New Year, New Me?

Contributed by: Marquette Physical Therapy

It’s that time of year again. New Year’s Resolutions. New gym memberships. Setting up workout equipment you got for Christmas…and actually starting to use it. Although all this is done with good intentions, we end up seeing injuries due to this refreshed excitement for exercise.

What causes these injuries? What can you do to prevent this?

Usually these injuries come from poor technique and/or overuse from too much resistance for our bodies to handle at that time. Our bodies are not meant to go from 0 → 100 in a short amount of time! Gentle and consistent progression is the key.

Preventing these injuries will require some thought and intention. You’ll need to be knowledgeable in your form and the dosing of weight and repetitions of each exercise. Although we want to believe our favorite instagram influencer knows what they're talking about, there are experts trained in exercise science who will provide you with correct information (personal trainers and physical therapists).

Lets go over the basics:

Exercise Form:

This video covers biomechanically safe options for strengthening certain muscle groups. These movements utilize the optimal body mechanics of each muscle in order to gain strength without straining the joints.  These will also prevent compensation patterns, preventing joint and muscle pain.

• Shoulders: sidelying abduction + horizontal abduction

• Tricep: skull crushers

• Bicep & forearms: palm up + palm down

• Quads: wall sit with heel raise

• Glutes: hinge step ups 

• Calves: heel raise with weight shift

• Core: supported mini crunch

Dosing:

For hypertrophy (muscle growth): Aim for fatigue between 8-12 repetitions. Fatigue - meaning your muscles should be too tired to do 1-2 more repetitions. If you are not reaching this level at 8-12 repetitions, then your weight needs to be increased.

Perform 2 - 3 rounds of the exercises you are performing. This is optimal for gaining strength.

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Dealing with pain or injury? Need help returning to activities you love? You do NOT need a physician’s prescription to see a physical therapist in the state of Kansas and yes, insurance still applies (check if your state has a similar practice law - in some states you still need a physician's prescription to see a PT). Marquette Physical Therapy has two locations - Leawood & De Soto, KS. We treat one-on-one with a focus on manual therapies with specialties in Graston Technique™, Dry Needling, Pelvic Floor, Vestibular/Concussion, golf, and diagnostic ultrasound.

Marquette Physical Therapy Contact Information:

• Find us at: www.marquettept.com  

• Call us at 913-484-7632.

• Follow along on Instagram for more info and exercise ideas: https://www.instagram.com/marquettephysicaltherapy/