by Neil Bates

Created on: April 15, 2009   Last Updated: April 18, 2009

Injury prevention is just as important as training itself and should be built into a training schedule.

If you are just starting out on a training schedule or are new to the whole running scene, the last thing you want to do is have it stumped at the first hurdle with an injury. Because of this, build your training sessions to start slow and steady. Short runs to start with, slowly building up to longer runs, but also remember to build in rest days to allow your body to recover.

When setting your schedule, build into it warm ups and warm downs too.

Warm Ups should be kinetic. That means that it should involve running / other drills to stretch out the muscles, not the normal traditional stretches. When stretching prior to exercise you may be stretching the muscles further than they require. When warming up, slow movements should be carried out, slowly progressing to normal speeds. If you are out for a run, then consider starting of slowly and then building up to normal speed. Do not set off cold at normal speed.

Warm Down should progressively become static. Your warm down should at first be similar, but shorter to your warm up, but then you have to return your body and its muscles to their normal resting state. This is where stretching and walking can come in handy. Using the muscles in a different action will allow the toxins to escape from the muscles.

Stretching during warm down is important, as this will also allow you to increase the flexibility of your muscles, which in turn prevent injury. Also stretching first thing in the morning can also help prevent injury and also set you up in a good mood for the day.

Physiotherapy, although expensive, is a fantastic. Even if it is a sports massage once a month. It is like a M.O.T for the body. In addition, if you have a good Sport Masseuse, they should be able to spot any danger zones and help you to work on specific muscle groups that could be prone to injury.

You can do physiotherapy on the majority of your body too. Especially your legs. As you become more used to this, you too will notice "knots" in the tendons and will be able to remedy them yourself.

Many other things can help too, diet, sleep, rest and recover, sitting posture if you work in an office. Many Top athletes also use the hot and cold shower technique. I would not advise you go to the extreme of the ice-bath of Paula Radcliffe an many American sprinters, however short sharp burst of cold water from the shower followed by longer warm burst can help stimulate blood flow into the muscles, thus allowing toxins to be flushed away quicker.

All in all, if you are running you are obviously interested in looking after your body. Preventing injury is done by caring for your body and your muscles too and should be built into any exercise regime.

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