How To Avoid Injuries In Intramural Sports

Did you know that almost 38 percent of Americans will go to the hospital at least once in their lives for an injury suffered during an intramural sport?

That is a jarring statistic. Fortunately, it’s also a made-up one. Still, it sure sounds accurate, doesn’t it?

Think about the last time you played a recreational sport. I’m guessing most of your friends didn’t take the time to get loose before they started playing. Also, I’d guess the last athletic thing done by a good number of them was playing the same intramural sport last year.

Now think about the next day. Did you or your friends chat about how cripplingly sore you were? I’m guessing at least one participant in the recreational basketball league took the rest of the week off to heal, even though his body would probably have been better served by some low impact movements (i.e., active recovery).

Should you and your friend have made an effort to exercise in the time between rec-league sports? Of course. But this article is not about the cost of living a sedentary lifestyle. It's about the dangers of going from 0 to 60 without warming up.

I can't emphasize this enough: you cannot safely attempt to play an intramural sport without adequately preparing your body.

That's why I have put together a playlist on youtube that I like to call the Weekend Warrior Preparedness Program. It's nothing crazy, just six moderate exercises that you can do from anywhere.

TRY TO DO THESE EXERCISES AS A CIRCUIT, FOR EXAMPLE:

30 Seconds Ali Shuffle

30 Seconds High Knees

12 Squats

12 Side Lunges (6 each side)

15 Bridges

10 Dead Bugs

And then take it from the top! See how many rounds you can go through in ten minutes. You can make this harder by going faster or longer.

You can use it as a warm-up pre-game, although in that case, I would do one round because you've got to keep some in the tank. This little workout guarantees you'll feel more limber next time you take the field.

Never start playing a sport without at least five minutes of warming up and remember that the best way to prevent injury is by living an active lifestyle.