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Fitness is like a relationship. You can’t cheat and expect it to work.
Injury prevention is the top priority when it comes to highly competitive athletes. By doing certain procedures, injuries can be prevented and performance can being enhanced.
5 Steps to preventing injury
1. Warm-up
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Warm-up before a workout trying to at least break a sweat. ​
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2. Stretching
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Stretching can be done during the warm-up using an active stretch where instead of the athlete holding a position, they are continuously moving while stretching. For example, toe touches or arm circles. Do not bounce because it can cause injury due to contracting too quickly.
Active stretching: Toe touches
4. Avoid over training
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Can lead to staleness and burnout that results in negative physical and mental effects.
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5. Proper Sleep schedule
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Adequate sleep is always important for health.
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Helps with the repair of muscles and bones after workouts.
3. Cool-down
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Involves getting the body back to the resting state.
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Should only last about 5-10 minutes.
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Static stretching should be done as well; this involves holding a position for least 30 seconds.
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Cooling down and stretching will help decrease muscle soreness.
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Static stretch: Holding a position
Reference
Fernandez, Tami. (2018, September). Conditioning Techniques Part 1. PowerPoint presented in Introduction to Athletic Training class meeting at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV.
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