Nothing kills an exercise high quite like injury — especially when it’s an injury you could have prevented. Here, at Be Well, we want you all to be as healthy as can be. So, to learn about common workout mistakes that can cause injury (and how to avoid that mess), we went to the professionals, asking Philly fitness trainers and running coaches what the top injury-inducing mistakes they see their clients making are. Because no one wants to be benched after just getting into the groove. Follow this wisdom and you’ll be movin’ and groovin’ through your workouts — safely.

There's been a ton of focus in recent years on running form. Yet certain aspects of form have gotten WAY more 'press' than others. I'm thinking specifically of footstrike. Forefoot? Mid-foot? Heel strike? Barefoot? Definitely useful to consider, but let's not miss the forest for the trees or overstate it's importance. Today I'd like to draw your attention to all of the various ways rotation is present throughout our body as we walk and run. Or, it's supposed to be.

Wondering why that tight muscle is always tight? After a massage you feel great …then the tightness returns. Why is that?

That feeling of “holy crap I'm in a race and I'm already sucking wind and I'm not even at the 1 mile mark yet” used to be pretty familiar to me. Let's fix that, OK?

Typically used as part of a good warm up, practicing the “ankling” drill will teach you how to be stiff at the right time and how to react off the ground properly.

Think about your current method (if you can call it that) of warming up. Perhaps you bend over and strrrrrretch to tie those shoes and then off you go? I think we can do better. This week I want to share a very simple warm up that carries with it several benefits like better muscle activation, range of motion, and potential injury prevention.

Here's the problem with running as your only fitness activity. To a large extent, it neglects 2 of the 3 fitness bases. Not only that, I'd say over time it ERODES those bases. That's right, if you're like the average person (seated most of the day) and only run, then your basic movement patterns AND whatever strength you have will get worse over time.

Restriction in the upper/middle back, or thoracic spine (T-Spine), is one of the most common areas of the body to tighten up. And it's insidious, too. That is, the tightness evolves slowly month by month and yet you may not even realize you're tight there. Instead, you'll feel your shoulders get cranky, your neck get stiff, your elbows become prone to tendonitis, and even your wrists can pay a price. Carpal tunnel anyone? And we didn't even talk about the lower body yet!

Sprinting puts a ton of stress on the body and unless you're prepared to absorb and distribute those forces appropriately, it's like playing with fire. Before you even think about starting a sprinting routine, address your soft tissue quality and joint mobility every day for a month.

The problem with sitting isn't so much the sitting; rather, it's the fact that you aren't climbing, swimming, paddling, rolling, running, dancing, or crawling.

Ever try to walk or run on ice? What happens? You brace or tense up to create extra stability throughout your body in an attempt to survive. This could very well be happening and you don't even know it.

Today I want to briefly touch on one of the biggest reasons as to why your muscles are tight. Identifying the cause of your specific tightness is key if you have any hope of resolving the issue.