Do you have nagging pain or soreness you’ve been ignoring??(Disclaimer: I’m not talking about major injuries: torn ligaments or herniated disks, broken bones, and the like. If you’ve had surgery or been advised you need surgery then I’m not talking about that) Some of you may not know that I’ve been suffering a sore lower back for over a year. I’m ashamed to admit that I’ve basically been ignoring it and hoping it will get better on its own. I finally broke down the other day and sought out some real help to get it on the road to recovery. Do you have some nagging soreness or pain you’ve been ignoring too? There’s probably certain movements you know you should scale and don’t or extra warm ups and stretching you need to do that you’re skipping too often. Or maybe you’re not giving yourself enough recovery time between workouts. So let’s be honest and do an assessment on ourselves or with the help of a coach and figure out how to best address our issues and stop ignoring our bodies. Part of the reason we exercise is to be healthy and promote longevity. We want to be able to exercise as we age and that means being smart with what we do now. Chronic soreness is generally caused by a weakness somewhere in the chain. I discovered that I don’t properly activate my glutes and hamstrings leading to the overuse of my lower back muscles. My remedy is to do some planned and targeted accessory work. It takes a little extra time and I will be scaling some WODs, but I know it will be worth it in the end. Tell a coach your aches and pains and get on the right track. Documentation is a great way to help identify what may be causing your issue. For example: Does your elbow hurt after high volume push press? Maybe it’s your knee during box jumps or your shoulder after pull ups. Could it be a mobility issue on your squat or overhead movements? Is it a weak core? Write this stuff down and I bet you’ll see a pattern. My advice as your coach and from personal experience: STOP IGNORING YOUR BODY. Let us help you find that balance between pushing hard and going too far. It may take some time, but in the case of self-improvement, we have nothing but time.-Coach Shannon Shannon@warriorcfm.com
