Stronger Before You Start
Bulletproof Your Body With Pre-Habilitation
We recently had a question from Liam of Athelstone in Adelaide, “ I keep seeing the word “pre-habilitation” what is it and how can it help my training”? This is a great question from Liam - because understanding the importance of pre-habilitation and warming up is crucial for optimal performance and longevity. In this blog, we'll explore how pre-habilitation can safeguard you against one of the most common causes of injury – previous injury.
The Link Between Previous Injury and Injury Risk:
Injuries are an unfortunate part of an active lifestyle, but did you know that previous injuries can predispose you to future problems? When the body heals from an injury, it may develop imbalances or weaknesses in certain areas. These imbalances can create a chain reaction, leading to compensatory movements and putting unnecessary strain on other parts of your body. The solution? Is to proactively address these issues through pre-habilitation.
Benefits Of Warming Up
The cornerstone of any pre-habilitation routine is ensuring it's a targeted approach included in your warm-up. Warming up serves as a crucial step to prepare your body for physical activity. It gradually increases blood flow to your muscles, raises your core body temperature and prepares your joints for movement. Through a well-rounded warm-up, you can effectively reduce the risk of muscle strains, ligament sprains and other injuries. The prehabilitation exercises you incorporate into a warm -up are designed for the ongoing prevention of injuries. They target areas of the body that have been identified as vulnerable to injury.
Components of an Effective Warm-Up:
A comprehensive warm-up routine consists of several key components: Foam rolling which we label ‘pre-roll' and dynamic stretching, which involves controlled movements that mimic the actions you'll perform during your workout. Combined these will enhance flexibility and loosens stiff muscles. Incorporate exercises like the active hamstring stretch, hip extensions, side lying 90-90 stretches, planks, band walking, body weight squats and arm circles or Y and T movements for the upper back.
Additionally, light cardiovascular exercises such as a quick low grade spin on a bike, treadmill or air bike can help get the heart rate elevated before starting a session.
Pre-Habilitation and Injury Prevention:
Pre-habilitation is not only beneficial for those with previous injuries; it benefits everyone looking to avoid potential setbacks. By incorporating mobility exercises and warm-up routines into your fitness regimen, you can proactively address weaknesses and enhance your body's functional capacity. This preventive approach empowers you to move more efficiently and confidently, reducing the likelihood of future injuries.
Foam Roll With Xpeed
How To Roll
Before you get started there are some different ways to utilise foam rollers. Generally speaking, it feels good to roll about on your muscles quickly but it’s important to understand that releasing fascia takes time. For successful foam rolling, your movements will need to be slow and deliberate. Ideally, you would find a tension point, hold for 15 -20 seconds, work along and across the lines of tension before moving to the next tension point.
To simplify the thought process around foam rolling let's break it down into; Pre-Roll and Post-Roll. This means that foam rollers and massage balls are great tools for 'getting you ready' for exercise and 'recovering' from exercise.
Top tips: We recommend starting on body parts like the calves and quads with both legs, before working your way up to single leg rolling a few sessions later.
Areas to target include: Calves, Quads, Glutes, TFL, Thoracic Spine, Lats and Pecs.
Pre-Hab With Xpeed
Save This Sequence
I first learned this sequence working in a London gym called Bodyism, at the time run and owned by renowned trainer James Duigan. It's a 10-12 minute pre-hab sequence that adresses common compensations and mobility issues.
The Moves:
- Active Hamstring Stretch x 10 Each Side (ES)
- Hip Extensions x 10
- Single Leg Hip Extensions x 5 ES
- Lying 90-90 Stretch x 10 ES
- Plank 40 seconds
- Plank to Pike x 10
- Pigeon Stretch Sequence
- Band Walking x 10 Steps Left / 10 Steps Right
- Y's & T's x 10 of Each.
Equipment Recommendations
To take your pre-habilitation routine to the next level, consider investing in some essential equipment:
Foam Rollers
Foam rolling, also known as self-myofascial release, helps release muscle tension and break up adhesions in the fascia (connective tissue). Foam Rollers are an excellent pre-habilitation tool to reduce muscle tightness and enhance joint mobility.
Massage Balls
These small, portable massage balls target specific trigger points, knots, and muscle soreness. They are particularly effective for isolated areas such as the feet, calves, and shoulders
Loop Bands
Loop bands maintain resistance throughout the concentric and eccentric parts of an exercise. As a result, your muscles are well stimulated during loop band exercises. Which helps create greater range of motion and overall strength. Train anywhere, anytime with this handy training tool.
Conclusion
By embracing pre-habilitation and incorporating proper warm-up exercises, you can fortify your body against the most common cause of injury – previous injuries. This proactive approach not only prepares your body for the demands of your workout but also addresses underlying issues before they become problematic. By prioritising pre-habilitation, you're investing in long-term physical health, reducing your risk of setbacks, and ensuring you can continue training safely and effectively.
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Author
Simon Mitchell
Written by Xpeed Brand Manager, Simon Mitchell. Simon has a Bachelor of Human Movement, is a certified FMS trainer and has worked in the fitness industry since 2003. Simon started his fitness journey as a trainer with iNform Health and Fitness before moving into commercial radio and then back into fitness with Bodyism in the United Kingdom and Australia. A career highlight was being one of Daisy Ridley's personal trainers on Star Wars IX - The Rise Of Skywalker.
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