After opening our new facility in McLean in December, I jumped back into treating sports physical therapy patients.
Our busiest time was in the afternoon when we saw high school athletes.
Many of these young athletes were training independently in the weight room, and I needed them to change their approach for physical therapy to be successful.
While each athlete needed to change something different, there were three mistakes that I found many were making.
Overtraining
Oh, to be young. Many high school athletes feel invincible and, as a result, push themselves too hard. More is only sometimes better, especially when they are playing on several different teams simultaneously with a demanding school schedule. Constantly pushing the limits causes poor technique in the weight room and increased risk of injury. A more thoughtful approach to strength and performance training will provide the opposite result and reduce injury risk!
Ignoring the basics
Understandably, many young athletes want to focus on the exciting stuff. Lifting heavy weights is exciting and competitive. But improving mobility and foundational movement skills. Not so much.
Building strength on a foundation of poor mobility and movement skills is a recipe for injury.
Can your athlete touch their toes without bending their knees or perform a deep bodyweight squat without falling over? How about a pushup without their chest rising before their trunk?
Below are a couple of exercises we use to address these problems before adding heavy weights.
Lack of Individualization
Many high school athletes follow generic training programs that don’t consider their individual needs, strengths, and weaknesses. While this works for some, an athlete recovering from an injury is unique and needs a training program tailored to their specific goals and abilities.
If you have an athlete motivated to make the most of their ability, they could be falling for many of the same mistakes.
Contact us if you want a personally designed strength training program.
This program may be all your athlete needs to avoid these common mistakes and take their performance to another level!
