Avoid injury in your next race
A race or competition can turn into a bitter experience when you get injured; so why not prevent that injury and save yourself the trouble?
It's not just about warming up properly before the race; truly preventing injury means doing your homework. This involves specific training to help strengthen your body and prepare it for situations where injuries are more likely to occur.
To enlighten you on the subject, we have brought Irati Beorlegi to our offices; a professional obstacle course racer and trail running enthusiast, to share her tips and favorite exercises.
STRENGTH TRAINING IS YOUR ALLY
According to Irati, strength training is essential for preventing injuries. Doing these workouts 1 to 2 times a week helps achieve this goal. However, the number of strength training days will depend on the week's structure.
- If you have a race, it's best to pace yourself and only train for one day.
- For the remaining weeks, it's best to do two strength training sessions per week.
RECOMMENDED EXERCISES AND TIPS
Since our goal is to strengthen the entire body—lower body, upper body, and core—our strength exercises will target these areas. To achieve this, Irati recommends performing basic exercises while gradually incorporating additional weight into our workouts.
A weight that allows us to perform the exercises smoothly, prioritizing technique, and with a medium-low speed in the repetitions (we don't want overexertion in our body).
Some of these basic exercises would be:
- Squats.
- Dead weight.
- Pull-ups.
- Bench press.
- Core: Abdominals, lower back…
And of course, if you can do these exercises with a partner, even better. We hope these tips will be helpful in preparing for your next race.
See you on the mountain!