Winter 2023 - 24

5
WAYS TO HELP
TACTICAL ATHLETES
PREVENT INJURIES
By Wesley Sykes, Managing Editor
S
1
ervice members push themselves hard to
reach peak fitness goals. However, ramping
up a workout too much could lead to injuries that
can affect daily performance. Reduce the risk of
injury by being informed.
Consider these guidelines to help achieve fitness
goals while avoiding injury from overtraining.
.. Baseline Aerobic Capacity
At the heart of every tactical job is the
need to escape or mitigate danger when it
arises. It doesn't matter the job: military, police,
fire. Being able to chase down a suspect, escape
an explosion, or go into and come out of a fire
are intricate parts of the job. All of that will take
a toll on the cardiovascular system - whether
it's stress on the heart immediately or if it's the
body's process of using oxygen and expelling
carbon monoxide.
While jumping over fences in a chase, or
running into a burning building you'll need a
24 | Tactical Training & Conditioning | Winter 2023
combination of power-based and endurancebased
systems, so both need to be challenged to
create adaptation. Create a mixture of long runs
or sustained movements combined with strength
and power movements. And work at a specific
intensity, as long as proper form is maintained
throughout.
2
..Baseline Load Tolerance
Tactical athletes also have to be able to
manipulate certain pieces of equipment to do
their job. For firefighters, this can be advancing
a charged hoseline or moving debris within a
home. For police, this may be physically fighting
a suspect, or moving objects out of the way to
apprehend a suspect. For the military - this can
be anything; carrying a battle buddy, carrying heavy
rucksacks, or other specific equipment. All areas of
tactical athletes do have heavy lifting. To lift heavy
efficiently, a good baseline functional movement
pattern is necessary, as well as load tolerance.
Winter 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Winter 2023
