How to Not Get Injured While You Train, Work Out, and Exercise

Working out has become a routine for many people, both old and young. Back then, working out was considered to just help in keeping in shape and losing weight but today most doctors advise on exercise as a way of keeping lifestyle diseases at bay.

Group of adults doing push up exercisesIf you work out regularly, you know that sometimes pain is part of the process. But should pain and injuries be an end result to exercise? I enjoy training. It’s one of those ways I get to connect with my body, and it leaves me feeling energized and ready to take on whatever life throws my way. This is the effect exercising should have on all of us. But when injuries become part of the routine, then it kills all the fun.

How to train in a way that prevents injuries

Working out should not cause you bodily harm. Of course, some pain will be present during your initial days as the muscles try to adjust to the new routine. Other than that, injuries should be non-existent. You should always aim on exercising in a way that prevents injuries. So just how can you do this?

Warm up

How to Not Get Injured While You Train, Work Out, and ExerciseAny trainer will tell you that warming up just before you start your session and after is very essential. Why? Warming up before training relaxes your muscles and prepares them for the routine. Stretching will not only warm your muscles up but it will also get your blood circulation at a faster rate in the body. This ultimately prevents injuries because the muscles are now flexible and ready. After training, you should warm up once again to avoid cramping of the muscles later on, which is a common occurrence. Warming up just takes you 5-10 minutes and it’s a small price to pay to keep your body injury free.

Striking the right poses

You will be surprised to know that most people do not exercise the right way. This is especially the case if you train at home. There is no one around to ensure you are doing the right thing. Most of the exercises we do only have one right way of doing them. For instance, you may come to realize you have been doing planks or push-ups all wrong your entire life. It is essential that you get a trainer to show you how to exercise properly. This prevents injuries in the long run because just by striking the wrong pose, you risk injuring either your back or tearing your muscles. If you feel pain while training, it’s either you are doing it wrong, or you are exercising the wrong muscles, which happens more times than you can imagine. Pain is an indication that you should stop what you are doing immediately and seek help from a trainer.

Always listen to your body

Knowing your body also goes a long way in helping you avoid getting injuries while training. Sometimes you feel like you can’t reach the reps you normally reach on a normal day but you still decide to push yourself. What is likely to happen is you may end up tearing or straining a muscle in the process. When you feel like you can’t go on, it’s simply your body asking you to take a break. If you know your body really well, you will do performs as it says. You should strive to read and understand the signs that your body gives you. This will save you a lot in the long run.

Rest

Young people resting at gymDo not always push yourself too hard. Your body needs time to rest, recover and be ready for the next session. One of the things I learned was that I needed to take days off from training. For instance, if you are used to exercising every day, try to cut back to three or four days a week and rest for two days. This is bound to leave you feeling better and I can guarantee that in your next training session you will be full of energy and vigor.

Can you stop back pain by training your back?

When suffering from back pain, most professionals will advise that you take it easy and rest. While this may actually work, it may also end up undermining the healing process leaving you with a stiff back. There are exercises you can do if you have back pain, to ease the pain and leave you feeling as good as new. This is essential if you are experiencing lower back or mid back pain. This kind of pain can be eased by training your back.

woman doing exercise for back in gymHowever, these exercises should be done in in a progressive manner, where you start off with mild ones and progress to more involving techniques. Eventually, your back tissues and ligaments will be strengthened, and this will also prevent future pain occurrences.

Stretching

You can start slow by stretching for around five minutes each day. Your back muscles and tissues will thank you for it. You will feel more relaxed and your muscles will regain their flexibility. A good start can be a half lunge. You are not ready for the full lunge just yet.

Strength training

Not enough credit is given to strength training and most people seem to shy away from these exercises. If you are having back pain, this might just be your savior. Not only will these traditional resistance exercises leave your body feeling stronger, but they also stabilize your body to its original form. Try body squats, and I can guarantee an almost instant back transformation.

Yoga

I love yoga, and so should you especially if you have back pains. This is an advanced form of stretching that go a long way in making your back muscles more flexible. Yoga combines both strength training and stretching.it will tighten your lose muscles and relax the tight ones. A child’s pose should be a good start. There are some instances when you should opt out of exercising and see a doctor. If the pain persists for more than a month or it gets worse when you lie on your back, it’s time to ditch the mat and make an appointment.

How to fix muscular imbalances to prevent injuries

Most of the exercises we engage in, seem to exercise almost similar muscles in the body. What happens is some of these muscles become overworked in the process leaving them brittle. For instance, when lifting weights, you focus more on the chest muscles and forget other muscles in the body. Muscle imbalances are caused when some muscles are more overworked than others. Our bodies rely so much on these muscles and as a result, we end up with injuries when we try working out. It’s of utmost importance that we learn how to keep this from happening.

Test out your muscles

Professionals advise on testing the various muscles in your body to identify the strong ones and the weakest links.

Orthopedist Massaging the shoulderExercise should be all about strengthening the weakest parts of your body.it should not be about trying out the easiest or the routines we like most. The first thing you should do when working out is perform a test to assess your muscles. Then, create a training routine geared to exercise the weakest muscles to get them on the same level as the strong ones.

Try out different exercises

Do not focus on a specific type of training geared on working out a specific set of muscles. To avoid muscle imbalances, incorporate various exercises in your workout routine. This will keep opposing muscles in play and no muscle risks being neglected.

Pre-habilitation exercises

You may have noticed that it’s always the same parts of your body that are prone to injury when you are training. Well, you are not paranoid. Some of our body parts get injured often because they are involved in almost all exercises. These are the chest, shoulders and hips. One way to avoid this occurrence is to train the muscles around these parts. Prehabilitation seeks to rejuvenate and strengthen the back and upper body muscles and condition them to get injured less. You can try glutes, bridges and physio ball push-ups as part of the prehabilitation routine.

