John Hofman, CSCS, MS, spoke at the NSCA's 2013 TSAC Conference on preventing injury when providing firefighters with an in-house training program. In this hands-on presentation, John demonstrates exercises and prevention strategies.

In this session from the 2015 NSCA TSAC Annual Training, Katie Sell discusses current research on how perceived fitness in firefighters may be related to injury prevalence (on-duty and in training) and provide recommendations on how tactical facilitators can decrease adverse repercussions of inaccurately perceived fitness levels (e.g., injury, overtraining, and job-related preparation).

This article will look at the use of supplements, nutrition, compression socks, cryotherapy, and myofascial release as enhanced recovery methods for endurance runners.

Given the high prevalence of injuries that occur during rucking, implementing an injury prevention program is paramount. Disseminating information on proper injury prevention training methods and reducing the risk of ruck-related back injuries can improve overall mission readiness with minimal lost training time.

Considering the great popularity of eccentric-based training, the purpose of this review is to first provide the scientific rationale for its use; second, summarize the eccentric-based training modalities that can be used; and finally, offer practical recommendations on how to implement eccentricbased modalities to enhance sports performance. The molecular and neural mechanisms underlying eccentric actions are partially distinct from those of concentric and isometric actions. During eccentric actions, theories suggest a strain-induced modulation of actin-myosin interactions at the crossbridge level, activation of structural protein titin, and winding of titin on actin. Eccentric acute physiological responses differ from concentric exercise responses, including variations in neuromuscular, metabolic, hormonal, and anabolic signaling. Eccentric training elicits greater improvements in muscle strength, power, and stretch-shortening cycle function compared with concentric-only or traditional resistance training. Therefore, eccentric-based training can lead to unique neuromuscular (e.g., improved coordination of motor units) and morphological (e.g., increased muscle fascicle length and enhanced distal cross-sectional area) adaptations that could play a key role in sport performance. Practitioners may implement eccentric exercises with external loads, fully eccentric-based exercises (e.g., Nordic hamstring curl), accentuated eccentric loading, flywheel resistance exercise, and plyometrics to develop specific physical adaptations in line with their goals. Eccentric work (e.g., for hamstrings) can be obtained during other exercises such as downhill running tasks, decelerations, and sprinting activities. Practitioners need to be aware that no single “silver bullet” training modality exists; consequently, practitioners should use a combination of eccentric-based training approaches with their athletes to obtain the desired adaptations.

As activity levels decrease, and swelling and inflammation set in, maintaining a diet that promotes healing is essential to keeping weight under control and speeding up recovery.

Training and Coaching Considerations with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury and Blast Injuries

TAT22

This excerpt from NSCA’s Essentials of Sport Science briefly explains workload and injury risk factors.

This article is part of a continuing series on practical, evidence-based approaches to reducing the risk of injury while developing tactical strength and conditioning.