Preventing Common Exercise Injuries

October 14th, 2008 · No Comments

Now that you have begun your regular fitness regime, one thing that you must insure is injury prevention. The last thing you need is a setback such as an injury to prevent you from continuing your quest to the body you deserve.

Many people who use resistance training as their preferred form of fitness are susceptible to injuries to parts of the body that are the hardest to repair. Such areas are the back, shoulders, knees, and ankles. These areas are harder to recuperate because they are most commonly used on a daily basis.

Shoulders are quite susceptible to injury since they are activated with practically every exercise you do. The most common injury to shoulders can come from the bench press. Overloading your weight or over extending your range of motion at the bottom of the exercise may cause unnecessary strain on the rotator cuff as well as the supportive tendons and ligaments.

So keep your exercise weights within an acceptable range of your strength. It is extremely important to stretch your shoulders before lifting to prevent injury or muscle tearing. Shoulder injuries can take a very long time to mend. Since shoulders are used in so many exercises, any injury to them will stop or hinder you from doing weight training exercises.

The lower back is another area of concern for many people. Always stay conscious of your posture before lifting even the lightest of weights. Hunching over, pulling to one side, or arching your back during an exercise are the main contributors to back injury and strain. Using a weight belt like the allows excellent support during weight lifting and helps you stay conscious of your posture. I would recommend investing in one of these if you plan on weight training.

Also, strengthening the abdominal muscles will help to support your lower back thus reducing the chances of injury.

Most ankle injuries result from moving too fast and not using your whole foot for support. If you are stepping onto only the ball of your foot, rather than the whole of your foot, while lunging, squatting or stepping then you are risking the chance that your ankle will collapse to the side. An ankle injury could cause severe pain and an injury that will take months to heal.

Knee injuries often result from improper positioning of the toes or overloading weight while doing leg exercises. Your toes should always go in the same direction as your knees. If your knees are bending forward but your toes are pointing outward, then you are stressing the ligaments and tendons in your
knees by demanding them to over-stretch. This is called torquing.

Most injuries can be prevented by being conscious of your body alignment, never overloading your weights beyond your capability, and incorporating the proper stretches for each muscle group before weight training or vigorous aerobic exercise.

If you are not knowledgeable of proper technique and body position, please ask a trainer for help. Trainers will make sure that you are doing your exercises safely and effectively. Don’t be afraid or too embarrassed to ask for help. By taking the time to learn the proper way to do your workout, you are ensuring a long fitness future.






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