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The baseball season is a 162-game, injury-riddled slog. By the time September rolls around teams are not only battling it out for wild card spots, they’re also battling on their own rosters. So we called up Chris Walter, the Detroit Tigers strength and conditioning coach, to see how he prepares the four-time defending AL Central champs for the long haul—and to steal his training secrets for our own injury-free spring and summer. Below, his advice:

**Warm up the Right Way

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Your muscles need to be warm before jumping into _any _physical activity—whether it’s lifting weights or one of those zany adventure races. "We do a dynamic warm-up every day," Walter says. "It’s about maintenance, and it’s important to have that muscle stimulation every day." (Check out our primer on dynamic stretching here.)

Train to Play

Training for a half marathon? Then you’ve gotta run at your real half-marathon pace at least once a week. Joining a rec-league basketball team? Your need to practice more than just free throws and threes, and get yourself into game situations. Otherwise, your body is going to react poorly—and risk tweaking something—when it finally gets in on the action. Major league ballplayers are no different. "For instance, the pitcher has 15-20 seconds between pitches," Walter says. "I’m trying to condition the body to mimic that type of energy with intervals in practice."

Establish a Routine

With all due respect to every weekend warrior out there, pulls, pops, and all the other various pains can be avoided by establishing a regular workout ritual. "You can’t just come in and work out after weeks of not doing anything. Consistency is huge in the weight room and on the field," Walter says. "And when you lose that consistency, you can risk injury."

Hydrate

Yep, it’s obvious. But too many of us still don’t do it. When you’re at work, keep a bottle on your desk. When you’re out running errands, grab a coconut water at the deli. "If guys aren’t adequately hydrated they’re going to start to cramp," Walter cautions. "That’s going to lead to more severe issues like strains or pulls."

**Eat Your Way to an Injury-Free Life

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Want to know why every nutritionist and trainer won’t stop talking about refueling for recovery? _Because it’s true. _So make sure to properly refuel your body with carbohydrates after you work out. "Adequate and proper nutrition is a huge part of the recovery process," Walter says. "If guys aren’t recovering properly, they’re going to start breaking down. Injuries will creep up on a guy if they’re not properly recovering from day-to-day activities." Make sure to pack a post-workout snack (even if it’s just a chocolate milk) in your gym bag, so you can refill your tank and jumpstart recovery.

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