As a personal trainer I am constantly telling my clients that if something hurts, stop doing it or you may risk more serious injury. I also repeatedly tell them to rest 48 hours between sessions, the dangers of overtraining and the importance of warming up and stretching.
I teach Pump 3x a week – M, W & F. I also teach Healthy Backs right before Pump on M & F. I train clients 4 to 5 x a week, and while working with them, will also do some of the exercises with them, like abs, core work, etc., no weights though.
Last weekend, I noticed my left shoulder beginning to hurt. Just a little. Even so, we went for a 30 mile bike ride, I mowed grass (with a push mower!), helped clean out the garage and pulled weeds. No slowing down for me – I won’t get injured. After all, I’m indestructible!
While teaching Healthy Back on Monday, we do a move in a prone position called Y, T, W, & L. It’s an exercise to help strengthen the scapula muscle. When I tried to do it I noticed a bit more pain so I did stop and just talked everyone else through it. Then came Pump. Everything was going great until I got to the tricep track. As I was on my bench I realized I needed to slide down or else Craig and I would be bumping barss. As I slid down – a pain shot through my back. I barely made it through the rest of the class. I took some aspirin and over the next couple of days started feeling a tad better. So – Wednesday, I decided that the living room needed to be rearranged. Bad move. Thursday I woke up in pain severe enough to make me call the doctor. She said I had torn my trapezius muscle and that I could do no upper body lifting until it healed – The worst news a fitness instructor / personal trainer can get is that you can’t work out. If I follow doctors orders, I could be back teaching by Monday.
I have learned a valuable lesson. If you feel pain – stop. Don’t over train. Warm up and stretch before / after workouts. Where have I heard that before….? I did teach Pump today with Craig using a bar with no weights. Not cool. I felt so whimpy!
So now I sit here in bed, feeling groggy from the pain meds and hoping Craigy will fix me dinner tonight.
As instructors, I think sometimes we feel nothing can ever happen to us physically, after all, we are in shape. But it CAN happen. We need to take our own advice and take care of our bodies. Do we teach too many classes? Work out every day? Skip the warm up because we are in a hurry? If we don’t take care of ourselves we won’t be there for our class members.
Speaking of taking care of our bodies I would like to mention an instructor at our club. I will not give her name but she is amazing. She had a baby about 2 years ago and like most of us, put on weight. Well, she has lost around 80 pounds! She has worked so hard, never giving up, teaching classes and taking classes. She has such a great attitude and always has a smile on her face – a great person to have in class because she likes to make a lot of noise and just have fun. Kudo’s to you TD!!!!!!
I teach Pump 3x a week – M, W & F. I also teach Healthy Backs right before Pump on M & F. I train clients 4 to 5 x a week, and while working with them, will also do some of the exercises with them, like abs, core work, etc., no weights though.
Last weekend, I noticed my left shoulder beginning to hurt. Just a little. Even so, we went for a 30 mile bike ride, I mowed grass (with a push mower!), helped clean out the garage and pulled weeds. No slowing down for me – I won’t get injured. After all, I’m indestructible!
While teaching Healthy Back on Monday, we do a move in a prone position called Y, T, W, & L. It’s an exercise to help strengthen the scapula muscle. When I tried to do it I noticed a bit more pain so I did stop and just talked everyone else through it. Then came Pump. Everything was going great until I got to the tricep track. As I was on my bench I realized I needed to slide down or else Craig and I would be bumping barss. As I slid down – a pain shot through my back. I barely made it through the rest of the class. I took some aspirin and over the next couple of days started feeling a tad better. So – Wednesday, I decided that the living room needed to be rearranged. Bad move. Thursday I woke up in pain severe enough to make me call the doctor. She said I had torn my trapezius muscle and that I could do no upper body lifting until it healed – The worst news a fitness instructor / personal trainer can get is that you can’t work out. If I follow doctors orders, I could be back teaching by Monday.
I have learned a valuable lesson. If you feel pain – stop. Don’t over train. Warm up and stretch before / after workouts. Where have I heard that before….? I did teach Pump today with Craig using a bar with no weights. Not cool. I felt so whimpy!
So now I sit here in bed, feeling groggy from the pain meds and hoping Craigy will fix me dinner tonight.
As instructors, I think sometimes we feel nothing can ever happen to us physically, after all, we are in shape. But it CAN happen. We need to take our own advice and take care of our bodies. Do we teach too many classes? Work out every day? Skip the warm up because we are in a hurry? If we don’t take care of ourselves we won’t be there for our class members.
Speaking of taking care of our bodies I would like to mention an instructor at our club. I will not give her name but she is amazing. She had a baby about 2 years ago and like most of us, put on weight. Well, she has lost around 80 pounds! She has worked so hard, never giving up, teaching classes and taking classes. She has such a great attitude and always has a smile on her face – a great person to have in class because she likes to make a lot of noise and just have fun. Kudo’s to you TD!!!!!!
Hi Tami!
That sounds awfull! I am also an instructor for BodyPump and BodyAttack and for me it would also be a nightmare!! So I will take a big lesson out of your story!
Hope you get well very soon!!
Inge, the Netherlands
I'm so sorry to hear that you hurt yourself.
I really know what you mean...I taught BP 6 times the week before last (once 2 x in ONE day) and taught 4 times last week. This is a regular week that I teach 3 times...though I'm not so lucky to have 3 days all separated. I teach MWTH usually...
It's always crazy during the summer because everyone is getting subs for their vacations
I used lighter than usual weights except for a few high traffic classes. But my body was achey and exhausted by last Friday and I still don't feel as strong yet this week. ( as a comment to one of your earlier posts...I do lift heavy for all tracks)
I guess we feel invincible because we ARE in shape and also think that if we use correct form that we shouldn't get any injuries!
I hope that you get better soon and PUMP it up!!!!!
Angi P - Louisiana
Thanks for all the sympathy! I needed it! I am on the road to recovery though. Used a bar and a medium plate today for mostly everything. Need to take it slowly...as much as I hate it!