Our Personal Trainers in Raleigh, NC practice and preach methods that will prevent injuries and allow you to train safely. Going hard in the gym can be fun, and very effective, but one false move and can get you injured. Injuries keep you out of the gym, and delay results!
Injuries can be an extremely frustrating experience. They can put us months back, losing our hard-earned progress, and can demoralize us in our journey towards better health. Moreover, injuries leading to chronic pain can cause discomfort throughout the day and interfere with regular activities. Staying pain free is critical to leading an optimal lifestyle! Listen to your body and stop if what you are doing is causing pain.
There are two types of pain that can be experienced while training. One type is metabolic and fatigue based pain; which is the burning or soreness you feel on the last few reps of a challenging set. The other is structural and inflammation based pain. The first is good, the second is bad. Learning to differentiate between this two is important if you want to toe the line between hard intense training, and being too risky.
Here are 6 tips to help you avoid injuries and work out safely:
1) Warm up
Get your body loose and warm before you start working out. Do some dynamic stretching to loosen up your muscles and prepare them for the movements you are about to perform. Additionally, make sure to start light on all the exercises and build up slowly towards your heavier sets. This will get blood pumping into your muscles and prepare them for the heavier loads they are about to endure. Raising your body temperature will allow everything to slide and move properly.
2) Proper form
Improper form is perhaps the biggest cause of workout-related injuries for most people. Incorrect form puts unnecessary stress on your joints and tendons, turning even useful exercises into potentially dangerous ones. For instance, big compound movements like squats, deadlift, and bench press are amongst the most rewarding exercises when performed with correct technique. However, these same exercises can injure your back, shoulders, or knees, when performed incorrectly.
3) Keep your ego out of the gym
Learn when to back off! Often people try to do too much too soon. They try to lift heavier weights than they can handle and attempt to perform at an intensity their bodies cannot cope with. They fall into the seductive trap of trying to impress others and their own selves in the gym. Don’t get me wrong, it is necessary to push yourself to your limits and break personal records, but sustainable progress takes time, and therefore requires patience. Try to balance intensity and determination with caution and progression.
4) Hire a personal trainer
A qualified and experienced trainer can help you avoid injuries by teaching you proper exercise form and designing workouts suited to your body’s current condition. It is possible to learn everything on your own, but this can take lots of time, research and practice. Investing in learning from a qualified professional personal trainer is always more efficient and safe.
5) Recovery
Working out breaks down your muscle fibers and creates systemic fatigue in your body. Therefore, you need adequate nutrition and rest, in order for it to repair and grow back stronger. The failure to recover properly leaves your body in fatigued state, making you more susceptible to injuries and limiting your performance.
6) Fix Asymmetries
We all have an arm, leg, or side of our body that is stronger. We often feel one side is tighter, or more prone to injury than the other. Almost all cases where an injury occurs on one side of the body, the cause is rooted in an asymmetry. It could be one muscle group is too tight, weak, or uncoordinated. Hiring a personal trainer who understands how to uncover and correct asymmetries in your body and movement is key in becoming bullet proof.