There is a fine
line between overuse and chronic strain due to heavy workouts. Intense
bodybuilding workouts are bound to lead to occasional residual muscular
soreness or soreness of the muscle/tendon complex. This kind of overuse
is not exactly an injury, and most bodybuilders take it as a sign that
they have workout hard enough. However, if you are so sore that you can
hardly move and the intensity of your subsequent workouts is diminished,
you have probably gone too far.
Muscles that
are tight, tired, and sore are more prone to injury. If you insist on
working out even under these conditions, there is a good chance that you
will pull or tear some part of the muscle/tendon complex. The best
preventive under these conditions is gradual stretching, warm ups, or,
when the condition is severe, light bodybuilding workouts. Stretching
involves the entire muscle/tendon complex, lengthening it so that the
chance of an exercise movements suddenly stretching these structures
past their limits and causing damage is reduced. Warming up pumps blood
and oxygen to the muscles and literally raises the temperature of the
muscles involved, allowing them to contract with greater force.
The best way
to avoid training injuries is by taking care to stretch and warm up
before working out and by observing proper technique when training with
heavy weights. Remember, the stronger you are, the more strain you are
able to put on your muscles and tendons, but often the muscles gain
strength at a faster rate than the tendons, thus creating an imbalance
that can cause problems. You must allow yourself to progress at a
reasonable rate, and not attempt to train too intensely or with too much
weight without proper preparation.
Get your Bodybuilding Supplements at discounted price
|