Every serious fitness enthusiast during a workout has suffered some or the other form of injuries. At times these injuries are grave enough to cause a serious hindrance in the training efforts. And at times these injuries are nothing more than just a little discomfort which soon recovers and heals by itself. How and why these injuries occur? How can you avoid injuries?
Here are few points following which you can reduce the chances of getting injured during a workout.
1. Have a physical/medical check up before starting any training program:
Get a routine physical / medical check up done before you start any sort of physical workout in a gym. If you suffer from any medical condition, you can discuss with your doctor or fitness trainer about it. It will help you determine your limits. Following these limits will make you less prone to injuries.
2. Learn the correct posture:
Always try to learn the correct posture and form of all exercises from a qualified and competent fitness trainer before you start hitting the weights at full steam. Often, injuries suffered in the gym are a result of poor lifting posture and form, so learning the correct way to workout is the best way forward. This is not only for the newbie, but also advisable for the experienced trainee. Good form or posture should never be sacrificed in order to lift heavy weights.
3. Gradually increase intensity:
Intensity of exercises, whether they are strength training workout or aerobic activity, should be increased gradually and according to one’s capabilities. Often people try to emulate other people or athletes by following their workout schedules and diet plans. This approach is bound to boomerang as every person has different capabilities and different strength and the training program should suit individual needs.
Nowadays people often try to follow celebrities’ workout schedules and try to train like them. They go by their words that they have built a jaw dropping physique in a matter of months. You never know what goes on behind the scenes. So it is better not to follow any other’s footsteps; instead try to forge your own workout path.
4. Warm up:
A proper warm up before a workout is extremely necessary to stay injury free and to be able to perform according to one’s best of capabilities. Warm up is a very important part of a fitness training regime and should never be overlooked. Warm up consists of two phases namely: General warm up and specific warm up.
In general warm up effort is made to warm up the whole body as a unit which leads to a slight rise in your heart beat and results in better coordination and helps the body to work as a unit. It can be done by jogging, skipping, walking, cycling etc.
Specific warm up is warming up of a particular muscle that is going to be trained. It can be done by performing a few light sets of the first exercises that you are going to perform on that particular schedule. For eg., if you are going to perform bench press, a few light sets of bench press would be good enough. It should also be noted that it is also useful to warm up the assisting muscles for that particular muscle group that you are going to target. Carrying on our example of bench press, it would be right to warm up a few sets of shoulders and triceps as well.
5. Cool down:
Like warm up, cool down after a workout is very helpful. It allows body to return to its natural state following the exercise. It should include stretching and some light aerobic work.
6. Hydration:
Another very important point is to stay hydrated. A dehydrated body is very prone to injuries, especially cramps. So, always drink water before you workout and continue drinking water during your training.
So, if you follow these simple workout guidelines, you will be pretty safe from injuries and be zooming on the path to fitness.
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Yogaditya Singh Rawal
