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Steps to Take to Reduce Chances of Injury During Exercise

crossfit injury

While exercising, most people fear getting that horrible injury. Everyone who just started exercising has more fear of gaining an injury when they finally have the motivation to start a new program in exercise. If you just start exercising for a while, it is recommended that you seek coach help to make sure that you are safe from the injury which is going to take you away from your main goal.

Moreover, you become more vulnerable to injuries as you get older. It happens because you are less agile than you used to be. And as you become old, you have also lost some of your former bone and muscle mass. According to Dr. Eric Berkson, an instructor in Orthopedic Surgery at Harvard Medical School and director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Sport Performance Center, your injury also recovers slower as you are getting old. It may take longer from a smaller injury and the injured areas remain vulnerable during the recovery process. Several common injuries which related to exercise as per Dr. Berkson are:

Tendinitis is an inflammation of a tendon, tendinitis is usually caused by overused muscle too often.

Muscle Strains are the injuries to muscles and tendons which are the tissues that connect muscle to bone.

Sprain is the injuries to ligaments that the tissues may connect the bones to one another.

ACL and Meniscus Tears of the Knee is a rip in one the ligaments that help your body to stabilize your knee or cartilage which cushions the knee joint.

Rotator Cuff Tears are the rips in the group of muscles and their tendons which may hold your arm in the shoulder socket.

When you are having injuries, you may seek chiropractors help, they may aid your recovery faster. If you want to know more about chiropractor you may read an article entitled Can My Chiropractor Help Me Lose A Few Pounds.  Injuries are common when you first start exercising in a while. But you may prevent those injuries by following  several precautions before you work out.

Get A Personal Trainer

When you want to workout but you do not know where to begin, you may find a personal trainer. Personal trainers may help you start your workout safely and assist you  in making a workout plan based on a clear set of goals such as whether you want to lose weight,  build muscle or do aerobic fitness. A professional and qualified trainer may assist you prevent many of the bad habits  which may impact your progress. A trainer may allow you to concentrate more on form rather than weight to achieve the best result. A few long hours sessions may be all you need to achieve what you want

Hire a Personal Trainer For Your Home Workouts Too

When you want to supplement your gym routine with some home workouts, or ditch the gym entirely, an in-home personal training service will help you get started.  In-home personal training services are on the rise. And these professionals specialize in designing workouts that will achieve your fitness goals from the comfort of your home.  Like their counterparts from the gym, home personal trainers will help you with proper technique to avoid unwanted injury or setbacks. Helping you safely achieve your fitness objectives.  Most of these services will also provide a free consultation, allowing you to interview your personal trainer before you hire them.

Have Your Routine Physical

Before you start your exercise programs, it is always a good idea to see your doctor for a fitness test. When you begin working out for the first time, you put more  stress on your body (particularly your joints and cardiovascular system)  because your body needs to be adapted with your new activities. By doing a six minute treadmill test, may help you determine the limitations you may place on your heart and direct the suitable workout routine based on your cardiovascular fitness.  By knowing the best exercise for you and your body condition may help you avoid fatal injuries.

Start Slowly but Consistently

When you start working out for the first time in a while, it is not uncommon for you to throw yourself into training with a high intensity. Which is not unsustainable, but can harm you. You have to start with moderate exercise of around twenty minutes three times a week and consistently build upon this baseline week on week. You may also determine your baseline intensity standard by a system called the perceived exertion scale which gauges your physiological response to exercise.   By doing it slowly, it will not burden your body too much, and your chance to experience injury will decrease.

Learn The Proper Technique

According to Harvard Medical School, when you want to start a new exercise, you have to learn the correct form first. You may learn the right form by watching exercise videos, working with your personal trainer or consulting with a physical therapist or chiropractor. Learning the proper way to do a workout may help you prevent injuries. Moreover, it may also make you achieve your goal more quickly. For instance, if you want to build your biceps muscle, by doing the proper way to lift the barbell will make your muscle grow up better and faster.

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Warm Up Before Exercise

Surprisingly many people will go directly into exercise such as weight training or treadmill run without doing any stretching or getting their muscles warmed up. According to Dr. Berkson, cold muscles are more prone to injury. Even if you are in your fittest condition, your muscles and tendons will be tight when you just start exercising for the first time. When you do not warm up before exercise, you will risk injury if you accidentally overextend or twist a joint the wrong way. A proper warm-up -such as stretching, walking or working muscles with really low weight- may improve blood flow to the working muscles and reduce stiffness. Which will potentially drop the risk of injury.

Do Not Working Out with Empty Stomach

When you are working out, you are going to burn some calories. Therefore, please do not go exercising with an empty stomach. And do not immediately go exercising after a big meal, please eating two hours before with the proper meal may help you guarantee that you have full energy for a workout.

Stay Hydrated and Get Plenty of Sleep

Most injuries occur when you are dehydrated or exhausted. Dehydration and exhaustion may appear as cramps, muscle spasms, dizziness or light-headedness. All of them may cause injuries if they are left unchecked. Therefore, please try to drink 16 ounces of water two hours before you start to workout. And while you are exercising, take additional sips throughout to replace any lost fluids. Also, make sure to have enough sleep before working out.

Dress Your Sport

Lack of proper equipment may be the cause of many sports injuries, including clothes and shoes. Whatever activities you are engaged in, make sure that you are equipped with the clothing and footwear that are appropriate to that sport. There is a reason, for example, why biking shorts are padded or certain clothes are designed to wick sweat. You don’t have to spend your fortune to get the right brand. You only have to buy something that provides ample protection against strains, impact or overheating. If you don’t know what you need, speak to a trainer who can tell you in the right directions.

Listen To Your Body

The worst fitness mantra ever created probably was “No Pain, No Gain”. Doing a workout may be hard, but it should never turn into pain. If you feel any kind of pain such as a cramp or sudden tweak, stop for a while. Give your body a rest. You may try to lower your weights or move to another muscle group until your body is feeling better to handle the stress.

In addition, if you are feeling unwell such as a cold or flu, don’t place more stress on your body. Workout, by its very nature, drives an immune response as your muscles are charged by exercise. If your immune system is low, you will probably make yourself more sick by working out. In the end, overtraining may be only as harmful to your body as your body not training enough. Please treat your body kindly and let it rest when you feel it needs to.

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The Rx Review is an independent fitness website, reporting on the Sport of Fitness, functional fitness news, The CrossFit Games, health and diet related information, and also provides reviews on sports performance products.