help you through. I’m feeling pretty grateful for my girlfriend, Jenny, and great network of friends around me for times when the blues get the better of me. Talk more fellas, you’ll thank yourself for it!
Taking care of your mental fitness is just as important as your physical fitness, but can your physical fitness be plagued by something as simple as tight muscles? Not really in my opinion, I mean like yes, you can have tight muscles but the root of many tears and soft tissue related injuries is often too much stress for the demand they’re under. This means they’re too weak and poorly conditioned for the task at hand. I had 3 serious hamstring tears from the age of 15 to 19 but the range of motion in my muscles was pretty good… in fact I was so scrawny I probably didn’t have any muscles. I played hurling and football and during the season I’d play week in, week out while training 2-3 times a week too.
Not only were my hamstring weak but my glutes were pretty non-existent too. This means that they weren’t playing the role they should’ve, adding even more pressure on my poor hamstrings. I’ve spent some time with Tommy Brennan, the owner and head physio at the Pain and Performance Clinic in West Dublin, for a knee problem that’s been at me for the last few weeks and in October I went to him for a hip flexor problem. They were on the same side of my body and both problems, he reckons, have stemmed from weak and inactive glutes. He has me on a new lower body programme with a lot of effort going into isometrics and Christ, my glutes have never worked like this before. But I’m happy to be building some strength into these areas again which will hopefully help keep me injury free.
There’s a big uptake on activation work before training/matches in recent years, especially glute activation, within sport. While it’s great to see and definitely has a part to play, glute activation through mini-bands won’t cure cancer. Weak muscles will remain weak, it doesn’t matter if you do 10 minutes with a mini band before a game. Truth is you’re going to have to spend some time getting strong. Think about it, when rehabbing a tissue injury there is always some form of muscular overload through strength work. Is it a coincidence? Not really.
Mini-bands have seriously come into fashion in both sport and for recreational gym goers. Mini-bands are not going to make you score goals and points, meaning, they’re not going to win you the game. If you don’t know why you’re using them, you probably shouldn’t be using them. While they’re a good tool they may not be a necessity if truth be told. There are a bunch of other ways to go about glute activation, something as simple as a reverse lunge and single leg RDL can be just as beneficial.
Obviously, there are many other factors that come into the question when it’s a soft tissue injury but a lot of the time, research suggests it can be linked back to a weakness in the injured muscle.
“How do I combat it and what are you suggesting Rory?” You might be asking yourself.
Well, I recommend you get strong.
When it comes to field sports or running, which is quite popular among general population as a way to get fit, strength is the most under-used, legal, performance enhancer. Let’s use running as an example. Over the course of a run you’re striking the ground maybe a couple thousand times, depending on the distance. We’ve already spoke before about the forces associated with running. The stronger athlete will be able to cope with these forces’ way, way better than the weak athlete.
Find yourself a programme or strength coach who can help programme and coach you through your sessions. You’re looking for something to help develop some size in the belly of the muscle but most importantly, develop strength in all phases of movement. Any sport with running will want to put a bit extra effort into the eccentric portion of strength development.
Weak muscles may present as tight in the short period after training or a game because they’ve had to do so much work that they’re not used to but after a day or two they’ll return to their natural length. Younger athletes in particular suffer greatly from this problem but the answer is there in black and white and has been proven time and time again. Study after study has shown how beneficial an increase in strength can be to performance, if anything it’s going to help limit the occurrence of soft tissue injury and keep you available for training and games, which at the end of the day, should be goal of any athlete.
If you don’t strength train, get on it. If you’re the type of person who is quite injury prone, especially in the same particular area you’re obviously doing something, or not doing something, in your regular training routine that’s letting you down. I’d put a large wager on it that you’re lacking strength somewhere.
Hopefully you’ve got something out of this week’s blog guys, remember, if there’s any topic you’d like me to delve into just reach out and I’ll get it up.
Rory.