We all know how frustrating it can be to get injured while you are training for a game or an athletic event. Months of hard training can go to waste just in minutes due to a single injury.
The most common injuries are related to swollen joints and muscle cramps and aches. More unlucky injuries will incur broken bones and torn muscles.
No matter how many precautions you take, there’s always the risk to get injured. That said, there are a few tricks to minimize this risk and avoid injuries while training hard.
Here we discuss a few that are recommended by experts.
- Dynamic Stretching
Standard stretching practices usually involve staying put in one place while you stretch your muscles.
However, according to recent studies, dynamic stretching before your workouts or sports activities might be more beneficial in preventing injuries than static stretching (1).
This also involves weightlifting and doing cardiovascular activities like jogging.
Dynamic stretching can not only decrease the risk of injuries, but can also prep you for the warm-up.
- Warm-up Properly
This is perhaps the most obvious tip, but the truth is that studies have shown that warming up properly can increase your athletic performance and decrease the risk of injury (2).
What’s even more, there’s no risk of “getting tired” or a decrease in performance due to warming up.
Depending on the activity warming up at 40-60% of your capacity for 10-15 minutes can be enough to see the benefits without any downfalls.
So get on that treadmill before your workout!
- Diet
Arguably, diet is the single most important factor in decreasing the risk of injuries while exercising (3).
A poor diet can lead to weak joints and muscles, which in turn increases the chance of them giving up while performing intense exercise.
You should aim to increase the amount of amino acids, omega-3, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds, according to the current scientific understanding.
Protein-rich food includes poultry, meat, milk, and legumes, for instance. Fruits and vegetables are packed with antioxidants, anti-inflammatory agents and micronutrients. Thus, they are also extremely important.
- Supplementation
However, it’s clear that you cannot always consume the perfect diet. It can be time-consuming to have the perfect meals with all the nutrients your body might require.
Experts recommend supplementing your diet with protein powders, joint supplements, and green powders, depending on your needs.
Without a doubt, protein powders are among the most popular supplements, as they can help you get the amino acids your body needs to rebuild the muscle lost during exercise. This will help them be healthier for the next time your workout, and thus, decrease the risk of injury.
That said joint supplements are often overlooked. The best joint supplements contain omega-3, resveratrol, curcumin extract etc which have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. They are able to rejuvenate the cartilage, reduce swollen joints, and increase joint mobility.
Examples of joint supplements include Heal n Soothe, Flexagain, Relief Pain, Arthrozene etc. These are all OTC supplements that are safe to consume.
That’s why they should not be forgotten when training hard and trying to avoid injuries. Healthy joints will support your muscles more effectively.
- Rest
Last but not least, rest. Without rest, there’s no recovery and without recovery, you are increasing your chances to get injured significantly.
It is while we sleep that our body repairs broken tissue, rebuilds muscle and rests the central nervous system.
Studies have shown that accumulated fatigue leads to increased rates of injury among athletes (4). Your body is simply not able to cope with the damage and the likelihood of getting injured increases drastically.
Sources
