14 Reasons I’ve Been Able To Keep My Body (Mostly) Healthy

I’m 35 years old now, and I’m happy to say that I’ve never had a major injury (outside of a bad car accident when I was about 11 years old).  While I don’t have it down to an exact science, I do feel that I have a pretty good handle on why I’ve been able to stay mostly injury free.  Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had my share of bumps, bruises, sprained ankles, etc along the way.  But I’ve never had a nagging injury that lasts for an extended period of time.  And I’ve only broken one bone in my body (a bone in my finger my sophomore year in college.  I got called for a charge, but it should have been an And-1!  Damn ref! ).

Here are the cliffs notes reasons of why I think I’ve been fortunate to stay as healthy as I have over the years…

1) I’ve adapted my cardio plan as I’ve gotten older.  Playing basketball is the only high impact cardio that I perform. By the time we hit our 30s, our bodies (assuming we have been active in sports/working out since we were kids) have taken a beating. Performing high volumes of high impact cardio just isn’t worth it to me. There a 1,000,281 effective low impact options available, and those are the options that I plan on sticking with the rest of my life.

2) As you can see in the video above, I keep my cardio as non-repetitive as possible. For example, jumping rope is great, but if I perform 15 minutes of jump rope 3 times per week for 4 weeks, we’re talking 180 minutes (and thousandssssss of reps).  Mixing up the kind of cardio that you perform (battling ropes, jump rope, kettlebell swings, medicine ball slams, box jumps, the prowler etc. etc.) will more evenly distribute the stress throughout the your body and keep you healthier longer.

Yes, I realize there is some impact in the above video, but again, since I’m using a few different exercises, the volume is kept low and for me this = all good.

Note: If you play a sport, you will have to perform high impact, high repetitive activities. It’s the nature of the beast.  Which leads me to…

3) My volume of playing basketball has GREATLY decreased over the last 5 or so years. If you add up all the minutes that my knees, ankles, hips, and low back have spent POUNDING the pavement and the hard wood, the number would be REALLY high! Even know I still want to be good at basketball, it’s more important to me to NOT ALWAYS be hurting. I play in a league once a week right now (and I’ll occasionally add a pick-up game throughout the course of the week). Anyway, after every game (the next day in particular) it hurts me to just walk, sit, stand, and pick weeds out of the neighbors yards (something I do in my spare time.  That and I bus my own tables at restaurants. What can I say, I’m pretty awesome).

Now, I’d like to play more. But at what cost? I’d be a 42 year old dad that couldn’t go out and play tag with his kids if I were still playing hoops everyday.  No thanks. Playing once per week is enough for me to get my b-ball fix. As we get older, we need to pick our battles and see the big picture.

4) I perform soft-tissue work everyday. I basically stopped playing hoops in my late 20s due to the fact that I couldn’t even bend down 2 inches without my knees SCREAMING at me.  Then I invented the foam roller (yep, invented… another awesome thing about me) and it has changed my life.

I bring the roller to literally every basketball game that I play in and roll for a few minutes before tip-off, quite often during half time, and then again immediately following the game.  I also use the roller (and a lacrosse ball) before every lifting session (particularly on leg day).  This allowed me to get back in the game and greatly reduce the aches and pains that I was experiencing (though, this has NOT eliminated the aches by any stretch).

I’ve spent some time talking about my achy knees.  If you also have “knee-issues,” check out this blogpost for some quick tips…

Are Your Knees Always Sore?

5) I work on quad/hip flexibility/mobility. Years ago (before I was a trainer), someone told me to stretch my hammies to help with my achy knees. I did. I didn’t help. But with all the reading I do, I came across some great information that suggested I (people with knees pain) stretch my quads/hips to help with the pain.  This, along with the other tips I’ve given has helped out greatly (again, in the, “Are Your Knees Always Sore” post, I elaborate).

6) I’m conscious about not sitting for extended periods of time.

Try to go no more than 15 minutes of sitting in the same position.  Get up. Fidget. Move. Change positions. My ADD/impatience/immaturity/”antsyness” helps me in this regard.  But if you hit adulthood a long time ago and don’t share my kid-like qualities, be sure to move around as much as possible.  It can be done (if you have an office job) and your back will thank you.

7) My program design takes posture/imbalances into consideration. Any good training program should provide balance.  For example, even if you are the typical guy and want pecs so BIG that you make Dolly Parton look flat-chested, you should still perform a ton of work to strengthen the muscles around your scapular.  This is a accomplished with exercises like row variations, scapular stability exercises (like the supine no money with band, exercise) and rotator cuff exercises.  Do more of this kind of stuff and less bench pressing.  You’re shoulders with thank you in the long run.

