11 Tips For Injury Free Weight Training

Here is a list of some important safety tips that should be followed by all weight trainers. These tips can help prevent injury and help speed progress in building lean muscle and burning off stubborn bodyfat.

(1) Have a medical check up before you begin working out, especially if you have been living a sedentary lifestyle over the past year or more.

(2) Always warm up prior to working out. Most injuries are the result of jumping into a heavy workout too quickly. A good warm up only takes a few minutes, but it can prevent pulled muscles and injured joints.

 

(3) Use collars on all barbells. If you forget to put the collars on the barbell, the plates may fall off. This can cause serious injuries such as muscle tears, pulled tendons, etc. Play it safe, and use the collars.

 

(4) Use a spotter when necessary. When doing exercises such as bench press, squats, shoulder press, lying tricep extensions, etc. have someone stand behind you and provide assistance lifting the weight if necessary.

 

(5) Where applicable, use catch racks such as the squat rack or power rack. The rack will prevent you from getting pined under a heavy barbell. This is a must if you are working out alone and do not have a spotter.

 

(6) Use proper exercise form at all times. Training with poor exercise technique will produce poor results and increase the risk of injury.

 

(7) When unsure how to do an exercise, ask a knowledgeable instructor or experienced gym member.

 

(8) Use a weight lifting belt when doing heavy squats, deadlifts, or heavy rowing exercises. A good belt can help support the lower back muscles and help keep your back in proper alignment. However, do not use a belt for lighter exercises. Your lower back muscles need to be exercised just like any other muscle and if you wear a belt all of the time the lower back muscles will get weak.

 

(9) Dress appropriately for your workouts. If it is a cold winter's day, make sure to wear a sweat shirt and sweat pants. This will keep the muscles warm and prevent injury. The opposite applies during a warm summer's day, wear lighter clothing to keep cooler and prevent dehydration.

 

(10) Put your weights back when you are finished with them. It is not safe to have barbells and plates laying around on the floor or left on the exercise equipment. Return all equipment to it correct location when you are finished, this is good gym etiquette.

 

(11) Drink water during your workouts. This will prevent dehydration and help maintain your energy levels. Carry around a water bottle and sip water between sets. It is best to drink water that is at room temperature because cold water can cause stomach cramps while working out.

 

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How To Lift Weights Safely And Avoid Injury

Lifting weights is not all about taking steroids or posing in tight t-shirts. Building muscle mass naturally is a great way to lose weight and reduce body fat. Although muscle weighs more than body fat, muscle tissue burns up more calories than fat tissue. Building muscle mass also increases metabolism (particularly in the hours following a workout, known as the after burn), meaning that you will naturally burn more calories.

It is important you stay safe and injury free, as you build up your muscle mass, strength and stamina.

Here are some useful weight lifting tips for beginners: -

1. Start With A Good Warm Up

Just because you are lifting weights, rather than doing cardio (I recommend blending both together), it does not mean that you don't require a thorough warm up. The purpose of the warm up is to raise your heart rate and warm up your muscles, making them less susceptible to injury. A light cardio session on the treadmill or exercise bike would be ideal.

2. Your Judgment Is Key

Lifting too much weight too quickly is a common (and potentially dangerous) mistake amongst people who are new to weight training. Rushing in to lifting more and more weight because you are hell bent on being the next Stallone, will not do you much good if you damage your back. Use your judgement wisely to assess different types of exercise and the weight you can comfortably lift. When trying any new exercise, start with a minimal weight as you can always add gradually to it.

3. Adopt Good Technique and Form

The way that you lift weights and execute each individual exercise is far more important that how much weight you can lift. If you are at the gym, take advice from the professional and knowledgeable staff who will be delighted to help. If you are lifting weights at home, then read your manual (that came with the weights) before attempting an exercise. You could also ask a more experienced friend for guidance or gather information from the internet. Poor technique can put extra strain on different parts of your body (putting them at more risk) such as your back, shoulders and knees. If you have any doubt about how to execute a particular exercise correctly and safely, then leave it and seek advice before attempting it again.

