Beginning training - avoiding injury - 5 tips

After WL surgery many of us start exercising, some of us for the first time in years (or EVER!)... this is a critical time as it is easy to get injured, and set your plan back by days, weeks or months...  Here are a few guidelines I cobbled together from Training Peaks - the web site I use to track my training:

1. Increase training load gradually.

A general rule of thumb is to not increase training load more than 5-10% per week.  For example, if you are riding a total of 6-hours this week a 10% increase would equal about 30 minutes, which means the following week training should be capped around 6.5-hours. By logging your training, like you log your food (right?) you can also track your training progression. Start slow and consistently increase your load.  If you intend this to be a life-time activity, what's the hurry?  Consistency is a key, and consistent progress is awesome.  As far as i can tell there is no benefit to going crazy day one - only a higher chance of injury or severe soreness that puts you off of continuing... you'll be plenty sore, and you can suffer along with the best of them as you increase your volume.  

2. Pay attention to mechanics.

Improper technique is also a major factor in tendonitis types of injuries, especially sports that feature highly repetitive motions. This is a reason to have a trainer, at least at the beginning of a program.  Technique in running or cycling is important too - a  poor bike fit means that every hour you're doing thousands of RPMs and stressing body parts incorrectly.  Lifting heavy weights with poor technique can lead to serious injury... get some help to make sure you're doing it right...  If you're a cyclist, I highly recommend spending the money for a professional bike fit.  It's amazing what these guys can do - moving seat/handlebars a few millimeters can make a huge difference.  I'm going in for an "annual" fit in a few weeks.  Your fit changes as you gain core and leg strength.  Your mechanics in many other sports will change as well. Checking in with an expert from time-to-time is critical to staying on track and avoiding injuries as the weight you lift increases or the volume of training (mileage, etc.) does.

3. Include sufficient rest.

You will suffer if you do not have rest days.  In my program we have two kinds... Active Recovery days and Full Rest days.  Active recovery is where you do an exercise at a very low level - for me, I cycle for 45 minutes, but with virtually no pressure on the pedals - this is typically done the day after a very intense day.  The purpose is to improve blood flow to the muscles that were used heavily.   Rest days are total days off - my coach doesn't even want me walking much...  There's a saying... "you can't OVER-Train, but you can UNDER-recover."  Recovery must be built into your program and this is one reason having a coach or trainer is critical - especially for those of us (points finger at self) who are "all-or-nothing" types...  

4. Identify good pain versus bad pain.

Progress often results in "Good pain" as a result of overload.  A good training program features progression, and the main goal will be overloading your muscles as you progress.  Pain that remains present and relatively constant throughout a workout, even if it lessens a bit after a good warm up, is an indication that you may be pushing beyond your body’s ability to recover.

5. Warm up properly. 

Stretching as a warm up seems to have been debunked pretty thoroughly (though it is great for other aspects of fitness and health). A proper warm up may last 10-20 minutes depending on the length and intensity of your training session. A more intense training session may require a slightly longer warm-up period. I find that I need a good, thorough warm up of cardio activities prior to serious exercise as I age.   You can’t go wrong by increasing blood flow to your muscles through a warm-up routine... I just do 30 minutes of cardio of varying intensities before I do my main interval training for example.  My goal in the warm up is to get the muscles I'll use during the exercise moving and also to get my heart rate up. In 30 minutes I may do; 15 minutes of just easy easy pedaling (you could just walk on a treadmill) then 5 minutes of moderate effort, then 5 minutes of fast-but-easy pedaling to get my heart rate up, then 5 minute very easy again to recover before starting my main workout.  I have found that i perform much better in the main workout after a long, slow warm up.  I think this is age dependent... at least for me.