10% Rule for Injury-free Exercise

injury-free exercise is key to better health

This time of year, the gyms are busy with people making a great effort to start off healthy in the new year. Just a few weeks later, our clinic is busy with those same people dealing with injuries derailing their great plans for better health. There are a number of ways to avoid this trap and enjoy injury-free exercise. Here is one simple recommendation to minimize your odds of injury.

Injury-free Exercise

The 10% Exercise Rule: When increasing your exercise routine, avoid increasing the intensity by more than 10% from one session to the next. You could increase the number of repetitions from 30 to 33, or increase the weight from 50 pounds to 55 pounds or even the duration of your exercise from 30 minutes to 33 minutes. This may seem like a very small increase, but it starts to add up very quickly and is much more sustainable over the longer term which is what we need for major improvements in health. Follow this rule and you will significantly reduce your odds of injury while making great gains in health. This is especially important for those who have already experienced significant injuries. Of course, you also want to make sure to start at a reasonable level that won't kill you with one session.

Other helpful tips to consider to further reduce your odds of injury:

1. Focus more on form than heavy weight or high reps. A few exacting repetitions with good form are much more beneficial than trying to crank out a mess of sloppy reps that will eventually cause injury.
2. Don’t forget to rest. Our body improves from a healthy stress (exercise) followed by a chance to rest and rebuild. Rotate your exercises working different body regions or take rest days in between.
3. Mild short-term muscle soreness that confirms you worked your body is fine. Longer-lasting soreness (more than a few days) or sharper pain are signs of injury or dysfunction that should be addressed.
4. Exercise shouldn’t cause enough pain to require pain relievers. If you are taking medications to block pain enough to allow you to exercise, you are likely overlooking a problem that needs addressed and setting yourself up for bigger problems. 
5. Keep your body tuned up to avoid injuries. Moving wrong, standing wrong, or sitting wrong become much more harmful when adding weight and repetitions with exercise. A doctor of chiropractic cannot just minimize pains, but improve form and function of your body to improve your odds of being active without injury.

​Follow these simple tips to make 2022 a great year for your health. Remember, you have more control over your health than your genes do.

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