Are You Suffering From Pattern Overload?
Let's talk about pattern overload.
Let's talk about pattern overload.
Essentially, pattern overload occurs when too many repetitions of a particular movement or exercise are performed. There doesn't necessarily have to be a lot of weight for pattern overload to occur; your own bodyweight is more than enoughas is a one-pound dumbbell if the number of repetitions is high enough. Typing can even turn into a problem if you never shift your hand/wrist/chair/keyboard position.
Pattern overload isn't something that people generally think about. The reason is this: even when you're doing a high-rep activity such as running, swimming or cross-country skiing, every time your foot hits the ground or your hand slices through the water, your body is going to employ a slightly altered "groove" to execute the movement. A highly trained athlete might be performing in more or less exactly the same groove for a time, but eventually, as you begin to get tired, your groove will begin to become looser and while this means your efficiency of movement will degenerate, it's one way the body attempts to prevent itself from getting injured.
Regardless, some types of exercise can be worse for pattern overload than others. And this can produce trouble in your tendons and fascia. One example would be using gym machines to an excessive degree. It has been documented that people who work out using free weights have a significantly lower frequency of pattern overload than those who work exclusively on machines. The reason is that when you're exercising with a barbell or dumbbell the weight moves according to your body, but when you're working on a machine your body moves along the machine's predetermined and fixed path. Even something like a Smith machine, which incorporates a small bit of flexibility, is far more limiting and permits less "natural body adjustment" as you advance through your sets than a free weight barbell.
Then, on the opposite end of the spectrum, there is Crossfit. I'm not a Crossfit hater. I think that the principal idea of Crossfit - to do something different each day, and keep good track of your rest times - has a lot of merit, and without a doubt the training is fun. But there are some disadvantages as well, particularly when you see Crossfit in relation to tendon injuries.
Basically, a Crossfit workout involves choosing two or three exercises for distaff bodyparts, and then doing a lot of those exercises using a preset amount of weight for time. The down time between sets is normally about ten seconds, and you alternate exercises. For example, a video on the website shows three women doing a circuit of bodyweight squats, pull-up/presses on gymnastic rings and hang-cleans with a barbell.
If you just plain do too much of a movement, even if that movement is something completely "free", like swimming, you can produce tendon problems if you exercise so much that the volume exceeds your ability to recuperate from it. This is the aspect of Crossfit that concerns me. I understand that on their site they put a lot of emphasis on not doing too much, but in practice they use technically complex movements (like cleans) and push to the point where correct form utterly breaks down.
Of course, it's necessary to push your body to some extent if you wish to improve it. But there is a question of degree. Without getting into a long discussion about exercise theory, the bottom line is that the idea is to provide enough stimulation to create an adaptation response in the body, but not so much that it's too difficult to recover from the workout. As the immortal Lee Haney said, "Stimulate, don't annihilate." All too often, Crossfit crosses that line.
So if you're suffering from tendon pain and are using an exercise program (or doing some variety of work) that incorporates too much pattern overload, either through circumscribed and unnatural movement or by just having too much volume, think about ways that will allow you to reduce or get around the problem. You don't have to cease exercising, but you may well be better off if you find ways to change up your routine.
by: Alex Nordach
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