Should working out make you hurt?

The question about soreness after or during a workout routine has been debated for years now. Some people view soreness as proof of progress in the gym which may not necessarily be the case. So why does it hurt when you work out and your body remains sore for days?

Portrait of a fitness man

Well, there is no simple way to answer this question.to start with, exercising should not hurt. When it does, you are probably doing the routine wrong. Having a proper form during training is vital to prevent injuries from occurring. Also, form is important for progress. You may be wondering why even after all those push-ups and planks you can’t see any change. Perhaps, you have been doing it wrong this whole time. Sometimes, you may be sore after your first days of training or trying out a new routine. This happens because your muscles were not flexible enough or they have not adjusted to the new routine just yet.

It’s a common occurrence, so don’t fret. To ease into a new working plan seamlessly, always stretch before or after every training session. The soreness will go away after a few days, and you will be able to keep training without having to worry about getting hurt. To always stay ahead of soreness, ensure that you progress with your workouts and change routines every once in a while. For instance, if you have been lifting 10lbs, progress to 20lbs.you can increase the number of reps per routine, decrease your rest time or even change your tempo. When your body is subject to such changes, it’s always ready for anything. The best part is, working out won’t hurt anymore. However, when it keep hurting for more than two days, and the pain keeps progressing, it may be time to see a doctor. Do not assume that the pain will go away if it’s accompanied by other worrying symptoms.

How to stop soreness from happening

You probably experience this more times than you can remember.to you, it’s even become normal to be sore after hitting the gym. But should this be the case? Learning how to avoid feeling sore the day after training should be your top priority if you plan to make working out a habit. No one should ever have to wake up the next day feeling like a truck ran them over. So just how can you prevent this from happening?

Always hydrate

It should not come as news to you that you should always keep hydrated. This is especially during your training sessions. Water keeps the body going and keeps you on your toes. Ensure that you drink before, during and after your sessions and sore muscles will be a thing of the past.

Eat the right foods.

Well, you need the energy to be in the right form for exercise and proper nutrition makes this happen. Not only will eating the right foods give you the energy you need, but your muscles will remain in good shape.

Strong man holding a bowl of fresh salad

Loading up on foods like bananas and healthy protein shakes will repair your muscles preventing any soreness.

Warm-up

It’s always good to warm up right before beginning your training and right after. Stretching before exercising relaxes your muscles and prepares them for the training. This will only take a few minutes of your workout sessions to prevent any muscle soreness thereafter.

Regulate your workout intensity

Sometimes your body is not ready to go ham in the gym. Always listen to your body and in such days, opt for a simpler routine. You can decide to still do the high intensity workouts and end up tearing your ligaments in the process. You will also be sore after such workouts. All this can be avoided if you take it easy sometimes to allow your muscles to relax.

Most important muscle groups to train for injury prevention

There are many different muscles in our bodies. We exercise a combination of some of these muscles in one routine. For instance, when lifting weights, you train the chest, shoulders and back muscle groups. To prevent injuries from happening during your work outs, you should seek to properly strengthen core muscles. These are chest, back, shoulders and legs. They are the most used muscles in the body and therefore, their stability means the whole body is covered. The best way to achieve this is by strength training. However, you should ensure that you start small and progress gradually. Be consistent with your routine to ensure your body gets used to it fully.Expect soreness during your initial training sessions especially if your body is not used to such routines. The soreness goes away after a few days. Do not forget to rest in between your reps. Also, take some days off every week to allow your muscles too relax and heal in case of any tears.

Top stretches to lower chances of injury

You love working out, and there’s nothing worse than getting injured and having to spend a few days healing. These are days you could have used starting that new routine you’ve been studying all week. Accidents do happen. Sometimes, there is nothing we can do to keep injuries completely at bay. But there a few tricks on how to lower chances of getting injured. The most important trick being stretching before and after a workout. Stretching will ensure that your muscles are flexible which also prevents them from tearing. Below are some of my favorite stretches.

Standing forward fold

Stand straight then bend forward, making sure to touch your toes. Keep your back and legs straight. This helps in stretching the thigh muscles and lower back and also ensures you keep hamstrings at bay.

Figure four stretch

As you are standing tall, ensure your shoulders are back. Place your right ankle on your left thigh and slowly begin to lean forward, as you slightly bend your standing leg. Hold this position for 20 seconds then switch legs. This stretch will help you strengthen your thigh muscles and your back.

Child’s pose

When looking to fully stretch your back muscles, this is your go to stretch. While kneeling on the ground, feet together, lean backwards and place your weight on your heels. Lower your torso completely between your legs. Your hands should stretch in front of you. Slowly lower your forehead on the ground and keep breathing.

How to strengthen your full range of motion

We all want to be good at whatever we seek out to do, working out included. It’s pretty common to come across people doing it all wrong or not going all the way. It’s very important to have a full and longer range of motion when exercising. People are different, and this is what helps you do a full squat while your friend is unable to go down all the way. You may want to strengthen your range of motion to enable your body stretch all the way, as its supposed to.so how can you attain this level of flexibility?

Stretches

Flexibility is very much dependent on strength of the muscles.to be able to increase your flexibility, try out different kinds of stretches everyday targeting various muscles of the body.

man doing stretching exercisesThis will ultimately strengthen these muscles which subsequently increases their flexibility levels. Do not rely on the same stretches all the time. Invest your time in finding out new ones you can try. Ensure to stretch before your work out to prevent injuries and after your work out as well. The best part about these stretches, they will ensure your core is strengthened, your muscles more flexible and above all, injuries will be a thing of the past.

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