In our athletic careers, many of us have experienced injuries. Some of these setbacks only seem to sideline us for a couple of days or a couple of weeks while others are capable of ending our careers. It is important that you learn how to listen to your body before you end up injured beyond repair. Never take your health for granted, and make sure that you are always behaving defensively when it comes to preventing injury.
Preventing Injuries When Swimming
Proper technique is vitally important not only for swimming more efficiently but also for preventing injuries as well. Making stroke changes can be really difficult, and so getting injured and ending up having to change your stroke can be really difficult. Here are some tips to improve your technique so that you can prevent injuries while you are swimming:
- Join up with a masters team, because having a coach on deck is going to work wonders when it comes to making improvements in your stroke.
- Ask someone to videotape your swimming, because looking at a moving image of your stroke habits is going to help you visualize the proper technique while you are working your way through the pool.
- Consider attending either a swim camp or a triathlon clinic.
- Consider spending some time alone in the pool so that you can better focus on your technique by spending time in a pool sans a pace clock and the competition that comes with being in the pool with other swimmers. Pick a day that you can spend on your own, swim easy, and concentrate on improving your stroke above all else.
- If you are feeling pain or feeling tired, or if your stroke appears to be falling apart, simply get out of the pool. Any and all of these three symptoms are capable of creating bad habits in your stroke that are more than capable of leading to an eventual injury.
Preventing Injuries when Cycling
Being bike fit is absolutely important when it comes to maximizing your strength and decreasing your chance of sustaining and injury. If your bike is off by a simple millimeter, it can create an ache in your body that you were not expecting. Here are some tips to improve your technique so that you can prevent injuries while you are cycling:
- Ask an expert to take a look at your position to make sure that everything is correct, including your crank length, your stem length, your seat height and the fore and aft position of your seat.
- Once you have determined your optimal position, you should mark everything down using black electrical tape or something similar. This way if something slips or your bike has to come apart, you can easily adjust everything back into the proper positioning later.
- Never ignore your cleats, as they too are capable of becoming loose and shifting, and this is capable of causing alterations in your position. Make sure that all bolts are tightened down properly.
Photo credits: jurvetson
Originally posted 2009-09-22 03:05:02. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
Related Posts -
Curious About What is Involved in Training for a Triathlon? For people who are not professional athletes but are still interested in training for a triathlon, the concept of training ahead of time might seem like a lot of impossible work with no guarantee of any rewards. In reality, training for a triathlon is something that is well within your...... -
Buying Shoes for your Triathlon It is obviously quite important for you to have a really good pair of shoes that you can run in when you are going through the closing stage of a triathlon - But equally important is making sure that you have a solid pair of triathlon shoes that is also...... -
Learn to Run the Safe Way There are more people running than ever before. This is because they want to stay in shape and running seems to be a great way to accomplish this goal. The problem is many people never take the time and learn to run. This can cause you to become injured and...... -
What Type of Bike to Get for a Triathlon There are a number of really important considerations to make when it comes to preparing yourself for your triathlon. Fitness and strength are two of the most important factors that are going to influence your performance as a triathlete, but the next important area where improvements are capable of being...... -
Triathlon Training 101 Are you planning on training for your first triathlon? This is not an easy task for anyone to master if they do not know the ropes. There are three completely unique disciplines that are involved, and you are also going to need to be lifting weights and training in other......