Whether you are injured or not, your baseline strength always plays a major role in treating or just preventing injuries. Look at it this way, preventing injuries are much easier than treating injuries. So why not include a program in your weekly routine which takes you back to basics, and help you target the smaller muscles which we so easily neglect. These are the muscle groups that form our foundation of our body, which always need to be strong to keep us injury-free and help us function optimally.
With such a program all movements should be strict and controlled, and should be completed with a neutral posture. Speed is the last thing you should be worried about, but rather focus on activating the right muscles at all times. This will allow you to rebuild everything, work on weaknesses and techniques. And before you know it you will be lifting heavier weights, squatting more, cycling faster, and have improved stamina.

There are a number of ways in which you can work on your baseline strength.

Firstly you need to create the best environment for your body to function optimally. This means practicing a whole range of soft tissue release techniques. This may include foam rolling or going for a sports massage. Maintenance is key for long term joint health.

Secondly you need to identify where your weaknesses lie, or why the injury happened in the first place. And no matter how strong you think you are, there is always room for improvement. Everyone has some sort of weakness, or imbalance in their muscle groups. And it’s these type of issues that need to be addressed with baseline strengthening to keep you injury-free. I suggest seeing a professional that can assess and provide scientific advice on how to prevent or overcome the problem being the injury. This may include the services of a Biokineticist, Physiotherapist or Chiropractor. Once the weak structures have been identified, exercises and stretches can be prescribed to correct this.

Thirdly, slowly but surely you will be able to build up your ideal baseline strength. This will then improve your movement standards as well as a long term maintenance plan to maintain your strength and mobility.

Going back to basics may be the best thing that you can ever do for yourself and your performance. Focusing on the mobility that you so often ignore and strengthening the postural and stability muscles that surrounds your joints to make some room for an endless number of improvements.
Don't underestimate the significance of baseline strengthening. If you think you have no time for prevention work, you’ll sooner or later have to find time for injuries.

Contact Carmen Laubscher (Personal Trainer, Biokineticist and Sports Masseuse) for more information.

carmenlaubscher@hotmail.com
079 901 02644