Fitter and Faster, Episode 19: How to Stay Injury-Free

In this episode of Fitter & Faster we dive into all aspects of injury prevention to help you understand how best to stay injury-free. Physical therapist and athletic trainer Dr. Shefali Christopher joins host Emma-Kate Lidbury to talk about the common causes of injuries among triathletes and what you can do to prevent them. Dr. Shefali is also the PT for the U.S. Paratriathlon Team, a position she's held since 2018, and is a triathlete herself, so has that perfect blend of academic and in-the-field experience.
We talk through the injuries she sees triathletes presenting with most frequently as well as the obvious—and not so obvious—causes of them. Dr. Shefali tells us that your history of injury is the biggest predictor of future injury occurrence—so the obvious advice is to try to stay injury-free in the first place, and we talk through how to make that goal a reality. Spoiler alert: it includes good sleep, nutrition, gear selection, and more.
And talking of gear selection, it wouldn't be Fitter & Faster without our Gear Up section with resident gear guru and Triathlete executive editor Chris Foster. Chris talks us through some of his favorite gear and gadgets that can help you stay injury-free.
In the show, we reference this Ask A Trainer article from strength and conditioning coach Kate Ligler on How to Use a Foam Roller During Race Season as well as this video: What's the Best Way to Recover from Tri Training and Racing?