What is an Industrial Athlete?
What is an athlete anyways?
According to Dictionary.com, an athlete (N) is a person trained or gifted in exercises or contests involving physical agility, stamina, or strength; a participant in a sport or exercise or game requiring physical skill.
If you change the words sport, exercise, game or contest and replace them with the words trade or occupation this then becomes an accurate definition of an industrial athlete.
What are Some Examples of Industrial Athletes?
- Steel worker
- Roofer
- Framer
- Pipefitter
- Electrician
- Mechanic
- Labourer
While these are examples of obviously physically demanding trades and occupations, there are others that also require stamina, endurance, and repetitive activities that we may not normally think of.
Some of these include:
- Data entry clerks
- Administrators
- Lab technicians
- Production workers
- Drivers
Why is it Important to Recognize These People as Industrial Athletes?
Sporting athletes train, practice, and maintain themselves for two main reasons. To improve their performance, and also prevent injury which would impact their ability to perform their sport. They also typically have a team to help with this.
Industrial athletes may have access to improve their skills and knowledge for their trade or occupation, but the support for their main tools (their body) is not given enough emphasis or support.
This lack of maintenance and support can lead to a number of issues that can be prevented. Repetitive use injuries, sprains, strains, other injuries or occupational hazards lead to reduced performance, time lost for these industrial athletes, as well as sometimes shorter career lengths, disability, and other conditions (chronic pain, hernias, carpal tunnel to name a few). And because they are not always seen as athletes, industrial athletes may lack proper self-care,
Industrial Athletes need a team to help them maintain themselves in top physical condition for whichever trade or occupation they are in. An electrician needs good manual dexterity, but repetitive motions need to be countered with physical care.
Insulators routinely work in tight awkward spaces and need adequate stretching and exercise to maintain pain free movement. Drivers spend long periods of time in the same position in their vehicles and also need maintenance.
What Can Industrial Athletes Do to Maintain Their Bodies So They Can Perform Their Best
Work?
In addition to good nutrition, proper rest, and exercise, there are a few things that can make a huge improvement.
- Regular massage
Think of massage as a tune up for the body. Small aches and pains can be taken care of before they become noticeable or more than a small inconvenience. If there is an issue that massage can not remedy, then a good therapist should refer you to the next appropriate Health Professional. - Physiotherapy
As much as we try to prevent injury, it will sometimes happen. Then it’s time to see a physiotherapist. We take our vehicle to the mechanic when it needs more than an oil change and tires rotated (that would be massage), so it stands to reason we should also take time to repair our bodies properly. - Exercise
Industrial Athletes work hard, but sometimes lack balance. Exercise can help build muscles not used as often at work, and help keep the body balanced and working optimally. - Psychology
In sports, competitive athletes get help when needed with mental stress, burnout, focus, and other mental aspects that need attention. Industrial athletes can also benefit in the same manner, and see their workplace performance, job and life satisfaction improve substantially.
Here at Human Integrated Performance we want to help Industrial Athletes to:
Believe
Perform
Achieve
Recover
Learn more about our massage services here.
Come see us and discover how we can help you do just that!
