Exercising feels good. Getting hurt doesn’t. Participation in any fitness activity presents some risk of injury. Fitness pro- fessionals should do everything possible to ensure that their clients are exercising safely. If a client does become injured, it’s the fitness professional’s role to suggest that the athlete receive proper therapy and treatment.
In this unit, you’ll explore some common fitness injuries and learn how to prevent them. This unit is an overview of fitness safety. Fitness professionals should consider adding first aid and CPR certification to their list of qualifications.
When you complete this course, you’ll be able to:
- Explain why “pain does not equal gain”
- Detail how sports injuries may hurt for a lifetime
- List the five commandments of injury prevention
- Propose a plan for decreasing exercise injuries
- Compare and contrast safety requirements for specific activities, such as running, skating, swimming, and cycling
- Plan how to exercise the rest of the body in case of a specific injury
- Explain how fitness professionals should respond to minor and major injuries
- Suggest appropriate footwear and surfaces for running to prevent injury
- Recognize symptoms of common injuries
