Basic Injury Prevention Exercises

3 great exercises I program for basically everyone regardless of sport are the following:

1. Facepulls

2. Calf Raises

3. Leg Curls

4. Full ROM High Bar Back Squats

Here's the rationale:

Facepulls strengthen the rotator cuffs. 9/10 problems areas for the upper body are always the shoulders. This applies largely to olympic lifters, powerlifters, pitchers, throwers and cricket players. The facepull is a great 2-in-1 exercise where the external rotators are strengthened, providing less injury risk, whilst also growing some strong and large rear delts. I like doing facepulls on a cable, preferably on the seated row. 4 sets of 15 reps once per week is good.

Calf raises are a must for sprinters, jumpers, weightlifters, and any sport that requires running of any intensity. Calf raises strengthen the calves, which are the largest muscle surrounding the ankle joint. Obviously, the ankles are a huge problem area for sprinters and basketball players, but having strong and mobile ankles also helps in the squat. I like seated calf raises the most since they are performed with a bent knee, which makes it a bit more specific to squat mobility whilst also building bigger calve muscles. 4 sets of 15-20 reps done with full range of motion 1x per week is good.

Leg curls. I have met numerous people who have experienced hamstring tears, and I can't help but think that doing leg curls largely decreases the risk of ever experiencing such hamstring related injuries. My favourite leg curls are the seated leg curl and the nordic leg curl. The Nordic is a much more advanced movement, and I plan to make a blog post on how to progress it properly. But the seated leg curl is also a fantastic option. The key here is to really slow down the negative, as this will have more transfer so far as decreasing running-related hamstring tears (yes, the research supports this: https://journals.lww.com/nsca-scj/FullText/2020/06000/Hamstring_Strain_Injuries__Incidence,_Mechanisms,.5.aspx). Do leg curls for 4 sets of 5-12 reps with a slow negative once, maybe twice, a week.

Finally, deep, full range-of-motion back squats. This one's a no brainer. Getting the knee to move through its full range of motion is the no. 1 way of decreasing the risk of an ACL tear, which is a devastating and potentially career-ending injury. Don't do fucking half reps. Squat full ROM 2x a week.

~ Prem