Injury-Free Training: 4 Ways to Protect Your Body

It's disappointing and frustrating when an injury stops you training. Here are some tips to help you prevent injury, and to recover well if it happens.

Build strong muscles

Strengthen your body for the activity you do. If you run, strengthen your glutes, quads, hamstrings and calves to protect your knees, ankles and hips. Squats, lunges, hamstring curls and calf raises are good choices. Use correct technique, and ask your trainer or physiotherapist which exercises you should include in your routine.

Build a strong core

A strong core is vital for most of our activities. It includes the muscles in the midsection of your body: your back, hips and pelvic floor. The most common and effective exercise is the plank hold, where you hold yourself up on your elbows and toes with your body hovering over the floor like a plank. Activate your core as you hold the position.

Stretch when you're warm

Stretch after your workout while your body is still warm. Just like a rubber band, muscle fibres and ligaments can strain if stretched cold.

Rest

Rest is essential to recover from injury. Give yourself time to heal fully, then ease back into training with caution and build intensity and volume slowly. Rest days are also vital in your regular routine so you don't overtrain and risk injury.

If you do get injured, stop training and get professional advice. Don't train the injured body part, because it will only aggravate the injury. You may be able to keep training other body parts and include the rehabilitation exercises from your physiotherapist or health professional in your workouts.