At FitFloor, we know just how crucial it is to take care of both our mental and physical health. Unfortunately, people often overwork themselves without considering the risk of injury that can ultimately be detrimental to their fitness journey. For this reason, we’ve partnered up with chiropractor Dr. Ryan Albert to learn more about what it takes to workout safely for the most effective fitness regimen.
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A workout, like a personality, can be as unique and creative as the person who executes it. While the goals of a workout may change between people, the laws of biomechanics and physiology don’t. To be a good gym-rat, we must consider the best and safest ways to consistently execute a workout otherwise you may be left trying to book an appointment with me or one of my colleagues…
Here are some of the most important considerations while training:
- A warm-up that matches the demands of your training session.
Do me a favour and delete pre-workout stretching from your knowledge base. If you’re about to load your muscles and joints, you want to prepare them to contract and move. Passively stretching isn’t going to create that tissue prep. Warm up the range of motions you will be employing in your session and prepare the muscles and movement patterns that make sense for the exercises you will be performing. Also, consider a slow ramp up to your working set weights if you are lifting on the heavier side. The nervous system (your brain-muscle connection) needs time to prime/warm-up.
- Ease into workout techniques/styles.
If you haven’t attended a HIIT class in 2 years, try not to just jump back into things like you’d never left. Your body (usually) doesn’t work that way. Think about preparing for things with slow increases in volume of your exercise reps/sets and the tempo at which you perform them, including how long your rests are in between sets. Moral of the story, a step-wise gradual approach is always best.
- Timing of your workout.
Try to coordinate your workout with a period of the day where you feel most energized. This will help to ensure exercises are performed with more care and attention.
- Consider equipment.
We always want to consider the tools we are using to make our gains. Weight belts may be an important item if lifting heavier or in a powerlifting style. Proper shoes are always a good idea but may differ depending on the style of activity. Regardless, something to look for would be shoes with a wide toe box to give your feet and toe muscles a bit more room to do what they were designed to do.
A proper workout surface is paramount in minimizing ground reaction forces created when we contact the ground, particularly with jumping exercises. If you’ve ever experienced conditions like shin splints or plantar fasciitis, you will appreciate the need to minimize these from developing or being exacerbated. I recommend FitFloor Pro commercial-grade athletic rubber gym flooring, a surface that successfully withstands the demands of my high-impact home workouts and weight training regimen, complete with 10mm thickness that delivers added shock absorption and joint protection for a safer and more effective workout. Not only do I find it incredibly important to utilize rubber gym flooring at home, but I also prioritize it when working through exercises with clients at the clinic.
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RYAN ALBERT
CHIROPRACTOR & ACUPUNCTURE PROVIDER
Dr. Ryan Albert is a vibrant and compassionate chiropractor and acupuncture provider practicing in Toronto, Ontario. He holds a Doctor of Chiropractic degree from the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College, graduating cum laude in 2017. He completed his certification in Contemporary Medical Acupuncture from McMaster University in 2016. In between post-secondary degrees, Dr. Albert spent three years working at the University Health Network’s intensive care units facilitating research in critical care medicine. In this time, he had an opportunity to observe and appreciate the incredible efforts of the inter-professional health care system.
Connect with Dr. Ryan Albert through his website and/or Instagram @dr.ryanalbert.
