Injury Prevention Tips and Tricks
An injury can be detrimental to your health and make it difficult to perform your job in the Corps to the best of your ability. Follow these tips from the Semper Fit Fitness Experts to keep your body strong, fit, and mission ready.
Practice Good Posture
When performing any type of movement, you want to make sure to maintain good posture. Proper postural alignment allows the spine and hips to provide necessary support to your body. During training, stand up tall or get into a good athletic stance. Roll your shoulders back, open up your chest, flatten your back, and focus your eyes straight ahead.
Maintain a Strong Core
The core is a key component to exercise as it helps stabilize the body during any type of movement. Marines are known for their intense workouts, but if you’d like to keep this intensity level long term you must keep your core strong. With time our bodies break down, which can lead to lower back injuries. To help prevent these injuries, perform exercises that directly train the muscles of the core and engage or activate the core when performing any type of exercise.
Flexibility and Mobility
Improved flexibility and mobility has been shown to enhance athletic performance and overall health. As we get older, we tend to lose range of motion. Performing flexibility exercises daily can help prevent loss of mobility.
Two types of stretching methods include static stretching and dynamic stretching. Static stretching involves taking a joint or set of joints through a range of motion to an end point and holding for 15-20 seconds. This type of stretching is best after exercise during the cool down.
Dynamic stretching involves taking a joint or set of joints through a full range of dynamic movement. This type of stretching is best before exercise and can be used as a warm up.
Rest
Rest and recovery are just as important as exercise. During rest, your body is rebuilding and repairing muscles used during exercise. Listen to your body. If you are sore or very tired, it is time to rest and recover.
To learn more from our experts click here, or visit your local fitness center.
Practice Good Posture
When performing any type of movement, you want to make sure to maintain good posture. Proper postural alignment allows the spine and hips to provide necessary support to your body. During training, stand up tall or get into a good athletic stance. Roll your shoulders back, open up your chest, flatten your back, and focus your eyes straight ahead.
Maintain a Strong Core
The core is a key component to exercise as it helps stabilize the body during any type of movement. Marines are known for their intense workouts, but if you’d like to keep this intensity level long term you must keep your core strong. With time our bodies break down, which can lead to lower back injuries. To help prevent these injuries, perform exercises that directly train the muscles of the core and engage or activate the core when performing any type of exercise.
Flexibility and Mobility
Improved flexibility and mobility has been shown to enhance athletic performance and overall health. As we get older, we tend to lose range of motion. Performing flexibility exercises daily can help prevent loss of mobility.
Two types of stretching methods include static stretching and dynamic stretching. Static stretching involves taking a joint or set of joints through a range of motion to an end point and holding for 15-20 seconds. This type of stretching is best after exercise during the cool down.
Dynamic stretching involves taking a joint or set of joints through a full range of dynamic movement. This type of stretching is best before exercise and can be used as a warm up.
Rest
Rest and recovery are just as important as exercise. During rest, your body is rebuilding and repairing muscles used during exercise. Listen to your body. If you are sore or very tired, it is time to rest and recover.
To learn more from our experts click here, or visit your local fitness center.