Baby Steps: Quality Post Rehab Fitness
Small Quality Baby Steps
In today’s world we want everything in an instant. From what we eat to our online orders, we want things as fast as possible. This same principle applies to us after an injury or when we’re suffering from pain. We all want the fastest route to the state we were in prior to the injury or pain, but what many people fail to realize is that getting things quickly comes at a cost. The cost when it comes to post rehab training is that if we rush we won’t come back at the level we were at pre-injury and will risk getting injured again. Below I’ll go over two key ideas to keep in mind on the road to recovery. These will aid us not only through recovery, but in the future when we’re continuing living injury and pain free.
Quality of Movement
Physical therapists and strength coaches will have guidelines or milestones they would like their clients to hit before giving them more difficult challenges or clearing them to return to their desired activities. These milestones could be things like walking without a limp before running or being able to properly hinge at the hips before loading a barbell for a Deadlift. Regardless of their specifics, milestones are important to have to know we’re heading in the right direction. With that in mind, clients will cling to these milestones and almost rush to get there, leaving the quality of movement as an afterthought.
Quality of movement is just how smooth and in control we are in specific movements. Are we using the right musculature or mechanics to get from point A of an exercise to point B? Are we struggling and compensating with other parts of our body because of the undeveloped muscles or motor unit control that we have? Do we need to take a step back or stay where we are in our program so we can still maintain quality movements?
In the gym, we’re in a controlled environment where we have specific exercises and workouts designed to help us get better. In this environment, quality of movement needs to be king. We’re not facing random variables that we face on the field in the sports we play or in our daily activities. We need to master our movements in this controlled environment so we’ll be better prepared and ready when out in the real world.
Babysteps are Still Steps
Often times after a long day, people only remember the negative or challenging parts of the day and forget about all of the good things that actually happened. The same mindset is sadly carried over when dealing with recovery from an injury. Instead of thinking of how far we’ve come, we’ll only think about how far we have to go. Sometimes we need to take a moment and think about all of the positive steps, whether big or small, we’ve made. This positive thinking will not only make us feel better, but also propel us to continue to make steps in the right direction: to our final destination of good health and pain free movement.
BONUS TIP!
Below is a quick video with words of advice from one of our athletes who’s made great strides in coming back from her own injury!
Brandon Brelsford is one of the trainers at Olympia Fitness and Performance. He graduated from Rhode Island College with a B.S. in Community Health and Wellness with a concentration in Wellness and Movement Studies. After graduating, Brandon obtained his CSCS (certified strength and conditioning specialist) from the NSCA. Brandon enjoys helping his clients realize what they’re truly capable of and enjoys seeing their growth in and out of the gym.