Injuries are an inevitable part of any physical endeavour; whether these are serious and debilitating in nature – a torn pectoral muscle, a rolled ankle – or small and unsuspecting – the micro tears that occur during the process of adaptation.
Physiologically, injury occurs when one exceeds their capacity to handle stress. Read that again.
It is not necessarily the poor form of a deadlift that results in injury to the lower back. This is what most believe.
Instead, it is the fact that the stress placed on the system during the deadlift was greater than the body could tolerate.
The trained athlete can get away with throwing a 40kg barbell around with seemingly horrendous form. It is because 40kg does not place any significant amount of stress on their system.
To the untrained athlete with the same technique; the stress is far greater than their ability to tolerate it. Therefore, their risk of injury is far more likely.
This is what is occurring physically and physiologically.
It is my opinion however that while these are the mechanisms of injury, they are not the cause.
Instead, the cause of injury is a lack of attention.
The athlete not paying attention is unaware of the state of their body; whether they are recovered and ready, or worn out and stressed.
The athlete not paying attention does not notice the nuance in their movement pattern, and the consistent deviations.
The athlete not paying attention engages in a workout that is inappropriate for what they ultimately should (and need) to be doing on a given day.
If you pay attention, you notice these and can make appropriate decisions (and adjustments when needed).
If you fail to heed these signals, these concessions will make themselves evident and bring your attention inward in a manner that is undeniable.
Perhaps you are not yet in enough pain; that shoulder niggle may not warrant your attention. But it will continue to gnaw at you until it is acknowledged – one way or another.
So pay attention. And if you do not come to training with the cognitive space to do so, create it. This is your absolute priority.
A lack of attention is what causes injury. And the presence of it, ensures you will continually progress.
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