8) I avoid going to failure too often. Believe me, I work my ass off in the weight room. All focus. As much bar speed as possible. Trying to outdo previous training sessions whenever possible.  BUT, I pick my spots when it comes to letting my form break down. I rarely miss a rep.  When bar speed slows, I stop the set (although I must admit, this isn’t always the case when the juices get flowing).  This will help prevent burnout and keep you going strong for years to come.

9) Week one of a new program is “intro week.” This is something that I’ve been doing with my training over the last few years and I’m glad that I made the switch.  When we start a new program, we change up the exercises, the reps, the sets, etc.  This change alone will bring soreness to our muscles.  So if you make week 1 of your program a higher volume week, you’re sure to be limping around for days.  This is why I to ease into week 1 of my program.  It limits (but doesn’t prevent) soreness so that I’m feeling good going into week 2… rather than always working from a “deficit.”

10) I take deload weeks. The last week of every program that I’m on, I make sure to drop the volume and stay even a little further from failure than usual.  Once again, this will keep you going strong much longer in your training “career.”  It’s also a great psychological break.  This doesn’t mean that you should be a wuss on deload week.  It just means that some adjustments are needed and these adjustments will serve you well for long-term success. If you are a newbie, don’t worry about deloading and “over thinking.”  Just get in the damn weight room consistently, and try to use a balanced program.

11) I avoid advanced training methods like drop-sets, the “post-fatigue method,” etc. Well, that isn’t exactly true.  These methods can be beneficial to a trainee, but if used too often they can once again lead to stagnation/burn out.  Use these methods sparingly.

12) I try to avoid being “too extreme.” Like I mentioned above, I get after it when working out.  But I see some guys (and maybe some girls too) that kick their own ass so hard at every session, that they are basically a walking injury.  It’s almost like they brag about the injuries that they have obtained through weight lifting; “bro, I have torn my pec, my left hamstring, my right calf, my supraspinatus, strained both quads, my groin, my left knee clicks every time I walk and I can barely bend my right elbow anymore.  But that’s what it takes to get your goals, dude!”  Really?  No, it doesn’t! Smart training and restoration methods can go a loooong way in preventing this from happening.  I love to set a new PR (personal record).  But at this point in my life, adding another 5 pounds to my deadlift is not top priority. If it is yours (and you do not compete in powerlifting), more power to you.  But don’t say that I didn’t worn you.

13) Luck. I been pretty lucky. Who knows, tomorrow I could step out of my car and onto a sheet of ice, fall down and break my wrist.  Thus far, that hasn’t happened. Let’s hope this luck continues.

13) Like I said, I read/study a lot.  This added brain power has definitely helped. I used to sprain my ankles quite a bit on the basketball court.  Then I found about ways to strengthen my ankles and I haven’t turned my ankle in I don’t know how many years.  How do we strengthen our ankles to help avoid injury (both ankle and knee injuries).  Well, I think this article says it best… “Get Out of Your High-Top Shoes.”  The point is, keep learning and good things quite often happen.

14) What we did “back in the day” can affect how we feel today.

If you’ve spent the last 8 years sitting 8 hours per day, don’t come crying to me; “Danny, I did what you said. I’ve GREATLY reduced my sitting over the last 3 days and my back STILL hurts!” I’m sorry, but it’s going to take A LOT longer to “undo” all the damage that you created.

Here’s another example. I’m currently training a guy by the name of Rich. Rich was a good athlete back in high school… a big, strong guy.  He used to bench about 350 pounds.  That’s all well ‘n good. But when I have Rich performing rotator cuff exercises, 5 pounds is hard for him.  So here we have a guy that used to bench 350, but using the external rotators of his rotator cuff to lift 5 pounds is difficult?  Oops, looks like there was an imbalance in his high school lifting program! As mentioned above, not enough rowing, scapular stability work and rotator cuff work.  No wonder his shoulders hurt!!!  If this sounds like you, it does NOT mean all hope is lost.  It just means that you have to be patient, as it takes time.  And the synergistic affects of all the above have to be in place (i.e. including some rotator cuff work can help, but not if the person continues to bench press 3 days per week, sits with a rounded back all day, and never performs a row).

Alright, there’s my list of 14.  I’m sure I could sit here and think of a few more reasons that I’ve stayed relatively healthy. But all that sitting won’t help anyone.

On last week’s blogpost you may remember that I have some great nutrition information coming this week.  Well, it’s on the way…. but I’ve decided to make NEXT week “nutrition week.”  The Brian St. Pierre interview is in, as are my (lady) friend’s food logs.  So I’ll be sharing all of that next week.  See you then!

If you have any injury-prevention tips that have worked well for you, please share them in the comments section below. Like I said, I love to learn!