Applying the proper preparation and recovery techniques can help your clients train harder, recover faster and stay injury free.
There is a newfound focus on recovery and injury prevention, and more and more you see foam rollers and other recovery products popping up in gyms. The focus on tissue preparation and recovery creates a tremendous opportunity for clubs and gyms to elevate their traditional fitness program offerings by incorporating foam rolling and recovery programs into their personal training sessions and group fitness class schedules.
Overuse injuries are some of the most common injuries seen today, both in athletes and the general population. Overuse injuries occur because that particular area of the body has been overworked, likely due to improper movement somewhere else in the body. If someone who has been sedentary for some time begins a training program that requires box jumps, it is likely that the connective tissue in the calves is not prepared to slide and support the movement adequately, which could easily lead to injury. A common theme in exercise today is to workout as hard as possible and that everybody can do it. Unfortunately, this is untrue. If the body is not prepared or accustomed to utilizing each muscle and joint the way it was intended, then something will break down.
Incorporating a pre-workout foam rolling program prepares muscles to produce the greatest amount of force with the least amount of energy cost during exercise. This results in optimal performance, decreased injury and quicker recovery, so your members can train harder, recover faster and stay injury free.
Foam rolling can also serve as an effective cool-down method upon completion of exercise. Post-workout foam rolling helps promote circulation of metabolic wastes. This will accelerate the recovery process, restore the muscles and tissue and create pliability. The faster your members recover, the faster they can return to the gym.
It’s time to shift from just providing an area for stretching and a quick cool down, and instead equip your training facility with products and education that promotes foam rolling and recovery methodologies for your members. Empower your members by teaching them how to prepare their bodies for the demands that will be placed upon them during their workout, and how to properly recover, so they can spend more time in the gym, while remaining injury free. You will increase member retention by keeping your members healthy and consistently training, and drive sales by offering new programs.
Kim Adams is the senior education manager for TriggerPoint. To learn about TriggerPoint’s foam rolling and recovery professional education, email Adams at kadams@4implus.com.
