It’s not hard to discover that most people will enjoy the parts of their body in the gym. Putting a lot of pressure on ligaments, muscles and joints can cause injuries. where possible, you need to make sure that you have good awareness of both your upper and your lower body so that you can avoid those injuries from occurring in the first place. If you are injured, continuing to train in the injured area is not the smartest thing that you could do. 

Yes, some athletes continue to train on a sprained and taped up knee, and yes, you could engage in a turf toe taping method here, but that doesn’t mean you necessarily should continue to exercise on those damaged joints. where you can, you need to take a look at the way that you are moving in the gym and determine how you can avoid injury. You should also speak to a personal trainer because they can help you with your form and your function to ensure that you are moving the right way every single time. You could avoid injuries from occurring in the first place in the gym and you can do this by avoiding the way that you are moving in correctly. Having better awareness of your movement will help. Here are several tips to help:

  • Always warmup and stretch. There is no point in warming up the muscles that you are not going to use, but if you’re going to be warming up in the gym for leg day you need to do it properly and for the required length of time. No matter what your goals are, loosening up tight muscles is going to help you to prevent injury from the moment you get in the gym. Dynamic stretches and rowing are a perfect place to start with warming up. Foam rolling at the end of your training or in your daily routines can help you to improve your future performance and it can really help you with recovery, too.
  • Ease your way into a new program. If you start a new workout program then make sure you are being guided through it before you start doing it for yourself. This is especially the case if you are not used to the particular exercises involved. Most trainers will write programs that follow three different phases from building a foundation to firming and fat loss. Don’t go straight into an advanced training schedule that you’ve never had any input with, because you could do yourself an injury. Easing your way in is the smartest way to avoid it.
  • Perfect your technique. You should never sacrifice form for a longer workout or just a few more reps. When you don’t use the correct technique to perform an exercise you’re going to cause your body to become misaligned. You could even place your tendons and muscles and joints that could potentially cause strains or tears due to the positioning. The reason that you repeat sets of exercise is so you can be moving as efficiently as possible in your exercises. But if you’re not sure, always ask for help. 
  • Wear the right attire. Your gym shoes should not be the kind of shoes that you wear for climbing mountains. Nor should it be the kind of shoes that you were for going to the beach. You need to make sure that your gym shoes are as supportive as possible around your ankles, and they provide you good balance with your knees and hips. Having a pair specifically for training can give you the stability of light lifting specific shoes as well as the light weight flexibility that comes with those for cardio. You should also make sure that your T-shirt or your sweater is made from breathable material, and that you have something flexible on your bottom with elasticated waistbands. You should also involve yourself in the process of buying sports bras if you need them rather than regular bras.
  • Fuel up. If you want to be stronger and leaner you need to make sure that your diet is playing a role in this decision. The proper nutrition will not only help to feel your muscles, it will keep you hydrated and increase the amount of fat that you can burn. It’s not always possible to build muscle tissue or increase your energy levels without an adequate protein intake so make sure that you have your protein shakes or you are balancing with other avenues to get your protein.
  • Get to know your limits. Pay attention to your body. If you’re tired or you feel fatigued or sick, you won’t have a good time during your training. If you’re already facing an injury, make sure that you have approval from your doctor before you trade.

Main Image Credit