Can you prevent injury?
Not exactly. We are imperfect humans. There is no way to guarantee that you won’t get injured. Accidents happen and we can’t make perfect decisions regarding our training 100% of the time.
That being said, there are plenty of things we can do on a regular basis to reduce the risk of injury and set ourselves up in a better place to recover if we ever find ourselves in that situation.
#1 Know when to bring the intensity.
CrossFit is known for its intensity. We all know the feeling of laying on the ground after a hard workout wondering how we’re going to muster up the strength to leave the ground again. For many, it’s an addicting feeling that keeps us coming back for more.
That said, it’s imperative that we learn when intensity is necessary and when it’s causing more harm than good.
Imagine: you’re stressed out from work. You haven’t slept more than 4 hours a night for the last week. You’ve been skipping meals.
Realistically, is that the best time to go to an intense hour long workout? Probably not. Knowing when to reign in the intensity is a great way prevent injury and keep you training for the long haul.
Outside of this, we also have to remember that redlining every single day is not what ANYONE should do if their goal is to train for longevity. Your body can not recover fast enough from going 10/10 day in and day out. Bringing your A game should only happen a couple times a week!
#2 Prioritize sleep.
This should always be at the top of everyone’s priority list when it comes to recovery and injury prevention. No amount of supplements can outperform a lack of sleep.
Sleep helps you build muscle, can aid in weight loss, helps keep you more focused and more. Get to bed folks.
#3 Manage stress
Not all stress is bad stress. We all experience stress in our lives at one time or another.
That being said, if we are going through a time in our lives that we feel stress is having a negative impact on our bodies we may want to look in to ways to manage or adjust our training. Your body can’t differentiate regular stress from exercise stress. It’s all the same to the body, and this stress can add up!
#4 Watch what you eat
You are what you eat. If you’re training like a games athlete but skipping meals, haven’t eaten a vegetable in days, and don’t remember the last time you cooked your own meal… it might be time to start paying more attention to what you put in to your body. You can’t treat your body like a trash can and expect it to perform day in and day out.
While you may not be able to prevent, you can certainly take these steps to help reduce the likelihood of injury happening. What do you need to work on the most?