Five Tips to Avoid Injury While Working Out

 Everyone wants to live an active life and be their best! Exercise is a must in the routine of any healthy individual. However, like everything else there are always things to understand first, in this case they will help prevent injuries! Lets go over five quick tips you can think about before your next workout to help keep you free from injury and achieving goals!

 

First, know your limits. This is quite simple but it can be tempting to want to but a heavier weight on the bar or run further than you should for various reasons. Yes, progressively overloading your system will result in strength and fitness gains but understanding when and where to push yourself is key. Pushing too hard consistently, or doing something your body isn’t ready for is not a good idea. If you are unsure about your abilities in the gym or anywhere you get excursive, start small and learn your limits.

 

Next, warm up. It is important to get these muscles ready for the stress you will be putting them through in your routine. If a muscle group is unprepared for a big lift or first set there can be unfortunate consequences. This could mean doing some stretches to get the joints ready, or starting with some warm up reps on a lighter weight before going into heavier sets. A few minutes warming up is always a better deal that a couple months healing!

 

Thirdly, stay hydrated. Of all the tips this is the simplest but perhaps the most important. Drink water before, during and after a workout to maintain your body’s fluid intake. The body needs fluid to function, especially during a workout when it is being pushed to its limits and after when it is recovering. Which leads us to the net tip.

 

Recovery. Athletes and fitness experts constantly talk about “Over-training” and no, it’s not a myth. Training too much and not allowing your body to recover will not only hurt any physical achievements gained from the workouts but will make one super prone to injury. The body is being heavily fatigued when at the gym- this stress forces the body the body to grow. It’s like pouring juice into a cup, if you pour too much juice (which is body stress) into a cup, it will overflow. This is not good. Always allow for the appropriate rest and rectory times. One should wait at least one day between heavy workouts involving the same muscle groups.

 

Lastly, proper form. Many major movements like deadlifts and squats have a wrong and right way to be performed. It’s important to learn from an informed source the correct ways to execute these lifts before attempting them. Especially if you’ve loaded the bar with some heavy weights. Talk to someone you see at the gym who is an experienced lifter about correct form, seek a trimer to help you get started, or consult the multitude of instructors who teach online in videos. Knowing the right way to do exercises will keep your muscles in the ideal positions and not expose them to over extension, or other strains they are not meant to handle.

 

Finally to stay out of the emergency room and stay strong in the gym visit the Madison Sports Injury Clinic. Visit with any of our trained professionals after a workout for pain relief, muscle stimulation, adjustments and total body maintenance. The Madison Clinic offers physiotherapy, naturopathic medicine, kinesiology, massage therapy, chiropractic care, treatment and rehabilitation of motor vehicle accidents, WSIB, compression stockings and custom made orthotics. We are conveniently located at the intersection of Yonge and Sheppard, a short walk from the Yonge-Sheppard TTC subway station in North York.