Are you injured? Are you unable to work out your injured limb? 

What is the answer to this predicament? Work out the other side!!! I am a huge proponent of adapting your exercise to “where you are at” physically – be it due to injury, available equipment, or taking months or years off from exercise. It is hugely important to be honest with your capabilities when you walk into the gym, training facility, or garage, and to work out to a level and with movements that you are capable of!

Research

In 2017, an analysis* of 10 different research studies including a total of 409 participants, it was found that working out your non-injured side can help produce strength or mitigate the strength loss when you rest!

“This meta-analysis suggests that unilateral strength training produces adaptations in the opposite limb, depending on the characteristics of the intervention performed. The training parameters that might determine a greater effect after a CE program are the execution of 3-5 sets of 8-15 repetitions of eccentric contractions with rest times of 1-2 minutes between sets.”

Scaling and Adapting

Scaling and adapting your movements to your current physical capacity will help you make gradual progress, and keep you safe! This is because most injuries in the gym don't come from moving a certain way, it comes from being deconditioned in that movement, resulting in what is called an open chain fault, meaning you moved poorly in a direction your body wasn't conditioned for.

 If you have any questions or concerns with exercising or receiving care please don't hesitate to give us a call and one of our doctors would be happy to talk!

Call us at 406-551-2177

Schedule online at gallatinvalleychiropractic.com

*Cirer-Sastre R, Beltrán-Garrido JV, Corbi F. Contralateral Effects After Unilateral Strength Training: A Meta-Analysis Comparing Training Loads. J Sports Sci Med. 2017;16(2):180-186. Published 2017 Jun 1.