How to train smarter and avoid injury - without access to a physio

Most athletes only learn about injury prevention the hard way - after something goes wrong.

But protecting your body doesn’t require a private physio or rehab program. These principles apply to athletes at any level. We hope they help you!

1. Understand Your Weak Links

Most injuries happen in the same zones: hamstrings, shoulders, knees, and lower back. Learn which areas are common risks in your sport or training style - and give them extra attention.

2. Don’t Skip the Warm-Up

Dynamic movement, joint mobility drills, and sport-specific prep are key to injury prevention. Think of your warm-up as activation, not just 'getting loose'.

3. Add Mobility, Not Just Strength

Strength training helps prevent injuries - but so does moving well. Include hip, ankle, and shoulder mobility work in your weekly routine to support joint health.

4. Train Movement Patterns, Not Just Muscles

Muscle-focused workouts are great for aesthetics. But injury prevention lives in movement quality: squats, lunges, hinges, pushes, pulls. Control and balance matter as much as weight.

5. Watch Your Volume

Injuries often spike when intensity or frequency goes up too fast. Follow the 10 per cent rule: don’t increase your training load more than 10 per cent week to week, especially in running or sport-specific drills.

Bonus Tip: Build in Checks

Every few weeks, you should run a self-assessment:

Do any joints feel stiffer than usual?

Are you recovering fully before the next session?

Are old aches creeping back in?

Prevention is about catching signals before they become symptoms.

Good luck out there!