How You Can Get Injured in the Gym and Ways to Prevent It
The gym isn’t among the safest places on the earth. You can get injured if you’re not careful and yet many people do the things they shouldn’t be doing. Most of the injuries which happen in the gym can take a long time to recover from – if not forever.
There are recognizable patterns to how people get injured in the gym. You can save yourself a lot of pain and trouble by learning from these patterns. Be wise and learn from the mistakes of others.
Not Warming Up
Most people make the mistake of jumping right into their workouts without warming up. Weight training without warming up is like stepping on a treadmill running at high speeds. You’re sure to fall on your face.
Fix – Do a light warm-up before lifting weights. Don’t just warm-up the muscle you’ll be training, stretch out your entire body. It’s advisable to do a couple of minutes of cardio before you start training. Don’t do anything which fatigues you before you get to your working sets.
Bad Form
Bad form is probably the biggest factor which sends people from the gym to the doctor. Lifting weights with a bad form is arguably worse than not lifting weights at all. Lifting with a bad form recruits the secondary muscles which are weaker than the primary muscles which the exercises are intended to target.
Fix – Before jumpstarting your fitness journey and going along all by yourself, take the help of a professional and learn how to perform the exercises correctly. Learning to perform the exercises with the right form can take some time. So, be patient while being consistent.
Using Heavy Weights
Many people let their egos get in the way of building muscle mass and get injured. Contrary to the popular belief, lifting heavy weights won’t speed up the muscle building process. Make sure you don’t confuse bodybuilding with weight or powerlifting.
Fix – Get used to training with the right form before incrementally increasing the weights. Building muscle mass and conditioning requires contracting the muscles with every rep and establishing a mind-muscle connection.
Not Using Gym Accessories
Gym accessories can help you in the gym by making your lifting routines easier and more comfortable. A minor slip up while training without gym gear can cause fatal injuries which otherwise could be avoided.
Fix – If you have weak or aching joints, you’ll be better off lifting with accessories like the knee or elbow sleeves, wrist wraps, and a weightlifting belt. Consult a physician before training if you have prevailing back or joint pains or injuries.
Jumping Levels
Some people get impatient when they don’t see results and try to jump levels. Putting more stress on your muscles than they can handle or are ready for can lead to muscle tears.
Fix – Don’t try to speed up the muscle building process by doing intermediate level workouts if you’re a beginner. Know the stage you’re on, get the right workout plan designed and be patient with your progress.
Have you ever been injured while working out? Let us know in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook and Twitter.
