I know a lot of trainers and strength coaches check out this blog for off-ice hockey training tips so today, this one is specifically for you. Injuries will happen – I believe that is a fact. It is may be something you are doing in the gym – in which case you need to really figure out where there are flaws in your exercise program design.
If you all of your clients are coming in with knee cap pain – it could be you. On the other hand you may have one client who has shoulder pain, another with a sore knee, someone else with an achy elbow. These injuries may be related to the activities they are involved in the 5 days of the week they are not with you. I have clients who have to drive a lot for work, or spend their work days sitting at a desk, then go out and ram around the ice for an 50-minutes. Or high school kids who sit through their entire day, then have practice, then sit and do their homework. These sustained postures will lead to muscle imbalances that then translate into aches and eventually painful injuries.
I have even seen athletes who develop shoulder pain as a result of an ankle sprain that was never rehabbed completely. These little imbalances and asymmetries may seem insignificant, but we all know what happens when we drive a car with the alignment out of whack – premature tire wear, the brake pads can wear unevenly – and eventually you will be slapped with a costly repair bill. Just like your body, although the repair bill comes in the form of pain which may last months.
My colleague Rick Kaselj (I describe him as a cross between Rick Steves the travel show guy and a mad scientist) has put together a very comprehensive guide for you outlining exactly how muscle imbalances can create injuries and what you can do to reverse these effects and either prevent an injury or help a client come back after their injury. I have interviewed Rick on this site before, we talked about muscle imbalances in hockey players and goalies.
If I had access to this information when I was just starting out as the exercise specialist at the Fowler Kennedy Sport Medicine Clinic I would have been years ahead in my development. Now that I have Revolution Conditioning, I find that one of the strengths I have that really differentiates me from the crowd is my understanding of injury prevention.
There are modules for:
- Knee injuries
- Shoulder injuries
- Hip injuries
- Plus some great explanations of the role fascia plays in all of this.
Don’t have the money to travel to Indianapolis to spend an hour or two with Mike Robertson – no problem, he is does a webinar. You will also find great webinars by Bill Hartman, Eric Beard, Kevin Yates and Dean Somerset.
I found the ideas presented in a comprehensive way to reach trainers who are just starting out, right up to those of us who have been at it for years. Rick told me that some individuals have used the program successfully to help them understand their own injuries – I can see the value for sure and I know some will really enjoy all the detail. For the most part I see this as a great tool for trainers and strength coaches though. If this is an area where you are lacking, then I suggest you check this out.
http://htp5105.mirlower.hop.clickbank.net
This is my affiliate link by the way ( I did not mask the link because I will always be upfront with you). I will NEVER promote any product that I do not think is beneficial to my readers specifically, it is not worth $20 to me to mislead you. I actually like my you and want to help!