Skip to main content

Week 7: Team run and the importance of rest and recovery

 Last week, during an intense football team run, I began pushing myself in a way that I quickly regretted. For our lineman we did plate pushes, one of the most straining exercises on the field while our skill position players did running. As I powered through the sets, I felt a sharp pain in my lower back, a familiar twinge that instantly reminded me of an old injury and it instantly made me fall to the ground. It wasn’t long after that I had reinjured my lower back.

Plate pushes, which require explosive strength and core stability, are great for building power and conditioning. However, they also place a significant strain on your back, especially if your form isn't spot-on or if you're dealing with a pre-existing injury. Unfortunately, that was exactly what happened to me. I tried pushing through the pain, trying to ignore the signals my body was sending me, and now I’m paying the price for pushing myself too hard again.

This experience reminded me of how crucial it is to prioritize rehabilitation and recovery, both during and after intense workouts. Whether you're an athlete or just someone who enjoys pushing yourself at the gym, your body needs time to repair and strengthen itself after physical exertion. Overlooking recovery can lead to setbacks, like the one I’m dealing with now, where a minor discomfort turned into a full-on injury.

Rehab isn’t just for people who are already injured — it’s a preventive measure. After intense training sessions, your muscles and joints undergo stress that can lead to microtears and fatigue. Proper rehab, such as stretching, foam rolling, and targeted strength exercises, helps alleviate that tension, improves flexibility, and prevents further injury. For me, incorporating rehab techniques like physical therapy, strengthening exercises, and mobility work will be essential in returning to the field safely.

In the future, I’ll be more mindful of how my body feels and ensure I take the necessary steps to recover properly. Plate pushes and other demanding workouts may be tough, but taking care of my body afterward is even more important. A strong body is built not just through exercise but through the attention and care we give it during the recovery process.


Comments

  1. Sports injuries are no joke. I remember in high school I sprained my ankle real bad playing soccer and tried to keep going, which resulted in me having to sit out for 5 games. Making sure to recover is such a valuable thing that a lot of people forget to make time for. I hope your back feels better soon!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Chapter 7: Marketing with Snapchat

In chapter 7 we moved on to talking about another popular social media app mainly catered to young adults, Snapchat. With its unique features and a user base of over 300 million daily active users Snapchat stands out as a powerful tool for brands to connect with potential customers in creative ways. Here’s how you can leverage Snapchat’s unique tools to boost your brand’s presence and engage effectively with your audience. One of Snapchat’s most powerful features is its geofilters. These location-based filters allow businesses to create branded content that users can apply when they are in a specific geographic area. Whether you’re hosting an event, opening a new store, or running a local promotion, geofilters are a fun and creative way to increase brand visibility and engage with people in real-time. Users will share their snaps with your branded filter, creating organic exposure for your business and encouraging others to discover your brand. Snapchat’s sponsored lenses provide a u...

Class Reflection

  As the semester comes to a close, I’ve been reflecting a lot on the social media class I took this spring. When I first signed up, I thought it would be mostly about posting on Instagram and maybe learning some marketing buzzwords. I had no idea how deep we’d actually go and how much it would change the way I think about what we see online every day. One of the biggest takeaways from the class was realizing how strategic social media really is. Behind every post, there’s planning, scheduling, audience analysis, and usually a purpose, whether that’s to promote, inform, or entertain. We learned about algorithms, analytics, branding, and even crisis management. It made me look at platforms like TikTok and Twitter (X) completely differently. What once seemed random or casual is often the result of calculated choices made by people who know exactly what they’re doing. The most eye opening part of the class, though, was running a blog site. I thought it would be simple to write a few p...

Social Media Marketing with TikTok!

  This week's chapter we went over social media marketing with TikTok. TikTok has taken the social media world by storm, with over a billion active users and a culture centered around creative, bite-sized video content. For businesses looking to expand their digital presence, TikTok is more than just a platform for dance trends and lip-syncs it's a marketing powerhouse. To succeed on TikTok, brands must understand its algorithm, leverage business account features, and implement a thoughtful content strategy. At the heart of TikTok’s success is its unique For You Page (FYP) algorithm. Unlike platforms that prioritize follower counts, TikTok emphasizes content relevance. The algorithm considers factors such as video watch time, user interactions (likes, shares, comments), and the use of trending sounds or hashtags. This means that even small brands or new accounts have the chance to go viral with the right content. Engaging storytelling, authenticity, and high watch-through rate...