Wouldn’t it be awesome if you could predict an injury before it happens? Guess what- you can! Modern medicine just keeps on making our lives easier and our body’s healthier and gets us closer and closer to meeting and breaking our peak performance goals.
So just how can you predict and prevent injuries- and boost performance? Blood analysis. Predicting injuries performance requires data, and blood analysis is one of the most effective ways to collect that data. Not only that, but if you are committed to improving your athletic and personal performance, blood analysis is a simple and powerful way to get the critical data you need so that you can set a plan in action.
How Lab Testing Can Keep You Prevent Injuries and Stay Ahead of the Game
You probably associate blood testing with an annual trip to the doctor or a way to confirm that you’re sick. Yes. Lab tests help confirm a diagnosis, monitor an illness, and reflect a patient’s response to treatment. They can also be used to predict a problem before it gets too far into the game to call a time out.
For years only professional athletes could afford to use blood testing to improve performance. Today anyone committed to optimal performance can use blood testing to predict a problem before it is too late to fix it or even prevent an injury.
Here’s a simple example: Let’s say that you’re feeling tired and rundown. What would your first approach to facing that problem be? Answer: Push harder on your workouts.
Now, let’s say you decide to get a blood test first, and your results indicate that you are low in magnesium, zinc, vitamin D, and testosterone. Aha! Pushing harder was not the answer. In fact, it could have even made the problem worse and lead to an injury. The blood test provided the data needed to develop a solution: Changes to diet, supplements, and protocols.
What Your Blood Can Tell You
Blood testing lets you see the actual biochemical status of your body. A tiny amount of blood provides a massive amount of information.
Your blood contains biomarkers. Each biomarker represents a function or biological change going on inside your body. These can be measured and used to draw an accurate and objective picture of what’s going on in your body.
Once you have that, you’ve got the data you need to optimize your body by making simple training, nutrition, and lifestyle changes. The more details you have, the more useful the data is.
Standard blood tests that your doctor orders during a physical or a sick visit determine whether or not you are sick and what you are sick with. Performance-based labs are different. They are used to reveal the overall state of your wellness and your athletic fitness.
This Is More Than Just Your Average Blood Test
When you get blood test results from your doctor, you simply find out whether your results are normal. But what does “normal” mean?
Scientists created the normal range for each biomarker to identify disease or illness. This range spans a wide zone. If you fall into that range, your doctor will tell you that you are fine and move on.
However, there’s more to it than that. Think about it, would you expect a couch potato to have the same testosterone levels as a professional athlete? Heck no! Guess what? Couch potatoes and professional athletes both fall under the same “normal range!”
That’s why you must work with a provider who will compare your results to the ideal range for you. That way, you know exactly what needs to be addressed so that you are able to perform at peak levels.
Here’s How It Works
Each biomarker has its own optimal range, and each individual has their own ideal range that is unique to their ethnicity, gender, age, and activity level. When you get performance-based labs, you and your doctor can look at where your results fall in your optimal range.
Testing for biomarkers that represent nutrition status, hormones, and inflammation is the best place to start. The simplest tests check vitamins and mineral levels. Seeing what’s going on with these levels can let you know if you are deficient and need to take supplements or have an excess and need to back off on supplements.
Testing hormone biomarkers is more complicated. Interpreting these results requires more know-how because the interpretation will be based on age, training program, and gender. For example, the levels of less well-known biomarkers such as sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) can help your provider see the impact of other hormones like testosterone, which is, of course, a powerful biomarker vital to anyone involved with power sports or weight training, including women.
All biomarkers indicate something that you can adjust by modifying what you eat and how you train. If a problem shows up on a blood test, an intervention or a treatment plan can improve or restore that biomarker and get your body functioning at its best.
Blood Testing Reps
One test isn’t enough. You wouldn’t do one crunch and expect an eight-pack to show up (although that would rock!). No, you do your reps and keep going back to the gym. It’s the same with lab testing.
It needs to be repeated regularly so that you can see what is being affected by the changes you’ve made in your regimen. To get the big picture, you need to retest three to four times. Think of it as necessary maintenance that will lead to peak performance, and prevent injuries along the way.
Stacking Isn’t Something You Should Do Alone
Consider us like a coach or a spotter. We’re here to help keep you on track with your goals, provide the best products and guidance, and keep you from harming yourself by taking on too much alone.
Schedule a 15-minute consultation. Get your labs done. Then we’ll do a virtual consult with you to interpret your results and make sure you’re on the right protocols for your body and goals.
