When we go to the gym, we want to get the most out of our workouts. Whether it’s losing weight or gaining muscle, physical fitness is an important part of our lives. But sometimes, injuring ourselves can interrupt our progress. And when we need time to recover, it even means refraining from activities like working out. Find out the seven ways that fit people injure themselves at the gym so you know not to make the same mistakes they did.
Failure to Warm Up
This is obviously a no brainer. If you don’t stretch, you’ll end up pulling a muscle. If you fail to warm up your muscles, you risk injuring them also. We get it, you’re probably crunched for time on such a day where it’s easy to skip the warm up period and go straight to the day’s workout. Not a good idea to do that. And your body will tell you this the hard way if you keep doing it consistently. So please, stretch and do proper warm ups before you begin your workouts for the day. It doesn’t matter if it’s leg day. Just do it.
Loss of Proper Form
It’s the last set and you’re down to your final three reps. The last two sets may have already sucked a bit of life out of you. So as you’re finishing up, your form is no longer the right form. And as a result, you pull a muscle. To maintain proper form, keep your spine straight and the mass on your heels. The more centered you are and the better your form, the less likely you’ll get injured.
Milking the Pain
You’re dealing with the pain of a pulled muscle. No big deal, right? You can push through it. If you think that, you’re wrong. If you’re dealing with persistent pain, there’s a good chance that it may be a sign of something serious. If you push yourself through the pain or “milk it”, you’re setting yourself up for something worse.
Pushing Too Hard
There’s always a fine line between how strong you think you are and how strong you actually are. Sometimes, the rush of endorphins will develop that “I think I’m stronger than Hercules” mentality. The smart thing to do is put in more reps as opposed to maxing out your weight. If the weight is too simple to lift, up it a bit. 5 pound increments are ideal.
You’re Not Resting
While the idea of working out seven days a week is appealing, your body might not appreciate it. When you’re working out, you’re tearing your muscles. You’ll have to rest them in order for them to get stronger. Just because it’s a rest day doesn’t mean it can be a lazy day. On your rest days, do something light like a jog or a walk. Or you can focus on other areas of your body.
You’re Not Mixing It Up
Your workouts don’t always have to consist of pumping iron. If anything, cardio should also be an important part of your fitness routine. So do about 2 or 3 days cardio in between your usual free weights workouts. Also, be sure to focus on other parts of your body. Focus not just on your arms, but your abs. Focus not just on your chest, but legs. Have you seen someone with arms like Popeye, but legs like a chicken? Yeah, that would be an unusual sight to see.
Wearing the Wrong Shoes
Not all shoes are created equal. You have running shoes, tennis shoes, basketball shoes. You need a pair of shoes that is designed for a specific purpose. For example, running shoes move forward instead of side to side. If you wear them to an aerobics class, you’ll risk spraining your ankle. That’s never a good thing. Mix up your shoe collection a bit and never rely on one pair to do it all.
Conclusion
Preventing yourself from getting injured at the gym is important. These 7 ways should serve as a warning of what you shouldn’t do before or during your workouts. If you keep yourself injury free, you will have no trouble being able to meet your fitness goals right on time.