Hints & Tips

21 Injury prevention tips

Brian Mackenzie provides some advice on how to be proactive in preventing injury.

Avoid training when you are tired
Increase your consumption of carbohydrates during periods of heavy training
An increase in training should be matched with increases in resting
An increase in strengthening should precede any increase in training load
Treat even seemingly minor injuries very carefully to prevent them from becoming a big problem
If you experience pain when training STOP your training session immediately
Never train hard if you are stiff from the previous effort
Pay attention to hydration and nutrition
Use appropriate training surfaces
Check training and competition areas are clear of hazards
Check equipment is appropriate and safe to use
Introduce new activities very gradually
Allow lots of time for warming up and cooling off
Check overtraining and competition courses beforehand
Train on different surfaces, using the right footwear
Shower and change immediately after the cooldown
Aim for maximum comfort when travelling
Stay away from infectious areas when training or competing very hard
Be extremely fussy about hygiene in hot weather
Monitor daily for signs of fatigue, if in doubt ease off
Have a regular sports massage

Here's some more good advice from Popeye on pumping iron

Brian Mackenzie provides some advice on the role and importance of iron

Iron deficiency is a common problem for the trained athlete, in particular females and those on restricted diets. Iron is extremely important for the transportation of oxygen in haemoglobin as well as for the anaerobic supply to the muscle and myoglobin. A lack of iron will severely limit energy metabolism. A report ("Nutrition and performance: iron, the essential element for the energy metabolism.' Sport and Medicine Today, 1999, vol. 2, no. 1, p. 42) discusses the importance of iron and explains how to avoid iron deficiency.

The common symptoms are:

Chronic fatigue
Susceptibility to stress
Increased susceptibility to infections
Decreased cognitive performance

Avoiding iron deficiency is relatively simple. Two types of dietary iron exist, heme and non-heme iron. Heme iron can be found in meat and fish, while non-heme is available in leafy green vegetables such as spinach (hence the reference to Popeye). Increasing the amount of iron-rich foods in your diet will go a long way to keeping anaemia at bay. However, it is essential to remember that certain foods interfere with the absorption of iron and should be avoided when eating iron-rich foods. Foods to avoid are cereals and wheat products containing phytates, and products such as tea and coffee that contain tannins. Supplementation is an alternative option for increasing your dietary intake of iron. However, it can cause an upset stomach, and in severe cases, the use of large doses can cause stomach tissue damage. As with any supplement, it's sensible to make a positive change in the diet rather than reaching for a quick fix.

Article Reference

This article first appeared in:

MACKENZIE, B. (2003) Hints and Tips. Brian Mackenzie's Successful Coaching, (ISSN 1745-7513/ 2 / June), p. 11-12

Page Reference

If you quote information from this page in your work, then the reference for this page is:

MACKENZIE, B. (2003) Hints and Tips [WWW] Available from: https://www.brianmac.co.uk/articles/scni2a9.htm [Accessed

About the Author

Brian Mackenzie is a British Athletics level 4 performance coach and a coach tutor/assessor. He has been coaching sprint, middle distance, and combined event athletes for the past 30+ years and has 45+ years of experience as an endurance athlete.


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Avoid training when you are tired Increase your consumption of carbohydrates during periods of heavy training An increase in training should be matched with increases in resting An increase in strengthening should precede any increase in training load Treat even seemingly minor injuries very carefully to prevent them from becoming a big problem If you experience pain when training STOP your training session immediately Never train hard if you are stiff from the previous effort Pay attention to hydration and nutrition Use appropriate training surfaces Check training and competition areas are clear of hazards Check equipment is appropriate and safe to use Introduce new activities very gradually Allow lots of time for warming up and cooling off Check overtraining and competition courses beforehand Train on different surfaces, using the right footwear Shower and change immediately after the cooldown Aim for maximum comfort when travelling Stay away from infectious areas when training or competing very hard Be extremely fussy about hygiene in hot weather Monitor daily for signs of fatigue, if in doubt ease off Have a regular sports massage Here's some more good advice from Popeye on pumping iron Brian Mackenzie provides some advice on the role and importance of iron Iron deficiency is a common problem for the trained athlete, in particular females and those on restricted diets. Iron is extremely important for the transportation of oxygen in haemoglobin as well as for the anaerobic supply to the muscle and myoglobin. A lack of iron will severely limit energy metabolism. A report ("Nutrition and performance: iron, the essential element for the energy metabolism.' Sport and Medicine Today, 1999, vol. 2, no. 1, p. 42) discusses the importance of iron and explains how to avoid iron deficiency. The common symptoms are: Chronic fatigue Susceptibility to stress Increased susceptibility to infections Decreased cognitive performance Avoiding iron deficiency is relatively simple. Two types of dietary iron exist, heme and non-heme iron. Heme iron can be found in meat and fish, while non-heme is available in leafy green vegetables such as spinach (hence the reference to Popeye). Increasing the amount of iron-rich foods in your diet will go a long way to keeping anaemia at bay. However, it is essential to remember that certain foods interfere with the absorption of iron and should be avoided when eating iron-rich foods. Foods to avoid are cereals and wheat products containing phytates, and products such as tea and coffee that contain tannins. Supplementation is an alternative option for increasing your dietary intake of iron. However, it can cause an upset stomach, and in severe cases, the use of large doses can cause stomach tissue damage. As with any supplement, it's sensible to make a positive change in the diet rather than reaching for a quick fix. Article Reference This article first appeared in: MACKENZIE, B. (2003) Hints and Tips. Brian Mackenzie's Successful Coaching, (ISSN 1745-7513/ 2 / June), p. 11-12 Page Reference If you quote information from this page in your work, then the reference for this page is: MACKENZIE, B. (2003) Hints and Tips [WWW] Available from: https://www.brianmac.co.uk/articles/scni2a9.htm [Accessed About the Author Brian Mackenzie is a British Athletics level 4 performance coach and a coach tutor/assessor. He has been coaching sprint, middle distance, and combined event athletes for the past 30+ years and has 45+ years of experience as an endurance athlete.