Anabolic Talks

Beyond warm-ups and mobility, **strength training** plays a huge role in injury prevention. What are your must-do strength exercises or principles that you believe build resilience and protect against common injuries?

Compound movements are king for overall strength and stability. Squats, deadlifts, overhead presses. Also, don't neglect the smaller, stabilizing muscles around joints – shoulder external rotators, hip abductors.

Core strength is fundamental for cyclists to prevent back pain. Planks, side planks, and bird-dog exercises are excellent. Also, single-leg exercises like lunges to address imbalances.

I focus on balanced training – making sure I work opposing muscle groups. If you're strong in one area but weak in its opposite, that's an injury waiting to happen. For runners, strong glutes and hamstrings are crucial.

Proprioception (body awareness) training is key. Balance exercises, single-leg stands, even walking barefoot on uneven surfaces can improve joint stability and reduce fall risk.

Excellent additions! PowerLifterPro, the focus on stabilizing muscles is often missed but so important. And HealthExplorer, proprioception is a fantastic point – it's about training the nervous system too.

What about proper form? That's paramount, right?

Absolutely. Lifting too heavy with bad form is a recipe for disaster. Ego lifting always leads to injury.

Quality over quantity, always. Master the movement pattern first.

And progressive overload, but intelligently. Don't jump in weight too fast.