Whether you’re trying to lose weight or simply want to live a healthy lifestyle, exercise is essential. The important thing to keep in mind, though, is that you need to learn how to exercise safely, so you don’t get injured.
Whether you’re lifting weights, doing yoga, or jogging in the park, there’s always a chance that you’ll hurt yourself. The risk of injuries such as sprains, pulled muscles, and ligament tears increases when you don’t take the necessary precautions. Here’s what you need to know to get the most out of your workout without getting hurt.
Choose the Right Workout
Getting some form of physical exercise is key to maintaining a healthy lifestyle, but it’s important to remember that not all forms of exercise are equally beneficial to everyone. Some people are better equipped to handle strenuous workouts like lifting heavy weights or running long distances.
However, if you’re just getting started and you’re not particularly athletic, you may want to think carefully about what type of workout you choose, especially if you have a medical condition like hypertension, scoliosis, or arthritis.
Online and App-Based Home Workouts Are Not for Everyone
Online workouts or yoga classes can be very appealing because of the convenience they offer. You can exercise from the comfort of your home. However, you need to remember that the instructors who designed the routines didn’t tailor them for your particular needs. This means that they didn’t consider any of your medical conditions or past injuries.
Be cautious with the type of workouts you put your body through.
Get the Right Guidance
Nowadays, the internet is full of free workout routines, tutorials, classes, videos, blogs, you name it. Unfortunately, even if you follow a good workout routine, there is always a correct way to do an exercise, and if you don’t do it correctly, you can hurt yourself.
This is why it’s better to hire a personal trainer or enroll in a class, at least in the beginning. You’ll learn how to do these exercises correctly, using the proper techniques. With the right guidance, you’ll be well on your way to getting the most out of your workout.
Adjust Your Diet
We’re all guilty of using the gym as an excuse to stuff cheeseburgers into our faces. While there’s nothing wrong with treating yourself now and again, your new gym-going self will need healthy nutrition to keep up with the demands of your workout routine. And don’t go on any crash diets either.
If you want to get good performance out of it, you need to keep your body well fueled with the right nutrients. Supplements like creatine and CBD protein powder can also help.
Drink Water
If you just drink water when you’re thirsty, you’ll need to change your habits. You’re already dehydrated if you’re thirsty, and dehydration can lead to cramps, high blood pressure, and exhaustion, all of which make you more prone to make workout mistakes that result in injury.
Be extra cautious about this if you’re outside in the heat, and have a water bottle with you at all times.
Wear the Right Gear
Many beginners are under the impression that what you wear during your workouts isn’t that important. Well, in some cases, it is.
Yes, some people buy expensive athletic clothes and shoes just as a fashion statement. Sometimes they don’t even work out. But let’s say you started jogging. Then you do actually need to buy suitable, good-quality shoes to make sure that your feet and ankles get the support they need so you don’t get injured.
Warm Up
Preparing for your workout by going through a warm-up drill is perhaps the most important thing you can do to avoid injuries. You need to get your muscles ready for the workout. If your muscles are warmed up, they’re ready to handle more strenuous exercises, reducing the risk of injury.
Cool Down
If you’ve just finished a strenuous workout, cooling down is just as important as warming up. The cooldown process lets your heart rate and breathing return to normal. It also reduces muscular pain and increases flexibility.
Stretching your muscles will keep them flexible and limber, preventing and preparing you for the next day’s workout with more energy and stamina.
Learn Proper From
Bad form not only makes it difficult to get the most out of your workouts, but it also puts your body at risk, increasing the likelihood of pain and injury. Here are a few examples of bad form to watch out for:
- Straining the knees: Always keep your knees behind your toes when doing squats or lunges. If you push your knees forward, you’re straining your knees, and this can result in injury.
- Rounding the back: While performing exercises such as dumbbell rows, avoid rounding the back in order to avoid back injuries. Keep it flat or slightly arched.
- Using momentum: Another common mistake is swinging weights. This allows you to use momentum in helping you lift them. Sometimes we do it without realizing, so it’s important to check in the mirror and make sure you’re using your muscles. Using momentum can lead to injuries.
Add Variety to Your Workouts
If you do the same routines for weeks or months, you keep putting stress on the same muscles and joints, which can lead to overuse injuries like stress fractures, tendonitis, and shin splints.
Experiment with activities that require a variety of muscles and movements. For instance, if you run, switch to a low-impact activity like swimming.
It’s important to shake things up a bit. This can mean new moves, a different training strategy, or a different workout schedule.
Start With High Rep, Low Resistance
Lifting something heavy and letting out a Hulk-like roar may make you feel like you’re crushing it, but it’s the fastest way to hurt yourself. You can safely progress to heavier weights, but first, you should create a lean muscle foundation by doing plenty of reps with lighter weights.
We know that choosing the right weights can be difficult since you’ll have days when you can lift more than on others, but unless you have a good spotter nearby, too light is better than too heavy.