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How To Avoid Injuries When Working Out
There is no doubt you will have to spend a decent amount of time in the gym if you want to see results.
There is no doubt you will have to spend a decent amount of time in the gym if you want to see results.
Don’t think it is enough if you stop by at your local gym once in a while to do some weightlifting. It won’t have any effect if you don’t do it regularly. You must stress your muscles in order to stimulate them to grow.
Muscles only grow if they have to. This means if you overload them in a way that they activate their natural survival instinct. If your muscles don’t get a reason to grow they won’t.
People doing serious training are always at a higher risk of injury. But there are several simple steps that when performed carefully will reduce your risk of injury.
An injury is the absolute last thing you could ever hope for, as it will stop you dead in your muscle-building tracks.
Here are my five golden rules for reducing the risk of injury. If you implement them all you definitely reduce your risk of getting hurt.
1) A thorough warm-up phase
Warmup when performed correctly can substantially reduce your risk of getting hurt. It is just a twenty minute process that will prepare your body for what is about to come. The main effect of a warmup is to increase the blood flow. Do 5 minutes cardiovascular exercise before each workout and then 4-5 warmup sets.
2) Training with proper form
This should be obvious. But I see so many people neglecting this step. I see people throwing around weights in a almost ballistic manner. Remember a good exercise is not supposed to ‘look cool’ for people around you but to be effective for your muscles. So always stick to the proper form and technique for each exercise.
3) Training within your personal limits
This is not ego training here. You are not in the gym to impress people around you or show the next to your that your can lift more. This is a long-term, scientific and boring process. Always stick to your own limit - not those of somebody else. Don’t get into contests or challenges in the gym. This is training - not competition.
4) Always know when to quit
I sometimes see guys that always try to crank out a couple of extra reps at a point when they should have stopped. Don’t do it. If you cannot complete another rep in its proper form then it is time to quit.
5) Don’t ignore aches
When you carry out your training week after week it might impossible to quit at some point. However, there are certain points when you just have to stop. Never ignore signs of injuries or pain as it will probabaly get worse over time given the fact than you need 100% energy from your body.
If you have the impression that there is something wrong go see a doctor before it gets worse - even when under normal conditions you would have just waited. This is becasue intense training will amplify any small issue there is.
There is also a specific way to perform a proper weightlifting warmup, which will not only greatly decrease your chances of injury but will also result in virtually instant strength increases for your major exercises.