Correlations Between Strength and Injury Prevention
Within our last few posts, we have talked about the importance of rope climbs, and how to help your gymnasts build the best version of their rope climb. Rope climbs are not just an essential component for helping a gymnast maneuver their own body weight, but an important tool to help build your athlete's overall strength.
An athlete's strength has a direct correlation to injury prevention. There are two types of injuries, acute and chronic. Acute injuries are a direct result from a fall or bad landing. Injuries like sprains, fractures, dislocations, and ligament tears typically fall under this category. Chronic injuries occur over time due to over-training or lack of recovery time.
As coaches we must plan to be proactive rather than reactive. By developing a progressive, strength and conditioning program that aims to strengthen and increase an athlete's range of movement, we can we be the first line of defense when it comes to injury prevention.
Flogymnastics has released three articles about developing the proper strength and flexibility in the glutes, mid-back, and elbows to decrease common overuse injuries seen in gymnasts. They offer video guides to help demonstrate the movements. Try and include these preventive strategies into your programs!
Article links can also be found in our resource tabs.
