The worst thing that can happen to you in the gym is suffering an injury. Even a minor injury can put a pause on your fitness journey for weeks, while a serious injury could be permanently debilitating. As a result, injury prevention and treatment is an entire industry in and of itself, and even the greatest athletes of our time have entire teams to aid in the maintenance of their bodies.
Though we can’t spend $1.5 million on our bodies like LeBron James does, we can still take action to prevent injury on a budget while leading an active lifestyle. Our workout routines, schedules, diets, and knowledge of workout techniques are all factors that can help maintain our health and safety in the gym.
If you are intentional and careful when getting a workout in, you can keep yourself healthy without having to tone down your intensity.
Common Causes of Injury
A very common way to hurt yourself is to perform a workout that is too difficult for your body to handle. Attempting to lift too much during a deadlift could lead to serious leg and back injuries. Also, running longer than you can handle can lead to respiratory and leg issues.
These are typically called overuse injuries, and they can happen during any exercise routine — especially during aerobic or strength training exercises.
Any workout, even low-impact ones, can be taken too far if you attempt to do more than you can handle. Taking rest days is essential to stay injury-free.
Failure to let your body recover after physical activity is another very common cause of workout injuries. The body needs time to build on the workouts you do, and if you do not give it that time, you will do more harm than good.
Allow your body to build muscle and lung capacity by giving it the rest it needs between workouts.
In addition, don’t increase your reps (repetitions) or weight too quickly when starting a new exercise program. You don’t need to grab the biggest dumbbell as a beginner weightlifter — progress slowly to avoid injuries.
Using the wrong equipment or performing an exercise with improper form can also lead to injury. Make sure you fully understand an exercise before you attempt it at a high level. Running without proper form or the right running shoes is a recipe for shin splints, sprains, and torn ligaments.
Likewise, lifting without proper form can put you in the doctor’s office if you are not careful.
Types of Injuries
There are a plethora of injuries you might experience in the gym, but that does not mean you should take a step back from working out. Being able to identify injuries is the first step toward avoiding them.
- Muscle injuries: These are very common when working out as it is easy to put too much strain on your muscles at the gym. These types of injuries can include muscle strains, pulled muscles, and muscle tears.
A strain can lead to tightness, weakness, cramping, spasms, and swelling, while a tear can have all of these symptoms, plus increased bruising and muscle immobility.
- Joint Injuries: These types of injuries are more common with runners, but they can happen with any workout.
Stress on the knees from too much weight or too much activity can easily cause inflammation of your joints. The elbows, hips, wrists, knees, and ankles are prone to tendon injury or even bone fractures if you are not careful. While a level of muscle soreness is expected and even beneficial when working out, joint pain is never a good sign.
- Extreme Fatigue: This happens when you put too much stress on the body. While it is admirable to be able to push yourself to your limit, it is critical to be able to differentiate between healthy and unhealthy fatigue.
A high heart rate and breathing rate can be signs of a good workout, while nausea, difficulty seeing, and chest pain can be a sign of overworking. Making sure you are properly fueled and rested before going into a workout can help prevent extreme fatigue.
How To Prevent Injuries
1. Warm Up With Stretches
Stretching as a warmup is taught to us from a very young age, and it never stops being important. Do not work your muscles without stretching them properly.
During a workout, tight muscles can lead to injury. In the long run, however, increased muscle mass without stretching can lead to chronic tightness and an increased risk of injury.
Stretching and yoga routines should be a part of everyone’s workout schedule. Increased flexibility can also reduce your risk of injury as it can help prevent unwanted muscle tears.
2. Do a Cooldown
Do not go straight from a high-intensity workout into a sedentary state. A cooldown can help regulate blood flow and prevents too much buildup of lactic acid.
In addition to the cooldown, you should make sure you are ready to attend to your body’s needs immediately after your workout. When seeing to your body’s needs after training, it’s always good to keep RICE in mind: Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation.
3. Pace Yourself
Do not attempt to do more than your body can handle. Understanding your limits is key to avoiding injury; only when we know what we can handle can we push ourselves towards healthy growth.
Too much strain on our muscles and joints can cause them to give out, which could result in lasting injuries. Injuries early on in a person’s workout journey will often come from trying to do too much before their body is ready for it.
4. Eat Properly
Count your macros, especially if you are preparing for a rigorous workout. You need carbs to fuel your body and the necessary protein to encourage muscle growth.
Failure to fuel yourself properly can lead to exhaustion and nausea, which will severely limit what you can do in the gym. Too much exhaustion will make you much more prone to mistakes and injury, which can cause even more delays in reaching your fitness goals.
5. Focus on Form
Before you attempt a workout at a high level, make sure you know the proper form. When running or doing a type of cardio workout, make sure you understand how to avoid doing harm to your joints, lungs, and heart.
Before going too high in weight with a new lift, make sure you understand the dangers of the lift and how to avoid them. If it is an option, hire a personal trainer who can walk you through the safest ways to approach any given workout.
Conclusion
Taking care of your body extends far beyond your time in the gym. Prioritize healthy workouts that do not put your body in danger. Losing weeks or even months to an injury is not worth the extra weight during your lift or the additional mile on the treadmill. Take care of your body by engaging in proper form, fueling properly, and resting when you need to.
Whatever you need to keep your time in the gym efficient and safe, keep it organized with Haven Athletic Gym Duffels. Haven bags prioritize organization, and they make it easy to access any of your workout tools at any time without losing or forgetting anything.
Use your Large Haven Duffel to store your protein bars, compression sleeves, gym shoes, and anything else that can help you stay safe when working out.Haven Athletic bags are one of many workout tools you should use to make sure you are taking care of yourself in the gym.
Sources:
LeBron James Spends $1.5 Million per Year on His Body | Business Insider
How To Avoid Exercise Injuries | MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia
Preventing Sports Injuries | University of Rochester Medical Center
Preventing Injury During Your Workout | American Heart Association
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