Injury Prevention for the Novice Master Triathlete

Annette asked about injury prevention in her comment to my ealier post on the Novice Master Triathlete. I am a beginner myself in Triathlon Training, but here are some random observations and learnings from the Triathlete's Training Bible by Joe Friel:

• 10% Rule - Most of you will already know this, but never increase training volume (i.e. time/distance) by more than 10% at a time.
• "When in doubt, leave it out" - Joe mentions this a couple of times in his book and it sticks to my head as it is good "common sense" advice. Triathletes and runners tend to be highly disciplined people who believe in pushing themselves. Hence there is always a point when you ask yourself "Do I have another set in me?", "Can I run another km even though I have reached my 10% increase in distance?", etc... Joe's advice is that if you are unsure, don't do it. The rationale is that there is no point pushing ourselves to the point of injury, which does a lot more damage to our fitness than whatever gains is in the last set/km. The objective should be to train CONSISTENTLY and not to "kill" yourself in every workout.
• Keep to rest days - As mentioned in my previous post, us "oldies" need more rest for the body to recuperate after a workout. :) 2 or 3 days rest may be needed after a heavy workout.
• Strength training - Also mentioned in my previous post, but Master atheletes may need to do strength training year round to prevent injuries related to losing muscle mass - i.e. less muscle mass means extra strain on ligaments, joints, etc...
• Stretching - According to Joe, studies have shown that athletes that only stretch before exercise (and not after) have a higher probability of injury than those who don't. Having said that, he does encourage stretching post workout. I tried going straight to a workout without stretching, but it just did not work for me - I felt "tight" and uncomfortable. I think this is another area where we have to discover our individual perculiarities. I happen to be someone who needs a proper warm-up and stretching before exercise, so I do it. What is universal seems to be that post exercise stretching (after a bit of cool down or at night as a form of speeding recovery) is ALL good. :) We just skip it too often because there is so much else to do, but this is a discipline worth cultivating. One point to note about stretching post exercise is to NEVER stretch a cold muscle - do some light warm-up (e.g. light running in place) to get the blood circulation going if stretching is done hours after the workout.
• Warm-up - As opposed to pre-exercise stretching, warm-up is ALL good. :) This could be starting with a light run, swim or bike before the actual work-out. E.g. when I bike, I usually start the first 10 mins spinning a high cadence (90-100 rpm) on a very light load (low gear - small chainring, big cog).
• Pray - Since this is a "Intentional Discipleship & Triathlon Training" blog, I thought I should keep things in balance and say that from personal experience, prayer helps a LOT. :) There has been too many instances of nameless aches/pains/strains/sprains and even cold/flu symptons that has gone away overnight thanks to prayer. God is GOOD!

Here's my workout at the office gym yesterday:

• 5km run (treadmill) - 29min?
• Bent Elbow Lat Pull Down - 3 sets of 15 reps (intended to do 20 reps but I picked a weight that is too heavy)
• Leg Press - 3 sets of 20 reps
• Sitting row - 3 sets of 15 reps (again, I picked a weight that is too heavy)

Had to cut it short to make it to a dinner appointment last night.

Yaaawwwnnn.... I am feeling the effects of getting up at 6am two nights in a row to send R1 to school. Unlike you hardy ironmen/women and marathoners, I am NOT a morning person. Until next time, train safe and God Speed!