LeBron James, at 35 years old, is still an athletic phenom, and one of the most recognizable athletes on the planet. Up until the 2016-17 season, James averaged more than 75 games per regular season. In the 2017-18 season, he played all 82 regular-season games at age 34! His average time off the bench due to injuries for his first 15 seasons is just 7.07%. As someone on the tail-end of his career, he can still rack up a 33/10/8 output on any given day. How does he do it?
Yahoo Finance reported that LeBron allocates about $1.5 million every year to maintain his body. Part of the expenses goes to treatments like a cryo chamber, a hyperbaric chamber, and a team of people supervising his diet.
You’re athletic yourself, and you play basketball, baseball, and football. You could afford a few shoes a year, annual gym membership and a mouthguard. You can still maximize your gym membership to keep away from injuries when your training or doing sports.
Putting Things into Perspective
An excellent way to motivate you to train better and stay away from injuries is to understand how Americans are spending their dollars on exercise and gym-related expenses.
An estimated 53% of Americans spend money on a gym membership, and not all of them take advantage of this expense item. 6.3% accounts for those not using their membership at all. Translated to cash, this amounts to 5.1 million people flushing down the toilet $1.8 billion!
That alone should motivate you to go to the gym at least four times a week!
Preventing Injuries While Training
You can get injured during a game but also when you’re training. Typical injuries include pulled muscle, sprained ankle, shoulder, and knee injuries.
The first step you should take is to consult a doctor, mainly if you are within a specific age bracket. Here are a few ways to prevent injuries while training:
- Get that heart rate up first. Your body needs to warm up first before you start your strenuous exercises. Hit the treadmill or the bike. Start slow and gradually build up speed. If you’re 45 – 49 years old, healthy, with no health conditions but a beginner, try to elevate your heart rate to between 104 to 121 beats per minute.
- Stretch. Make sure that you stretch every primary muscle from your neck down to your ankles. Gym walls would usually contain graphical instructions on what to do, or ask the help of a trainer.
- Know thy limits. At 45, you wouldn’t have the strength that you had when you were 25. Train smart and be realistic about your pace in the gym and the number of exercises that you do. Taking on too much is a surefire formula to get injured.
- Hydrate properly. Drink fluids properly. If you’re doing a strict circuit training routine, take sips of water only after a set. Intense weight training and cardio workouts will require you to drink more.
- Respect what your body is saying. Don’t push your body beyond the breaking point. Acknowledge that you have pains in your joints and avoid straining these problem areas too much. Slowly build up your workout. Give your body the needed rest and recovery period.
- Dress the part. Wear the proper gear and equipment. If you’re doing plenty of running, wear running shoes. Are you doing heavy lifting? Get those shoes with safety features.
Even with proper care, you’ll get hit by injuries. The goal is to minimize the chances. Consult with medical practitioners and professional trainers before proceeding with your workout routine.
