Concerned About Injuring Yourself When Weight Training?
I've worked with hundreds of clients over the years, both 1:1 and in a group setting.
Here are 8 proven strategies my clients have used to stay injury-free when resistance training.
Enter the gym with a plan. Jumping from one exercise to another without any structure or progressive plan will increase your risk of injury.
Whether you're 20 or you're 60, having a solid warmup should be a staple of every session. Getting muscles and joints ready for activity will reduce your risk of injury.
Focus. Don't just go through the motions when strength training, concentrate on controlling the weight.
Single limb (unilateral) exercises should be included in your routine. These will do a great job of ironing out any major imbalances.
Balance. Don't neglect body parts, especially major muscle groups such as glutes, hamstrings and core.
Progress gym exercises sensibly and stick to small % increments. Increasing a bicep curl by 20% from 10kg to 12kg is very different to jumping a deadlift from 150kg to 180kg.
Use your warmup to gauge how your body feels currently. If you're severely under-recovered and tired, or perhaps an old injury is playing up, adjust your workout accordingly.
Train your core properly. If you want to avoid injuries, aches and pains, a robust core is key. Skip the crunches and load the core like any other muscle. Think: planks, carries, rotations etc