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Innocent Choga Fitness
Safety is a priority in sports and exercises. Every certified coach and trainer knows this. Health cannot be compromised because it is the main reason why we exercise and play sport. Each exercise environment and every sport has its own dangers. It is imperative that we should be aware of the dangers and injuries associated with the particular form of
exercise or sporting discipline. We can then be able to avoid or minimise the chances of becoming victims or getting injuries. Some sporting injuries cannot be avoided but we can learn how to manage them.
In road running there are chances of getting mugged when one runs at odd hours or in secluded roads. It is therefore better to run during daylight or on busy roads, that is, in terms of human traffic.
There is also the danger of getting run over by vehicles especially for road runners who enjoy music and run with ear phones plugged in. One can step on unseen objects and twist an ankle or fall over when running in the dark. It is therefore wise to run in groups in case of emergencies.
The alternative would be the use of treadmills at the gym or at home, but you have to be careful as well because treadmills are dangerous so you have to be very alert. Although locally I have not heard of any casualties, internationally treadmills are reported to be the most dangerous machine in the gym and in homes with fatalities among adults and children.
In 2009, Mike Tyson lost his daughter due to a treadmill accident.
When one is sick or injured please give yourself a chance to recover, take a rest because your body is not at equilibrium (homoeostasis). Exercising in such a state will prolong your recovery period and might even worsen an injury. The only exception is when the injury is being rehabilitated with the sanctioning of a relevant medical practitioner.
Weight trainers should use collars to secure weights, and always wear shoes that will protect the toes. Always be in the right frame of mind. Intoxicants and weight training never go hand in hand; the chances of getting injured are very high. Co-ordination is of paramount importance in weight training.
When an athlete gets injured during training or in a match they should stop because injuries get aggravated and could become a lifelong handicap when one continues to perform. It is the coach’s duty to ensure that the athlete rests and gets medical attention and can only practice or play on the Doctor’s orders. When a coach tells you to play with an injury he is doing it for himself; to win the match.
When Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao’s boxing fight was over, people cried foul. It was an anti-climax they claimed. The reason, as a certain reporter put it, was that there was no blood. Big (wealthy) guys had parked their planes to watch the much hyped fight and they expected these guys to gore each other.
Floyd Mayweather boasted saying he was smart, he put his health first and his job was to win and earn his $200 million without suffering too much damage. Part of his mission statement was to retire with all his faculties intact. So he played a defensive match to minimise the chances of getting hit. Like him or hate him I personally think Floyd Mayweather is smart and learned from mistakes that his predecessors made.
Brain concussion has claimed a number of athletes in different sporting disciplines and 90 percent of boxers and yet boxers who can take a punch are revered for their ability to take punishment.
As sports persons we are dispensable when our sporting careers are over those we used to entertain might remember our feats and they might reminisce how we used to mesmerise them but very few will help you achieve other things that you want in life. When your health is in limbo as a result of the sacrifices you made during your hey days, people will question your prudence.
To be honest nobody owes you anything, you had to show your talents as a profession and they have their own problems, besides they cannot bring your health back.
Today, as a top performing sports person you might not care about the future; whether you are around tomorrow or not, you might think you are invincible and risk your life and health for glory, but remember you have a duty to care for your family and dependents, etc. Apart from that they have to look after you when you are not well.
An injured athlete or an athlete who is suspected to have a concussion should take a rest. Brain damage caused by concussions can last for decades. A number of cricketers have succumbed to the ball. Accidents have claimed the lives of car racers. Steroids and diuretics have killed many body-builders and other athletes. Sports persons from a lot of sporting disciplines are relying on steroids, growth hormones and so forth.
It is necessary to take precautions and wear protective clothing where possible and avoid ergogenics aids (performance enhancers) and growth hormones by all means .The information and statistics I have on this stuff is scary, any sane person would not want to touch this even with a long spoon. Anyone who encourages you to take this stuff is not your friend.
In body building the young want to use ergogenic aids to make short cuts, to look big and to define their physiques. Some of today’s body builders are taking the term body building literally. They are growing everything gluteus maxim, waistlines and stomachs. Size is a preserve for the professionals they are allowed to take the risk. Vascularity alone has never been a criterion for being a good bodybuilder; vascularity should come about as a result of lean body mass. Extreme vascularity without definition comes about as induced vascularity and it means blood pressure.
Bodybuilding at amateur level means sculpturing. Bodybuilding can be an illusion you can appear to be big when you are not. Bodybuilders like the late George Takundwa for example won contests as a middle weight, Givemore Marume struggled to get to 85kgs but he looked big, on stage Tendai Chaipa, and Tapiwa Twoboy also looked heavier than their weight.
Some body parts are meant to be reduced and if you work your muscles from all angles you appear big. If for example, you reduce the waistline your shoulders look broad and you appear to be big. If you reduce the gluteus maxim your hamstrings will appear big.
For example if you work your upper back, middle back, lower back, inner back and outer back your back will appear big because all the details will appear full. At amateur level size is not very important but proportions, symmetry and quality.
I had the opportunity to talk to one great soccer player Desmond Maringwa; a former Dynamos captain and midfielder. Desmond got injured during a friendly match between Dynamos and Highlanders. He went for a high ball and landed on his left leg rupturing his knee ligament .Desmond underwent 3 operations in 4 years and these were done in South Africa.
Under normal circumstances and with funds permitting this could have taken 9 months. Desmond had challenges during the rehabilitation process in as well in terms of efficient physiotherapists but was finally assisted by a good Biokinetics expert.
For rehabilitation Desmond used the leg extension machine, the leg press machine and he cycled a lot on the stationery bike. This helped to work the surrounding muscles. Desmond recovered and returned to the game but finally hung his boots in 2012 to attend to other commitments. He says his legs still look different but just looking at him Desmond looks in shape one would think he still playing competitive soccer.
Desmond is still keeping fit at the gym and he enjoys aerobic activities as they assist him in maintaining agility. Desmond would like to encourage other sports persons to take up strength training activities as that will help minimise chance of getting injured and also help in the recovery process when one gets injured. Desmond is now the Director of the Football Union of Zimbabwe.
I definitely agree with Desmond in the sense that it is the prerogative of an athlete to ensure that they are fit and this makes the coach’s job easy besides sometimes injuries cannot be avoided when one is injured they miss out and have to fund the recovery process.
Innocent Choga is a six time National Bodybuilding Champion with international experience. Currently he is studying for a science degree in Physical Education and Sport. Feedback: [email protected]
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