Keeping yourself safe during your workout

•Sore shoulders are often a problem for swimmers, tennis players, weight-lifters and others who repeatedly lift their arms above their heads. The best way to prevent a problem here is to strengthen the muscles in the rotator cuff. You can do this by simply doing a shoulder shrug, lifting both shoulders as high as you can and squeezing them together.

•Hamstring pulls can be extremely painful. Strengthen your hamstrings by lying on your stomach, pulling in your abdominals to protect your lower back, engaging your thigh muscles and slowly lifting one leg, then the other.

•Strained Achilles tendon: It takes a pounding during aerobics and running exercises, especially if you have weak calves. To strengthen the calves, stand up straight, raise onto the balls of your fee, then lower.

•Ankle sprains make it tough to walk. Obvious signs are swelling, tenderness and possibly bruising. The more significant the bruising, the more significant the tear. Walking with good shoes is an appropriate way to help avoid this injury.

•Lower back pain: An estimated 80 percent of the population will have some form of lower back pain at some point in their lives. It usually is divided into two categories: mechanical low back pain; or compressive or neurogenic low back pain. Inflammation causes mechanical, through strain, overuse or trauma. Compressive is caused by pinching of the nerve root. If you are subject to back pain, consult your doctor.

•Runner's knee: Common terminology for Iliotibial Band Syndrone. The ITB is on the outside of the knee and is attached to a muscle in the hip. It is an important stabilizer when you are standing on one leg. When running, there is a moment when only one leg is on the ground. The ITB stabilizes the body at that time. It can suffer excessive friction, however, and swell and inflame. Take time off and be ready to adjust your training schedule.

•Anterior cruciate ligament injury: The ACL is one of the four important ligaments that stabilizes the knee joint. The ACL is the primary restraint to the forward movement of the shin bone on the thigh bone. It also controls knee extension and inward rotation of the shin bone on the thigh bone. Injury often comes in football, skiing, soccer or snowboarding. It can be slight or severe. The first move is to reduce the swilling and inflammation, as well as easing the pain. Then, professional diagnosis and treatment is required.