If You’re an Athlete, You Should Be Strength Training
Physical therapy can help you start a strength-training program safely and effectively
Are you a runner who wants to see faster speeds? A golfer who wants a more explosive swing? A baseball player who wants a more powerful throw? Then you should start a dedicated strength-training program! The physical therapists at Lamesa Physical Therapy & Sports Rehab in Texas would love to help you get started.
While strength training can benefit anyone, it’s essential for athletes. Improving your overall strength and endurance will help you avoid sports-related injuries, ensuring you get to continue playing the sport you love. Building your strength can also improve your overall game–the more strength you have, the more power you have!
That said, if you’re new to strength training, it can be overwhelming. That’s why physical therapy at Lamesa Physical Therapy & Sports Rehab can play a major role in helping you get started. Our physical therapists are musculoskeletal experts who can work with you to design a strength-focused cross-training program to suit your needs.
If you want to protect yourself from injury and improve your performance, contact Lamesa Physical Therapy & Sports Rehab in Texas to learn more about how our physical therapists can help you get strong!
How strength training benefits athletes of all types
There are certain sports where strength training’s benefits are apparent: football or rugby players, for instance, need muscle mass to push each other around on the field. But for other sports, the benefits might not be so obvious:
- For golfers, strength training can increase driving distance, overall carry distance, and swing speed
- For baseball players, strength training can improve throwing velocity
- For runners, strength training can improve range of motion, helping you to increase stride length
- For basketball players, strength training can enhance explosive power–leading to higher jumps
No matter your sport, strength training can benefit your performance. More importantly, however, strength training can help protect you from injury–and if you do get injured, your stronger body will help you heal faster. In fact, the physical therapists at Lamesa Physical Therapy & Sports Rehab utilize strength training as part of our rehabilitation process!
Strength training is also useful in helping to reduce joint pain. Athletes are at risk for overuse injuries, as their sport requires them to perform similar movements repeatedly. Incorporating cross-training is a great way to reduce pain and prevent overuse injuries, and strength training is an integral part of that process.
Which strength training exercises should you do?
The physical therapists at Lamesa Physical Therapy & Sports Rehab can help you develop a strength training program to complement your regular training schedule. We’ll make sure you’re working your entire body equally, covering these five basic movements:
Pushes, including exercises like bench presses, push-ups, or overhead presses.
Pulls, including exercises like pull-ups or bent-over rows
Hinges, including exercises like deadlifts or snatches
Squats, of which there are many variations, including wide-legged squats, goblet squats, and front squats
Carries, including exercises like the farmer’s carry or the suitcase carry
Most people associate strength training with free weights: barbell or dumbbell lifts. This style of strength training is an excellent choice for an athlete since free weights help build power and increase core strength. However, machine lifts and resistance bands are also great ways of building strength and may be a safer choice if you’re new to strength training.
The physical therapists at Lamesa Physical Therapy & Sports Rehab in Texas will help you decide the best way to approach your strength training program, whether free weights, resistance bands, weight machines, or some combination of the three.
What to expect with physical therapy at Lamesa Physical Therapy & Sports Rehab
At your initial appointment, the experts at Lamesa Physical Therapy & Sports Rehab in Texas will perform a physical assessment to help us better understand your specific needs. We’ll also discuss training and performance goals and your pain or injury risk concerns.
This step is especially important if you’re struggling with pain or weakness. If you are dealing with pain, our therapists will start by addressing it. We’ll determine the source of the pain and offer treatments to help alleviate it, including manual therapy, mobility work–and strengthening exercises.
We’ll then work with you to develop your customized strength-training program, designing it around your current fitness level and sports training routines. Our goal is to help you improve your sports performance while staying injury-free!
Schedule an appointment with Lamesa Physical Therapy & Sports Rehab today!
Strength training is an incredibly beneficial tool for any athlete. At Lamesa Physical Therapy & Sports Rehab in Texas, we understand how important your chosen sport is to you, and we want to help ensure you can keep playing for as long as you want.
To learn more about the benefits of strength training for all athletes, schedule an appointment with Lamesa Physical Therapy & Sports Rehab in Texas today!