Is it for me? Welcome to our new Strength and Conditioning 12 week Programmes!
Don't roll your eyes at me, I know I'm another voice in the crowd telling you to strength train BUT we have good reason. Although not a cure all and prevention for all injuries (there isn't one), strength training is an excellent supplement to your endurance work (runners looking at you specifically) to help keep pain and niggles away - and we have the research to support this.
Working with a lot of endurance athletes, I commonly see injuries that could have been avoided with some considered strength work which is what interested me in doing my S&C (strength and conditioning) qualification. What we've also noticed, is that there is a gap in what people are able to access, reasonably achieve within their training blocks and the customisation of plans to the individual.
While traditional strength and conditioning training typically focuses on lifting heavier weights, in people who are new to adding this to their training regime, things can be progressed too quickly or can override the movement using muscle groups that are stronger, effectively shifting the load to where they're already strong and avoiding those that really need attention.
So, we're now offering tailored, 12-week strength programmes for athletes who want to begin incorporating strength work into their training but don't know where to begin. To start with, we're building programmes for people who don't want or don't have access to a gym but have reasonable amounts of dumbbells/weights at home (we'll guide you on this!) and want to improve their performance and reduce injury risk in training. I'll spend 90 minutes with you at our initial session to go through injury history, test things out relative to your sport and see where weaknesses lie then provide you with a programme to follow at home. We'll have two check-ins via video call in the block to find out how you've gotten on and where you've perhaps found challenges before progressing your plan.
Depending on what you need, this plan might include strength work specifically or include mobility work in areas you might need it - likely both. It might work as a continuation from rehab if you're coming back from injury or serve to help you get stronger. This will all be tailored around your current training block or upcoming goals and guided in conjunction with the training you're already carrying out and will take into your account access to equipment and amount of time available to dedicate to the training.
If you have any questions on if this is the right plan for you, email emilie@balancedosteopathy.co.uk so we can discuss!
Emilie is an Osteopath, Strength and Conditioning coach and Sports Massage therapist at Balanced Osteopathy. She is our resident expert on cycling injuries and available for appointments on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
