Are you new to exercising and afraid of getting injured? I don’t blame you; the number of people who get injured everyday is quite alarming. This might make you think a hundred times before taking the scary decision of going to the gym or simply participating in any kind of sport. However, you don’t have to worry if you keep the following few simple tips in mind while exercising.
Train smart, not stupidly hard
When you start to exercise, you should keep in mind that you won’t achieve the desired results overnight. Don’t push yourself too hard during the first couple of weeks in order to reach your goal faster. You should train smart by progressing one step at a time. Be careful, because if you push yourself too hard, you might put yourself at a higher risk of injury since your body and muscles will not be ready for such a strenuous progression all of a sudden.
Listen to your body
This is a very important tip, but unfortunately many people don’t take it seriously. You should always listen to your body in order to know when to stop, when to maintain and when to increase the intensity of your exercise. Most chronic injuries don’t arise out of the blue; they are the consequence of not paying attention to the mild pain or the mild injury for too long. You know that mild hamstring stretch you’ve been suffering from for weeks? It might end up being a serious muscle tear if not treated properly from the beginning. Basically, as time passes, the mild injury worsens causing some more serious problems.
It’s about the quality, not the quantity
You should always keep this one in mind when working out. When performing an exercise, always pay attention to the form and the technique, not to the number of counts you’re doing. It doesn’t matter if you’ve hit 100 pushups in a minute, if you’re not doing it right. Do yourself a favor and don’t waste your energy and time lying to yourself! Additionally, don’t skip your rest days. They are as important as your active days; they give your body the time needed to recover.
Never imitate anyone
It’s okay to have a role model or a famous fitness figure as a target in mind. But it’s not okay to blindly perform the same workout or adopt the same routine they’re following. They might have been exercising for years in order to be able to reach such an advanced level. Your body might not handle such a vigorous routine if you’re still a beginner. Putting your body under such a pressure might cause an overload which leads to injury.
It’s not shameful to ask
If you’re new to the gym, and you have no idea where to start or can’t perform a specific exercise, never be shy to ask. If you perform it incorrectly, you’ll put yourself at a higher risk of injury. Additionally, it’s preferred to follow a personalized workout/diet plan customized specifically for you to get the result you need. It’s not advisable to aimlessly keep on trying random plans if you don’t have enough knowledge about your capabilities and what can work best for your body to get to the expected results.
Pay attention to what you eat
Unfortunately, when it comes to losing weight, many people train like crazy while starving themselves. This is absolutely wrong! When your body doesn’t get the required amount of nutrients, it stops functioning in a healthy way. You might put your body into starvation mode without realizing. Such an unhealthy way of losing weight can cause deficiency in more than one aspect.
Stretch properly
Last but not least, you should always stretch before and after your workout. A nice warm up and a mild dynamic stretching is recommended before your exercise, while a static stretching is advisable after you’re done. Never skip this golden rule!
You’re now ready for a powerful safe workout. Good luck!
