9 Workout Don’ts: Get Healthy, Not Hurt

It might not be official, but I think we could all agree that January is National Sweat Month. Because so many set resolutions to get in shape or drop some weight, gyms are packed this time of year as people try to sweat off those Christmas cookies! I think being active is awesome, but you have to do it right or you can end up hurting more than helping. Here are 9 great tips to prevent that from happening and help you on your way to a fitter you!

Don’t Overdo It: It’s tempting to just go all in and hit the weights and cardio hard. If you’ve gone from nothing or a relatively sedentary life to that, there’s a good chance you are going to hurt yourself. Ease your body into your workouts slowly, and then increase with time. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and your healthy body won’t be either.

Don’t Under Do It: Our bodies are capable of pretty awesome feats. Push yourself outside of that comfort zone and you’ll see some great results. If you’ve been slowly walking on the treadmill for months, increase your incline or pick up your pace. If you use the same pound weights for every workout, try increasing that weigh by a small amount. Just going through the motions, slowly and mindlessly churning the elliptical without barely breaking a sweat won’t get you to your goals. A good rule of thumb is to lift weights that you can do for 10-12 repetitions with the last 3-4 reps becoming more challenging. If you’ve been lifting the same weight for over 6 weeks, it’s time to change up your routine, either by increasing your weights, reps or sets. You have to push yourself!

Don’t Work Through Pain: With that said, there is a difference between exhaustion and pain. Pushing yourself to your limit is a good thing. Pushing through the exhaustion in a good thing. Pushing through pain is not. If you are feeling pain during workouts {different from soreness or a chest on fire!}, stop your workout. Continuing on and ignoring that pain means you are ignoring your body’s warning signs. There could potentially be a serious injury brewing and you can make that much worse if you try to power through the pain!

Don’t Rely on the Equipment: If you have to hold onto the equipment for dear life to finish your workout, you should reduce the incline or the speed. Not only does gripping the treadmill, etc. allow you to cheat, it also prevents you from moving your arms and causes slouching. None of that is helpful and all of it is harmful. You aren’t doing your body any good setting the speed or incline higher than you are able to handle without leaning on the equipment for support.

Don’t Lose Your Form: Speaking of slouching, bad posture can be especially harmful when working out. If your spine is not in alignment when you are exercising, some serious back and neck injuries can occur. You are often pushing your body to the max, so make sure you properly set your body up for each exercise to prevent injury. Proper posture stabilizes your core and lower back. If you start to fatigue, make sure your form does not suffer, If you feel it slipping, modify your exercise or lower your speed or weights.

Don’t Mimic People: It’s tempting to try to duplicate it when you see a trainer showing a client some awesome new exercises, or when the person beside you does something that you want to incorporate into your own workout. If a personal trainer or gym rat is doing a certain move, they are basing it upon their client’s or their capabilities and goals. They are not you. Their abilities may differ vastly or they may be doing a program customized to their strengths which are not your strengths. Plus, doing exercises without knowing the proper form and technique can cause injury, pain and discomfort. Copy cat workouts are a no-no!

Don’t Drop Weights: You’re doing some heavy lifting. Your are tired and so you do what so many others do: drop the weight. This is not only harmful to the gym floor, but it can strain muscles as well. Plus, so many toe injuries occur when weight bounce or roll when dropped. Avoid this by simply setting those weights down instead of dropping them. Easy peasy!

Don’t Go It Alone: Spotters are important. If you are doing an exercise that has potential for injury without a spotter, regardless of how fit you are, do not go it alone. When doing an overhead exercise or when using heavy weight, forgoing a spotter can result in injury or worse. You risk your muscles giving out and can end up stuck under the bar or weights. You can cause some serious injuries to yourself and even those around you. Use a buddy or ask a gym employee to take a minute and spot you.

Don’t Hold Your Breath: Just breathe! Holding your breath causes a sudden surge of blood to the heart and disrupts the cardiac rhythm. This can send blood pressure soaring and is pretty dangerous during your workouts. So focus on deep breaths in and out. It’ll also help keep you from turning bright red!

Any big workout no-no’s I missed? Any great tips?

~Mavis

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