How Movement Variability Reduces Injury

The Cossack Squat is a great way to work the legs with less weight while also promoting mobility

Tip 2 on how to stay injury free in the weight room

In today’s world we lack a lot of movement variability. This environment creates individuals that are less adaptive to changes, promotes muscle imbalance, and balance issues which predispose to injury

Commonly I see people with rounded shoulders, tight hips, and can hardly stand on one leg. Their workout routine never changes and usually consists of a lot of benching, curling, and squatting on both legs

To combat imbalances I usually add a warm-up routine that consists of many different movements like lateral walks, lunges, and my favourite the Cossack squats (see picture)

During a workout session, I recommend movements like cable lifts/chops and medicine ball throws to work on core strength, basic athleticism, and balance

Single leg squats, lunges, and jumps also promote athleticism. These harder movements mean we use less weight which causes less compressive load on the spine.