Athletes of all levels are prone to overtraining. In their quest to improve performance, they often push themselves to the limit and develop injuries. This ironically puts them in the sidelines as they are unable to train. They lose fitness and get frustrated for months at a time. Preventing this scenario is something that everyone should be proactive about. Don’t wait until it is too late. Below are some of the things that you can do to avoid this fate and Canberra Physio:
Be Flexible with Your Training Plan
The drive to improve is crucial to success. However, you have to be flexible enough to adapt to any given situation. Realize that your training plan is not set in stone. Your performance will not be ruined if you skip one or two workouts because you felt ill or fatigued. Allow your body to rest and recover. Sleep the whole day if you must. If you think you can still train, then consider altering the workout to make it shorter or less intense.
Take Scheduled Breaks
They say that if you don’t schedule your breaks, then your body will schedule it for you. It is either you get some rest when it’s convenient or you will be forced to take rest at the most inconvenient time because you are already injured and can’t do anything about it. For example, try to have at least one day off every week so your body can rest and recharge. Don’t run it into the ground. Get enough sleep each night. After major competitions, allow yourself to have some downtime.
Do Strength and Conditioning Work
Most sports involve repetitive actions which put tremendous strain on specific muscle groups. On the other hands, other muscles are unutilized and remain weak. Strength and conditioning work can improve overall performance by recruiting more muscles, enhancing load capacity, boosting speed, correcting imbalances, and preventing injuries. Healthy athletes are able to train more consistently and thus improve more over time.
Get Sports Massage from a Physio
Aches, pain, and tightness will inevitably result from hard training. These don’t have to turn into major injuries as long as you are able to address the causes right away. Going to a Canberra Physio at least once a month can help in detecting problems and solving them as soon as possible. Professional athletes will even go at least once a week.
Make injury prevention a priority so that you can enjoy your activities without painful interruptions.
