In this post, we discuss the secret to pain-free exercise – and it starts with learning to boil an egg.
I’m no chef. There are a few things that I can cook that are edible, taste OK and won’t kill you, but I recognise that’s not a glowing restaurant review.
These dishes have taken a while to learn as well, with plenty of fails along the way. Despite this, now and again I’ll get a little creative and add to my repertoire to spice things up a little.
It occurred to me that there are some parallels here with exercise. Many people train like they’re Gordon Ramsay, attempting the most ambitious dishes every time they’re in the gym, when in reality, they would struggle to boil an egg.
The exercise industry is largely consumer led, so it won’t criticise your efforts like Ramsay would. In fact, it’ll think up ever more complicated and taxing dishes for you to have a go at. All the while encouraging you to do ‘just one more’ of the totally inappropriate exercise you’re attempting to perform.
The secret to pain-free exercise
Here’s the secret to less pain and fewer injuries: learn to boil eggs really well before attempting to scramble them.
So what does boiling an egg look like in this context? It means establishing control of your joints.
Let’s apply this to the knee which is a relatively simple joint to assess. Can you bend and straighten your knee under load with control? Do you feel the effort in the working muscles and not in the joint or tendons that surround it?
It’s the simplest test to apply if you’re in a gym with a leg extension machine and a leg curl machine.
If you’re at home, try sitting on your couch with the back of your knee supported and slowly straightening your knee a few times. Then stand up, hold on to a wall, and try slowly bringing your heel towards your butt several times without letting your hip travel forwards.
You’d be surprised how many seemingly advanced exercisers struggle with this.
It’s a prerequisite, however, for squatting, lunging, jumping, and all the other things that involve bending and straightening your knee in the gym.
Summary
Too many people end up in pain following the latest fads in the unserious and fickle world of exercise. Get back to basics. Boil eggs to perfection every time before attempting to scramble them.
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