06/18/2025
📣 Build Your Base = Fewer Injuries, Better Performance
Muscle strains—especially in your legs—are one of the most common reasons student-athletes miss practice or games at Otterbein. Every year, we see a spike in lower extremity injuries during the first 3-4 weeks of preseason. Why? Too much, too soon, without enough prep.
The good news: these injuries are preventable.
✅ Start strength training now
✅ Add intensity slowly
✅ Prioritize recovery and mobility
✅ Follow a smart ramp-up plan over 4–6 weeks
When you build your base early, you show up strong, stable, and ready to compete.
🏋️♂️ Stronger legs = less injury risk
⏱️ Smart prep = more time on the field
📈 Consistent training = better performance
Start now so you're not sidelined later.
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📆 all summer long with
🔬 Evidence-Based Sources
Gabbett TJ. The training-injury prevention paradox: should athletes be training smarter and harder? Br J Sports Med. 2016.
→ Rapid increases in workload increase injury risk by 2–4x, especially in preseason periods.
Bowen L, et al. The relationship between training load and injury in elite footballers. J Sci Med Sport. 2020.
→ Injury risk is highest when the acute:chronic workload ratio exceeds 1.5.
Opar DA, et al. Hamstring strain injuries: risk factors and re-injury. Sports Med. 2012.
→ Muscle weakness, fatigue, and poor neuromuscular control are key risk factors.
