Strength Training to Keep Athletes Injury Free

When most people think about strength training, they think all about muscles and power. They think about being able to lift more than the next guy. Though that is part of many strength training regimens, it is not the only thing. There is a lot that goes on in strength training that is about helping the total fitness of the athlete. One of the key components involves keeping the athlete healthy and injury free.

One of the things that must be integrated into strength training is flexibility training. When you see the bulk of injuries in sports, it is because the athlete was too stiff and was in the wrong position. The body is not naturally injured. It is when the body is in a vulnerable position that it is most often injured. This is why flexibility is so important. The majority of strength training regimes will have some sort of flexibility element that keeps athletes out of harm's way on the court or field.

The human body is a push and pull machine. This means that there are often "sets" of muscles that work together to do basic things. For instance, the hamstring and quadriceps have to work together in order to run or jump. A good strength training plan will be sure to work out these muscle sets together. If one portion of the set becomes too powerful, then the body will be injured more easily with pulls and tears.