DOES STRENGTH TRAINING PREVENT INJURIES?

A study (Lauersen JB, 2013) compared strength training. proprioceptive training and stretching in terms of their ability to prevent future musculoskeletal injury.

Results showed that stretching was not found to be beneficial (before or after exercise) for injury prevention. Proprioceptive/balance and strength training were beneficial for injury prevention, with strength training being best. The authors reported that strength training reduced sports injuries to less than one third and overuse injuries by almost 50%.

If you do not incorporate strength training into your exercise program, you are most likely missing out on numerous injury prevention and functional benefits .And this goes for anyone of any age. Such a program does not have to be complicated. Often times, body weight and a few pieces of equipment is sufficient for the novice individual.