2 simple rules to increase training longevity.

In my last article, I talked about some strategies that will help you recover from training, as well as the distinction between training recovery and injury recovery.  Now I'd like to address the injury recovery side of things.  I am not going to go into each modality and if they work or not, but instead give you a couple of practical rules that I got originally from *Dean Sommerset* who for all intents and purposes is a wizard when it comes to this stuff.

Prevention is better than cure.  With that said let's get into the first rule.
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Do not try to push range of motion you don't have

Whether that be going deeper than you can handle on squats, or just trying to force a position or range that you just can't achieve safely.  To use the squat example, some people's hip joints are different to others, some people can pull knee to chest and have room to spare.  Others will struggle with straight flexion, but have room when abducted.  If you try to force a narrow straight foot stance when, due to physiology, you have very limited range there, you're not going to have a lot of fun or success.  All people cannot squat down to their ankles with their feet together, it is not possible for everyone, and anyone claiming otherwise is probably selling something.
 
Don't push a range you can't control.

To elaborate a bit on control, that doesn't just cover getting from A to B, it covers getting there under full control and whilst taking full breaths.  This is not to say there aren't applications for breath bracing, just that way too many people misconstrue their ability to hold something or move a certain way with a breath hold included.  If you can't squat unloaded without holding a breath, I'd say you certainly have an issue.

So, to clarify, if you divebomb squats and catch your bench rather than lower it, your training longevity may be a lot worse than if you didn't. This is also very relevant to anyone doing any kind of explosive/plyometric/sprint training, you must be extra vigilant about your available range, since working at those intensities often will bring about problems quicker.
 
As always if you have any questions, comments or feedback please leave them down below or contact me @ATSapproved.