4. Lift Weights Slowly

Do not rush your repetitions, stay in control and lift weights slowly. Take a good few seconds to lift and the same amount of time to bring the weight back. Lifting too quickly can cause you to lose balance or even drop the weights and cause serious injury. Avoid dropping weights down quickly and swinging them too much, slow and controlled movements are the best way to go.

5. Get Your Breathing Right

Do not hold your breath as you lift weights, it raises blood pressure and you could pass out once you exhale. Try to breath in slowly as you lift and exhale slowly as you bring the weight back, in a calm and controlled manner.

6. Take Regular Rest

Avoid lifting weights for 2 days running, give your body plenty of rest. Get more out of your sessions by mixing weights with cardio exercises or alternate sessions between cardio and strength.

Lifting weights safely will give you the time to build up strength and stamina. Eventually you will be able to attempt more complex strength exercises as you become more experienced and knowledgeable.

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Preventing Injury in Weight Lifting

I love to lift weights. It helps me look good, it's healthy, it burns calories and fat, and it's just plain fun. However it's also possible to get injured just like with any activity. If new to weight lifting, certainly have someone show you how to do it safely and correctly, and make sure you have your doctor's permission. Here are a few hints to help prevent injury.

1) Don't jerk or bounce. You want to move those weights in smooth motions, both up and down. Although an experienced lifter may occasionally do differently, for example in a "clean and jerk" Olympic weightlifting event, you shouldn't.

2) Warm up before lifting. I usually warm up with a very few minutes on a treadmill followed by stretching.

3) Use proper form. Do it right! If you don't know what the proper technique is for a particular exercise ask someone. Too many people get injuries due to proper form - and this preventable!

4) Breathe. Just do it, don't hold your breathe. Sometimes you may find your body holding its breath especially when starting out, but eventually breathing during lifting becomes second nature.

5) Don't overtrain. Our bodies grow when they're resting, not working out. Everyone will have a different tolerance for weight lifting including necessary recovery periods between exercises. For example, I find I can work each body part very hard, but then need at least 5 or more days to rest that body part. Your mileage will vary, so learn what your body likes.

Weight lifting is addictive and healthy for men and women. You can continue well into your latter years like my father who's lifting weights not at almost age 90! Follow these simple rules and use common sense to help prevent injury.

Pat writes on health and fitness topics. See Pat's latest at Women and Hair Loss and Hair Growth Vitamins for women.

Weight Lifting Programs Can Cause Injury - How To Stay Safe, Avoid Injury And Have Fun

When starting one of the many popular weight lifting programs, it is important to stay safe and within your fitness level to avoid injury. Getting injured is not only painful, but it can be very discouraging to beginners and a major setback in reaching your fitness goals.

Here are some tips to stay safe in the gym and be injury free:

Drink Water

You should always have a water bottle with you when working out. Make sure to sip water frequently during your workouts, not just at the end. This will keep your body hydrated and keep you cool while exercising. Lack of water during exercise can lead to muscle cramping and dizziness. In addition to drinking water while working out, you should get in the habit of drinking water regularly throughout the day to stay hydrated.

Technique Is Key

Most injuries in the gym are the result of using exercise machines wrong or by performing exercises with improper technique. If you are unsure how to use a piece of equipment, ask a trainer or someone else who works at your gym. They should be more than happy to show you how to properly adjust and use the equipment to avoid injury. If you are doing an exercise for the first time, have someone watch you. They can point out any flaws in your technique that you may be unaware of.

Use A Spotter

If you are doing any exercises with free weights such as squats or bench press make sure to use a spotter. A spotter will not only make sure that you stay safe when performing these exercises, they will also offer you encouragement and help motivate you when doing those last few hard reps.

Warm Up & Cool Down

Always make sure you properly warm up and cool down before and after exercising. This will go a long way to preventing injury. Pulled muscles are not fun and can be easily avoided by properly warming up before starting any exercise routine. After exercising it is always a good idea to lightly stretch. Your muscles will thank you the next day!

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