The Best Strength Training Exercises for Injury Prevention

Aug 1

Mark came in with textbook mobility, a strong cardio engine, and a calendar full of weekend races. But every time he ramped up mileage or tried to lift heavier, something flared up—his hip, his knee, his low back.

Sound familiar?

He was doing all the “right” things: stretching, foam rolling, warming up. But the moment he crossed that invisible line from “training” to “overdoing,” his body called a timeout.

Here’s what we discovered: Mark wasn’t undertrained. He was under-reinforced.

His issue wasn’t flexibility—it was durability. The deeper we dug, the more we realized his strength foundation had a few cracks. The real problem? His strength work was too isolated. Too random. Too Instagram-y.

We didn’t add more rehab exercises. We dialed in the essentials. Here's what we focused on:What Does Foam Rolling Actually Do?

Foam rolling works by applying pressure to the fascia—the connective tissue surrounding muscles. Over time, fascia can become stiff or develop adhesions due to poor posture, repetitive movements, or intense training. When you use a foam roller, you’re stimulating mechanoreceptors in the fascia and muscles, which can help:

  • Reduce muscle tightness

  • Increase blood flow

  • Improve range of motion

  • Decrease delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS)

A 2015 study published in the Journal of Athletic Training found that foam rolling post-exercise reduced muscle soreness and improved sprint and power performance in athletes 24 to 72 hours after activity (MacDonald et al., 2015). Another meta-analysis in Sports Medicine confirmed that foam rolling can improve flexibility and temporarily decrease muscle stiffness, especially when paired with dynamic stretching (Wiewelhove et al., 2019).

1. Split Squats

Not sexy. But wildly effective. Single-leg work builds hip stability, reduces knee stress, and mimics how we actually move in sport and life.
A 2022 study in Journal of Sports Science & Medicine found that unilateral lower body strength directly correlated with reduced ACL injury risk in collegiate athletes. Stability = safety. 1

2. Trap Bar Deadlifts

Safer than barbell deads for most people. They train hip hinge mechanics and core bracing, both crucial for back protection.
When performed correctly, they teach the body to distribute load through the glutes and hamstrings instead of overloading the spine.
Key cue: push the ground away, don’t yank the weight up.

3. Side Plank with Reach-Through

A fancy name for a rotational anti-rotation drill. But this one torches the obliques, improves shoulder stability, and teaches your core to resist movement—one of the biggest predictors of injury resilience.

4. Loaded Carries

Suitcase carry. Farmer’s walk. Bottoms-up kettlebell carry.
These build grip, core, and posture under load—exactly what your body needs to stabilize through chaos (aka: sport).
One study in the NSCA’s Journal of Strength and Conditioning noted that loaded carries improved trunk control and balance more efficiently than traditional sit-ups or crunches. 2

Within four weeks of consistent work, Mark said:
"I finally feel like my body isn’t working against me."

We didn’t chase fancy. We got strong where it counted.
That’s the secret sauce.

I love this short video from Flow High Performance that covers two studies on the role of strength training for the reduction of injury risk in athletes.

And remember: strength training isn’t just for lifters or athletes. It’s the insurance policy your future self will thank you for.

References:

  • Johnston et al. (2022). JSSM: “Unilateral Strength and Injury Risk”

  • Smith & Lee (2021). NSCA JSCR: “Trunk Control and Load Carriage Training”