Article Rundown

• The Role of Luck in Injury
• How Genetics Play into Injury
• The Effectiveness of Deloads for Injury
• How to Choose When to Push and When to Back Off

The Best Way to Avoid Back Pain!

In this video, I will explore essential strategies for injury prevention in strength training and how you can positively influence your body to maintain overall health. These strategies may be different from what you expect. The first key point to address is the role of luck. Let’s be candid: injuries can sometimes be a matter of sheer bad luck. You might be adhering to all best practices, yet an uncontrollable factor could cause a setback. This unpredictability is an inherent part of the sport, or life in general for that matter, not limited to strength sport.

Conversely, there are individuals who subject themselves to intense training daily, and you might wonder, “How is this person not getting injured?” I recall a training partner from years ago who exemplified this scenario. They would begin workouts without warming up and perform highly inadvisable exercises without ever suffering an injury. Eventually, however, the accumulated toll caught up with them, leading to an injury from which they never fully recovered. This underscores how the consequences of reckless behavior can eventually manifest, illustrating that there is indeed a tipping point that everyone can cross; once crossed injury can be looming.

The Role of Genetics

Genetics play a significant role in injury prevention, closely tied to the concept of “luck” previously mentioned. Some individuals are inherently more resilient than others. For instance, some people can train intensely once a week without injury, while others can handle heavy training three times a week with little to no adverse effects. Consider the spinal canal: each person has a unique amount of space in this canal. Those with larger or longer pedicles, the supportive structures of the vertebrae, are less likely to experience severe complications from facet hypertrophy or disc bulges compared to those with shorter pedicles and a narrower spinal canal. This genetic variability affects one’s ability to endure and potentially avoid injuries over time.

Strategic Deloads

On a more proactive note, injury prevention is within your control and does not rely on genetics. I have observed that individuals who follow my advice to regularly deload their training remain less fatigued, injury-free, and continue to progress in strength. In contrast, those who never deload and constantly overload their bodies may initially seem fine, but eventually, the accumulated strain can lead to significant setbacks. Deloading every 3 to 4 weeks by reducing training volume, intensity, and frequency allows for the recovery of bones and tendons, which heal more slowly than muscles. Bodybuilders, who focus primarily on muscle rather than joint and tendon overload, may not require deloading as frequently. However, for strength athletes who subject their bones and tendons to intense stress, deloading is crucial for long-term health. Additionally, a deload week can be used productively to refine form, experiment with new techniques, or incorporate new exercises, making it a valuable component of your training regimen. Frequent deloading has consistently proven to support long-term success.

Optimal Effort Allocation

The most critical aspect of injury prevention is managing when to exert maximal effort. Pushing yourself 100% in every workout is a surefire way to jeopardize your long-term progress, especially as you grow stronger. My book “10/20/Life” emphasizes that most training should be conducted at less than 85% of your maximum capacity. During the off-season, focus on increasing volume and frequency while reserving peak intensity for crucial events. You do not need to reach peak performance during training sessions; instead, you should aim to peak at your competition. For example, in 2006, my best gym squat was 1000, then at the meet, I hit 1030; in  2011, my best gym squat was 1130 lbs, but I achieved an all-time world record of 1185 lbs at a meet in the 275 lb weight class. Similarly, even before setting a world record of 1306 lbs in 2020, my best gym squat was only 1205 lbs. This discrepancy demonstrates the importance of strategically timing your peak performance. Utilizing techniques such as reverse bands and controlled overtraining, followed by backing off, can enhance your body’s ability to hyper-compensate and set new records on competition day.

Conclusion

At advanced levels of strength, constant heavy training is unnecessary, and preparing for a meet can be done relatively quickly. Monitoring your training intensity, volume, and frequency and incorporating regular deloads are essential for minimizing injury risk in a sport prone to such issues. While you cannot control your genetics, you can and should manage the controllable factors in injury prevention.

BRIAN DOES ONLINE AND IN-PERSON COACHING!

Back Injured Average Mary or Joe who wants their life back

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