Top Benefits of a Strength Training Analysis with a Physical Therapist

CUSTOM ORTHOTICS by Atlanta’s Leaders in Orthopedic Physical Therapy

Are you looking to improve muscle strength and endurance? Would you like to increase your lean muscle mass, decrease body fat, and increase functional strength making it easier to perform everyday tasks with ease and efficiency? Did you know that strength training can improve bone density and reduce risk of osteoporosis and fractures? Not only can it prevent injuries, strength training can also improve posture, mental wellbeing, and your quality and longevity of life!

If you are unsure how to get started or how to strength train without injuring yourself, or if you'd like to safely improve your strength and take advantage of all of the amazing benefits of strength training, our physical therapists and personal trainers (under supervision of PTs) are here to help!

A strength analysis conducted by a physical therapist can provide numerous benefits to those just starting to lift weights as well as experienced weightlifters.

Top Benefits of a Strength Training Analysis with a Physical Therapist:

1. Injury Prevention

Our physical therapists can assess your weightlifting technique and identify any faulty movement patterns or biomechanical issues that may increase the risk of injury. By addressing these issues, we can help you optimize your form and reduce the likelihood of developing weightlifting-related injuries, such as muscle strains, joint sprains, or overuse injuries.

2. Technique Optimization

A thorough strength/lifting analysis at Atlanta Sport & Spine allows us to evaluate your lifting mechanics, including posture, alignment, range of motion, stability, and control. By identifying areas that need improvement, we can provide specific recommendations and cues to optimize your technique, ensuring that you engage the correct muscles and joints while minimizing stress on vulnerable areas.

3. Individualized Approach

Atlanta Sport & Spine Physical Therapists understand that each individual has unique physical capabilities, limitations, and goals. We can tailor your analysis to your specific needs, considering factors such as your body type, fitness level, previous injuries, and any underlying conditions. This personalized approach allows for targeted interventions and modifications to optimize your weightlifting routine.

4. Performance Enhancement

By analyzing your weightlifting technique, physical therapists can help you make adjustments that enhance your overall performance. This may include optimizing lifting mechanics, increasing power output, improving stability, or enhancing muscle activation. By fine-tuning your technique, you can maximize your strength gains, power production, and efficiency in the weight room.

Why Would I Benefit from a Strength Training Analysis?

Strength training provides a wealth of health benefits, including improved bone density, improved posture, improved ligament/cartilage thickness, decreased risk of injury, and decreased risk of chronic conditions. The most efficient way to build strength in the gym to obtain these health benefits is by performing compound movements, such as squats and deadlifts. While these lifts have been proven to provide all the benefits listed above, poor technique can cause unnecessary stress to tissues that aren’t meant to be loaded. Atlanta Sport & Spine has physical therapists specifically trained to monitor these lifts, cue for form, and address any mobility/strength deficits that may be hindering the performance of these lifts. We help ensure patients are building strength safely and with proper form so that they are achieving the desired benefits rather than injuring themselves or avoiding strength training altogether.

What's Included in a Strength Training Analysis?

A strength analysis session at Atlanta Sport & Spine begins with a discussion on your overall fitness goals (building strength/power, muscle hypertrophy, sports performance, etc.), what lifts you would like to focus on, what issues you are having with strength training. Next we would assess the performance of the lift, initially with no/minimal weight on the bar and then working up to a load that challenges you without causing excessive pain. If there are any faults, we attempt to provide corrective cues to ensure proper form. If cues don’t work, we perform a further assessment to check for any mobility/strength deficits related to the lift. Based on that assessment, we would provide manual therapy or give a corrective exercise to help improve the noted deficits, and then recheck the performance of the lift afterward to ensure it leads to better performance. At the end of the session, each client will receive an individualized synopsis of their biggest faults/weaknesses, homework exercises and cues to help improve form, and a preliminary plan for any future physical therapy visits.

Why Atlanta Sport & Spine?

Remember, a strength/lifting analysis by a physical therapist is aimed at optimizing your technique, preventing injuries, and enhancing your overall strength training experience. We can work together to develop safe and effective lifting habits that support your long-term goals!