Training Tips

Unfortunately, our bodies are not indestructible. Because of this, we need to pay attention to our training workouts to keep our bodies pain free. Listed below are tips that you can use in your own training to help minimize injury and maximize performance:

  1. It is always better to under train then to over train. Sometimes people think that the more they train, the faster they will be which is not always true. In some cases, less is actually more. By slightly cutting back on your training volume and focusing on key workouts, it can help a person train more consistently, thereby reducing the risk for injury and being able to train more consistently. If you over train, then you are risking injury.
  2. Too often, a person will increase their training for a specific sport too quickly which can lead to injury. In endurance sports, (especially a weight bearing sport like running which puts more stress on the skeletal system) it is important to bring up the training volume gradually. As the training is increased, you are placing more and more stress on the body. The body needs to adapt to the work load being place on it before it has the ability to handle even a greater workload. Be patient when you are building up your training-the fitness level is going to come around.
  3. Listen to your body. Too often, an athlete assumes that they will be able to train through that ache or pain they have been feeling for a couple days and that it will just go away on its own. If the athlete pushes through this injury, they risk injuring themself further and most cases will need to take even more time off to recover. In some cases, just taking a couple of days off from your particular sport is all that the body needs to heal. In this situation, you have to ask your self the question “Do I want to take 4-5 days off or 4-5 weeks off?”
  4. Don’t underestimate the value of stretching and foam rolling. Many people underestimate the value in this when it comes to preventing injury. Sometimes, injury prevention is almost like another sport on top of the one you are all ready training for.
  5. Don’t forget about cross training. With endurance sports, there is a wide range on how you can cross train. You may not be able to participate in the sport you like due to injury, but there are ways that you can still train and maintain your fitness. Activities like elliptical machine and aqua jogging are two great examples. With aqua jogging, you can still run in a pool. While this is not the same as running on land, people are usually surprised at how well they can maintain there fitness and how well they are able to return to pre-injury status.
  6. By taking some time off from training due to an injury, you are not going to lose all of the fitness that it took so long for you to acquire. Fitness can usually be maintained through cross training (see above). People often think that if they take a few days off from the primary sport(s), they are going to lose their whole fitness level that has taken so long to acquire which is not the case.
  7. Keep a daily training log and record your workouts every day. This way if you become injured, fatigued, or tired, you can analyze your training and find what mistake was made in your training and how to avoid it in the future. Link to calander.
  8. Quality over quantity. If you are putting in high volumes of training, always stress the quality over quantity of training. If quantity is stressed, then you are risking injury.
  9. Through exercise, your body is bound to suffer from aches and pains. The goal is to know how to modify your training and to not let injuries get in your way.
It is not always about how much you train, it is how well you train so train smart!