Top Tips For Keeping Injury Free

If you've decided to get yourself "beach ready" and are determined to see it through (good on you!) the last thing you need is a niggle, as injury will slow or stop you training and set you back from and achieving your goals.

The Top Three (not so secret) Ingredients

So, here are the key ingredients anyone training hard needs to stay injury free:

1. Start Easy

According to a recent paper in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, "spikes in activity" were one of the main reasons for knee injuries. I have seen this plenty of times in my clinic, when people have gone from virtually no physical activity straight to pounding the pavement four, five times a week.

Give your tendons, muscles and bones time to adapt by setting a realistic time plan. This should be around 12 weeks. If training with weights, such as the resistance machines or freeweights at the gym or a class, don't be afraid to start of with lighter weights for higher repetitions for two to three or weeks before working your way up to the heavy stuff. You will still get a training effect and buff up, trust me.

2. Check Yourself (before you wreck yourself)

Before, during or after a training session, internally run a spot check to see if there are any areas of the body that could do with some extra stretches or even some more rest.

Remember, after each session I can only recommend you follow the wise words from Rob, which will help you recover faster.

3. Mix It Up

Mix up your training and fit in a couple of runs and a couple of strength sessions per week.

Don't become a one-trick pony. Using your muscles in different ways stops them getting tight, and tight muscles don't work very well. And remember sport is meant to be fun, so ENJOY!

Tobias is an experienced physiotherapist specialised in the musculoskeletal field with a particular interest in sports medicine. Tobias runs an excellent physio clinic in Hove - for more details visit physioclinicbrighton.co.uk