3 Ways to Lower Risk of Injury at the Gym

One thing that, by now, everyone knows is great for you is to work out often. It offers a ton of physical and mental benefits that we should all look to take advantage of. But the problem with some people is that they are so concerned with the working out they forget about injury prevention. You can suffer some really serious injuries while at the gym and use these three tips to lower the risk of that happening.

1. Ease Into It/Warm Up

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Each and every workout you have should begin with some kind of warm up and should end with some kind of cool down. Whether this is a quick jog on the treadmill, some stretches or anything in between. This will gradually increase your heart rate and will get your muscles and joints ready for your workout. Also, always start with lower reps and intensity when starting a new program. Working out is about growth, not trying to rush to a certain weight on the bar.

2. Keep Your Workout Varied

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Switching up your routine from time to time and working different muscles groups on different ways can also help with lowering injury risk. If you work out the same core set of muscles each and every day in an unsafe manner, you can greatly increase your chances of overworking and injuring those areas. Repetitive-use injuries can be some of the most painful and annoying to deal with, so do your best to steer clear of them.

3. Give Your Muscles Time to Recover

(source: livestrong.com)

When you get in a rhythm, it can almost feel like you are “cheating” if you don’t go to the gym every day, but don’t underestimate the need for rest days here and there. If you are constantly working and working your body and muscles to exhaustion every day, your risk of injury goes through the roof. If already tired and fatigued muscles are getting pushed even harder, the chances of them failing are high.