Hints & Tips

21 Injury Prevention Tips

Avoid training when you are tired.
Increase your consumption of carbohydrates during periods of heavy training.
An increase in training should be matched with an increase 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 that training and competition areas are clear of hazards.
Check that the 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

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 was a highly respected British Athletics Level 4 performance coach, as well as an accredited Coach Tutor and Coach Assessor. With over 30 years of coaching experience, he specialised in the development of sprint, middle-distance, and combined events athletes. His expertise extended across all levels of competition, fostering performance and progression in both emerging and elite athletes. Complementing his coaching credentials, Brian was also a dedicated ultra-distance endurance athlete, competing for more than 45 years and bringing a deep personal understanding of athletic performance to his coaching practice.


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Increase your consumption of carbohydrates during periods of heavy training. An increase in training should be matched with an increase 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 that training and competition areas are clear of hazards. Check that the 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 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 was a highly respected British Athletics Level 4 performance coach, as well as an accredited Coach Tutor and Coach Assessor. With over 30 years of coaching experience, he specialised in the development of sprint, middle-distance, and combined events athletes. His expertise extended across all levels of competition, fostering performance and progression in both emerging and elite athletes. Complementing his coaching credentials, Brian was also a dedicated ultra-distance endurance athlete, competing for more than 45 years and bringing a deep personal understanding of athletic performance to his coaching practice.