Eliminating Pain Series – “Don’t be STUPID!”
Posted on 08. Oct, 2009 by Keith Scott in Back to Health
The first part of this Eliminating Pain series is going to focus on the question of just why you hurt in the first place.
After spending 18 plus years dealing with other people’s pains and injuries, I have learned a few things regarding just how people get into this place of ‘pain’ and it might surprise some people how easy it is to start down the road of chronic physical pain either just by ignoring simple things or by continuing to do certain things.
Stupid is as Stupid Does
Lets be honest…people do really stupid things to themselves on a sometimes, daily basis. I watch people perform the most ridiculous and potentially harmful things everyday at the public gym. The problem is, these people don’t know they are being ‘stupid’. They have no idea that they are injuring themselves. Even in the times I have corrected them, tried to educate them, and flat out called them out about their stupid ways, many still continue to believe what they are doing is not only effective, but safe too.
So, the question becomes, “just how do you figure out if what you are doing is ‘stupid’ and going to cause you long term pain and injury?” Years ago, I would just say, “well it should be common sense!” However, I have realized that common sense is relative to a person’s background, education, daily influences and reference points. All of these factors will shape the level of common sense people have regarding exercises, routines, and ultimately their long-term health.
Add to that the fact that many people will still perform these stupid moves even though they do know that it can harm them, cause pain and long term injury. Its called the “it wont happen to me” attitude. I am guilty of this kind of thinking too. However, there comes a time when you have to be smarter then that and stop doing stupid things.
While education is the real key to figuring out what is potentially harmful and what is safe, it becomes equally hard to figure out which “educational” materials are legit. Many people will still pick up a copy of some bodybuilding magazine and think that the information in that copy is as good as it gets. Others will listen to the biggest guy in the gym and think he is smartest guy in the world. Let’s just say filtering out the bad info is not easy. The best bet is to keep reading, learning and always do your homework on whom you are listening to.
Even people who know better, do stupid things
Today at the gym where I was doing my own training, I started to feel some pinching in my right shoulder. This was followed by some sharp pain. For whatever reason, my shoulder was not doing well today. However, I was stupid, very stupid. I pushed through, even though I knew better. I upped the weight, even though I knew better. I added an extra set, even though I knew better. The result was a very short-term feeling of accomplishment, followed by a constant, dull and aching pain in my shoulder. It hurts right now. My stupidity was my own fault. I know better than most people, yet I still chose the stupid route and now I may have injured my shoulder, and might lose valuable time training because of being dumb!
The point I am trying to make is that everyone makes stupid moves in life and many people make a ton of stupid moves in the gym. Its important to realize that you have to always be smarted than your ego. I slip up, you will slip up, we all slip up. The key is to not slip up so badly that you become a walking example of “stupid” and really injure yourself for good.
The funny thing is, 10 minutes before my own training session I was text messaging my good friend Jason Ferruggia about being smart with his own training and taking care of his own shoulder. I “lectured” him to ease up and go about his training the right way so his shoulder would heal and he could get stronger.
If you are looking to train smart, reach your goals and not be one of those people that constantly lives in pain, you need to check out my UNBREAKABLE system. In that system, not only do I give you self assessment tools to help you figure out your own issues before you hit the gym, but I also provide a ton of corrective exercise programs for each major body part to keep you healthy and help you eliminate all of your pain. Check it out. I offer a no questions asked unconditional 60 day money back guarantee.
Check out how UNBREAKABLE has helped Kyle:
“I wanted to drop you a quick line and tell you how much UNBREAKABLE has helped me. I had some pretty serious problems with my lower back and left knee. In May 2008 I herniated the disk between L5-S1 and had an annular tear between L4-L5. In February of this year I had a patella relocation surgery due to repeated dislocations. I was so frustrated with my injuries, I almost gave up hope for my training goals. I pretty much thought I’d never be able to train heavy again. In the short time I’ve been using UNBREAKABLE, I’m feeling better than I have in the last 6 months.”
-Kyle
