By Mrunal Nikam / 15 Sep 2021
Many of us are into different exercise routines as it is very subjective for individuals that which type of exercise keeps them moving in the age of sedentary Lifestyle. We also decide what type of exercise routine to follow based upon our ultimate goal that we want to achieve. Some of us want to increase the endurance so they explore cardiovascular exercises (the exercises which pump your heart) which can be achieved by different activities like swimming, Zumba, aerobics , HIIT (high intensity interval training) or simply by spending sometime on equipment like treadmill, cross trainer or elliptical, exercise bikes etc. Those who want to increase the flexibility and tone their body go for yoga or Pilates. The individuals who want to improve the strength go for body weight exercises like squats, planks, push ups etc. Many of the people in this category prefer strength training and go for the gym to lift weights others purchase the equipments and set up their own home gyms with simple equipment like dumbbells or kettlebells or with the different machines like Rowers, Shoulder Press and chest press to target the specific muscle groups.
Always make sure that you are workout program is right for you. Be it any type of exercise, injuries can occur if you don't pay attention to your safety here are few steps to prevent workout injuries.
Don't compare your journey with others
When you exercise in gyms or in fitness studios then the other people are around, you may tend to compare yourself with them. It can give you some motivation to push yourself a bit but this factor is majorly a double-edged sword. There are some adverse effects on the body when you take on too much physical activity at once. This is where the overuse injuries come into picture from going too fast beyond your limits or trying to go out of the way to keep exercises for too long or even lifting too much heavy weight beyond your current carrying capacity. Any of the above mechanism can generate excessive tension or strain in your muscles and it can lead to chronic injuries.
Warmup and cool down exercises
Regular exercise is good for your body and safe for almost everyone. It is the best thing that you can ever do for yourself, but for getting the best out of it you need to do a little planning. There are warm up and cool down exercises, you need to perform them as they help to avoid the injuries by increasing the blood flow and preparing your muscle fibres before you pick up the pace. You should also perform cool down exercises and gradually bring your vitals like your heart rate and body temperature back to normal.
Get educated
You should get educated about the basics of workouts. You should get to know the significance of particular exercise so that you can bring that into regular practice for your own improvement. There are many incidences of injuries because there is a lack of knowledge about exercises in the major part of our population. For example, stretching exercises at the end of your workout sessions are great to reduce the soreness as well as they increase the flexibility, but it should not be performed on cold muscles as it may lead to muscle strain. You can stretch either after you have warmed up or after you have exercised enough.
Plan your workout routine wisely.
If you are back to workout after a break then you need to go easy on yourself for the first few days to avoid extreme soreness or other injuries. If you haven't been able to exercise because of any health condition then you should exercise only after Consulting your doctor to make sure that you are healthy enough to come back to exercise.
Use the right equipment.
This is probably the most important factor you should consider to avoid injuries. It is very important to make sure that your equipment is in good condition and you are maintaining it it time to time. It should fit you properly and should be rightly designed for your activity. Always go for branded equipments to ensure your safety. use correct sports accessories to avoid injuries like good running shoes when you are jogging outside or proper helmets when you are cycling outdoors.
Hire a personal trainer
If you are new to any type of exercise you should learn the correct posture, form and breathing techniques to perform the exercise in the right way. A bad posture or incorrect technique can give you pain for weeks. Try how to install a mirror in your workout space that helps to correct your form and technique and gives you feedback of your posture which can minimise the chances of injury. So to avoid injuries consider taking lessons from experience people for hire a personal trainer for a while to learn the exercise techniques rightly.
Rest and relax.
Rest is a critical element of all training programs and is necessary to allow time for the body to recover from the acute effects of exercise associated with muscle fatigue or to offset pains like exercise induced, delayed-onset muscle soreness. Only with adequate rest intervals muscle performance can be improved. Therefore, rest between sets of exercise and between exercise sessions is necessary.
To conclude for preventing injuries try to have versatility in your workouts so that you will use different sets of muscles every time and the over use injuries will be avoided. Always stay hydrated to avoid muscle cramps. For sustaining any type of exercise routine, the key is to push gradually. Listen to your body and take your time but workout consistently and achieve your fitness goals while enjoying the journey!
