Avoiding Running Injuries

Alexander Rothstein, Ed.D., assistant professor of exercise science, has been featured in a Runner’s World article about speed interval training, or sprint workouts. In discussing the risks, he explains that proper sprinting mechanics and strength training can help prevent injury. To build and strengthen lower-body muscles, he recommends exercises like glute bridges, lunges, deadlifts, clamshells, calf raises, planks, and squats. While performing these exercises, he notes that runners should focus on the eccentric phase of the movement (when the muscle lengthens under load), such as during the downward portion of a squat. “When you get hurt sprinting, it’s usually when the muscles eccentrically contract,” says Rothstein.

To maintain correct sprinting form, Rothstein advises that runners should avoid overstriding and remember to keep their legs and arms swinging forward and backward, with minimal side-to-side movement. Another important cue: “Focus on actively decelerating at the end and not just relaxing the body into decelerating,” he says.