Top training mistakes that cause injuries and how to void them for your best season yet

You enjoy pushing your body to its limits. It’s triathlon, after all. But going on step or stroke too far can lead to injury.

Navigating training and racing while nursing a niggle or a full-blown injury is frustrating, demotivating and often leads to detraining. The flip side is that it is also preventable. Volume, technique, workout stacking, recovery and nutrition are all key factors in determining whether your next season will be fun and fast, or plodding and painful.

The repetitive nature of the sport, combined with long hours of training, can take a toll on your muscles and joints. To keep you healthy and race-ready, be vigilante about signs of developing any of the most common triathlon injuries. These include runner’s knee, and Achilles tendinitis, and swimmer’s shoulder. Notice signs of trouble and act quickly to prevent further damage.

Runner’s Knee  

Runner’s knee is pain around or behind the kneecap, typically caused by repetitive impact and poor knee tracking. It can feel like a dull ache that worsens with running, cycling, or descending stairs. Also know as Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome. The most common causes are weak quadriceps and glutes leading to poor knee stability, over striding, sudden increase in training intensity or mileage, and improper bike fit causing knee strain.

To prevent the development of these debilitating injuries, invest time in strength work, technique, careful training progression and a professional bike fit.

4 Tips to prevent runner’s knee

• Strengthen your legs: Focus on exercises like squats, lunges, and glute bridges to support the knee joint
• Check your running form: Avoid over striding and land with your foot under your body, not in front. Increasing your cadence (steps per minute) can help reduce impact
• Get a proper bike fit: Ensure your saddle height and cleat position are optimized to prevent excessive knee strain.
• Increase mileage gradually: Stick to the 10 per cent rule by not increasing weekly mileage by no more than that to avoid overload

If you start feeling knee pain, cut back on mileage and focus on strengthening your hips and glutes before returning to full training.

Achilles Tendinitis 

Achilles tendinitis is inflammation of the tendon connecting your calf to your heel. It causes stiffness, swelling, and pain, especially after running or cycling. The most common causes are tight calves and poor ankle flexibility, sudden increase in running or hill training, improper running shoes, and correct cycling position. With saddle fit, if it is positioned to low it can lead to excessive ankle flexion.

4 How to prevent achilles tendinitis

• Stretch and strengthen your calves: Perform calf raises, eccentric heel drops, and stretch your Achilles regularly
• Ease into hill workouts: Avoid jumping into steep hill running or high-resistance cycling too quickly, instead build up gradually
• Choose the right footwear: Wear running shoes with proper arch support and avoid overly worn-out shoes
• Adjust your bike fit: Ensure your saddle isn’t too low, which can put excess strain on the Achilles tendon

If you feel Achilles tightness, reduce running volume and focus on calf stretching and massage before it worsens.

Swimmer’s Shoulder 

Swimmer’s shoulder is an overuse injury caused by repetitive overhead movements, leading to inflammation in the rotator cuff tendons. This can manifest as Rotator Cuff Tendinitis. It often results in pain, weakness, and limited mobility in the shoulder. The most common causes are poor swim technique, weak shoulder and back muscles, lack of mobility in the shoulder joint, and excessive swim volume without proper recovery.

4 Tips to prevent swimmer’s shoulder

• Perfect your swim technique: Avoid overextending your arm and focus on proper hand entry. Engage your core and rotate your body smoothly to reduce strain on the shoulders
• Strengthen your rotator cuff: Incorporate resistance band exercises, such as external rotations and scapular retractions, to stabilize the shoulder
• Stretch and mobilize: Perform shoulder mobility drills and foam roll the lats and upper back to maintain flexibility
• Don’t overtrain: Gradually increase your swim volume and include rest days to prevent overuse

If you start feeling shoulder pain, take a break from freestyle and switch to backstroke or kick drills to reduce strain.

Strength training, flexibility, and smart training progression, you can significantly reduce your risk. Don’t ignore an early signs of trouble by listening to your body. Prioritize recovery throughout the entire year, ensuring good quality sleep, hydration and nutrition. Train smart by staying within a safe and appropriate bandwidth of training volume and intensity.

Consistency being the number one component of improved performance, stay injury free so you can keep training for a breakthrough season.