How to Prevent Injuries and Improve Performance

By Denver Personal Trainer, Louis Cicchino

Athletes of all disciplines are beginning to incorporate strength training into their workout regimen. Anyone who seriously participates in a sport, ranging from endurance sports to downhill skiing, strives to be stronger, faster, and more competitive. In order to improve sport performance, athletes need to follow a functional strength training program that is relevant to their particular needs. Not only will adding strength training into your workouts improve your performance, it can also help to mitigate injuries. In endurance athletes, injuries can be less obvious than in contact sports. They can creep in over time in the form of overuse/exhaustion, or as a muscular imbalance. A solid strength training program will be able to enhance your performance and concurrently safeguard you against injury.

Improving performance is a moving target and varies greatly from sport to sport, and athlete to athlete. In all sports, muscles are incorporated to create specific movements required in competition. Efficiency in these movements is produced when the muscles work in synchronicity to perform what is asked of them, and with efficiency comes improvement. The art of running is a great example of muscles working in synchronicity and because it is the primary movement in nearly every sport we will delve into it a bit more. There are many mechanics used in running, including the ‘footstrike phase’. During the footstrike, the glute muscles fire to stabilize the foot, knee, and hip in order to keep all momentum directed in a forward linear movement. When the glute is not activated, an inefficient movement occurs. This can cause the momentum to shift from a forward linear projection to a valgus movement, sending the momentum across the body with the drop of the knee. The pictures below provide a visual of the footstrike phase where the knee is collapsing inward, contradictory to the intended direction of movement.

The glute muscles in this runner are either weak and can’t match the output of the quad muscles, or they are not being properly activated. An adequate strength training program would be beneficial for this athlete to develop the glute muscles so they can combat imbalances and allow their quad and glute muscles to work in synchronicity with each other. Like the saying goes, two is better than one! And when both muscle groups properly engage, less energy is wasted leading to a more efficient movement. The picture below shows how the knee becomes stabilized with the help of the hip muscles and forward momentum is not lost with a valgus movement from the knee.

 

 

This same example can be applied to a common injury associated with long distance running, the runner’s knee or ITband syndrome. This overuse injury is a result of overly active quads where the quadricep pulls on the patellar tendon (which wraps around the kneecap) and causes the discomfort below the knee. As discussed, the runner in the pictures has inactive glute muscles that causes the knee to have a valgus movement. This sends the force of the landing up the shin to the outside part of the knee. Instead of the whole leg absorbing the forces equally, the outside of the quad absorbs the majority of the impact. The constant pounding (on average 160 foot strikes per minute for someone running between 6-8 mph on a treadmill) of endurance running will cause these muscles to get overloaded and breakdown. However, when the glute becomes activated and stabilizes the knee in a neutral position, the load is distributed evenly throughout the lower leg muscles, quads and hamstrings.

Because running is essentially balancing on a single leg for thousands of steps, a strength program should utilize single leg exercises. Incorporating exercises that force you to balance on one leg like lunges, step-ups, and single leg deadlifts will allow you to build strength in the stabilizing muscles and are great staples to include in a strength program. The key with these movements is to ensure proper engagement of the muscles to stabilize the leg from the toes to the hips.

A tailored strength training program can serve to both improve performance, and mitigate injuries. It is important to remember that not all movements will serve to better your specific athletic endeavors, and training plans must vary greatly depending on your sport. There are an overwhelming number of ways for us to move our bodies, and a knowledgeable and experienced personal trainer can guide you in the direction that will better you as an individual athlete. If you are looking to improve your sport performance and better understand your body, a run analysis is a great place to start. Contact Accelero Endurance today and mention this article for 15% of your first run analysis.

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Louis is a certified personal trainer in Denver, CO. Contact him today to schedule a complimentary introductory session. If you are looking to lose weight, build muscle, or improve your overall quality of life, a RightFit Personal Trainer will help you set and achieve your health and fitness goals.

 

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