Injuries and Operational Readiness

I recently sat in on a Police Kinesiology Company (PKCO) seminar at the Illinois Tactical Officers Association. This was the same seminar mentioned a few entries back. The instructors provided an overview of "police specific" training. Many interesting ideas were presented in a very professional manner.

One topic really hit home, and it is an issue often overlooked in all types of training (functional training included).

Working Injured.

We have all gone to work injured. Most of us train injured, simply because we either cannot or will not stop training. The more I dwell on this topic, the more I realize how important, and understated, it is. This is especially true for those of us who rely on fitness to carry out our everyday duties.

This may seem to be an obvious truth to most, but think back. How many times have you shocked your system with a few too many airsquats, resulting in an inability to walk down stairs or quickly exit your vehicle? How often have you strained your back, making a squat or quick turn painful or impossible to complete? I am not alone in saying I have done both, several times.

As many of us are pushing our physical limitations with a variety of functional exercises and programs, don't lose sight of why we are working out. Don't be afraid to scale the workouts you see on the CrossFit mainpage, Prison Workout, etc. Setting personal records is great, but it should not be done at the expense of operational readiness.