Have you ever had a workout that was hurt so good and you were just rocking through the whole thing? It’s time for your last set and then it’s time for the last rep of that set. The infamous phrase, “last rep, best rep” comes out as you come out from under the barbell after working that last set of bench presses.
Here it is:
A massive amount of lifting injuries happen on the last rep.
Why:
Great question – thanks for asking! When lifting heavy or when tired, form tends to lack consistency and accuracy. Your muscles may not have failed just yet, but the nervous system and coordination may have. This automatically brings a much higher risk of injury.
1.This could also be related to skipping the warm-up portion of your lift – meaning that you were never fully prepared for ANY set, especially your last rep of your last set.
2.Perhaps, you were focused on a high volume day that was more about high rep ranges rather than weight (totally for it!). But maybe that range was a little out of reach and muscles got tired out.
3. Focus went out of whack or dimmed out, challenging your form.
Tips:
1.Ideally warm up with 3 sets of low rep ranges of your planned lift while continuously adding light weights as you go through the warm up.
2. For the big sets, aim for a rep count that is 2 below what you could complete with proper form. It’s not worth the injury for the ego boost after. The only time to discount this if going until failure is your rep range choice for the day.
3. Be intentional. All there is to it.
The more intense and complex the lift, the risk skyrockets for last-rep injuries since muscles and bodily systems need to be in check and in alignment with each other.
Keep the focus. Still doesn’t change, “last rep, best rep”.
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The BXNG Club (TBC) was created with a belief that fight arts can be an effective and fun platform for overall fitness and health. With that in mind, TBC brought together the top fight and fitness instructors in the industry – from Boxing to Muay Thai, Jiu-Jitsu, MMA, High Intensity Interval Training-based fitness, Yoga, Spin, and Pilates to create a unique and exhilarating fitness experience based on combat sports.
At TBC, we believe that our members should never just be faces in a crowd. Our commitment to members is reflected in everything we do – from keeping class sizes comfortable for personal attention to learning more about our clients to help them achieve their goals faster and more effectively.
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