It is true that going to the gym has been a regular activity for many people in modern society. Going to the gym can be very good for us for a number of reasons. Firstly it means you’re getting regular exercise which is good news by almost any scale of healthy living, but it’s also about a lot more than that. Getting plenty of exercise is good for your wellbeing for a number of different reasons including increasing your metabolism, improving your immune system and keeping yourself active. So whether you’re hitting the gym in the hope of losing some weight, maintaining a healthy lifestyle or building your muscles, it is always a good thing.
But anyone who has ever gone to the gym and taken part in sessions with an instructor will know that one thing that they always emphasise is good posture. Having the right posture not only makes it easier for your to perform the exercises and build muscle, it also ensures that you don’t injure yourself by placing too much strain on the wrong parts of your body. The vast majority of injuries at the gym are not caused by carelessness, or attempted to do something that you shouldn’t – it is by having bad posture and form when you attempt to use the equipment.
Getting the right form is absolutely essential if you want to avoid injury and get the most out of your workout. Key factors include making sure you’re in the right position, taking things slowly and thinking through every move you’re going to make, and using the correct breathing techniques when you attempt to perform any lift or move. If you don’t you risk stopping your gym patronage before it even starts.
There are a few things that you certainly need to do if you’re going to go the gym and stay healthy and free from injury. The first, and perhaps most important, aspect of lifting weights might seem like something that it entirely obvious but for many people it is the starting point for injury. And that is that you should choose the right level of weight. Too many people attempt to overload themselves too early. Take things slow and gradual and build up your strength. Even if some of your muscles are capable of lifting very heavy weights, it could be that others are not developed enough to take the strain. Of course you need to push yourself, but at the beginning it is extremely important to take things slowly.
Next you need to ensure that you are performing your chosen exercise the correct way. Take to the gym instructor or your personal trainer for specific guidelines on how to perform the exercise the right way. If you don’t do this you are opening yourself up to injury as the incorrect posture will place the strain of the weights on your weakest areas. This can not only lead to injuries in the short term but can actually leave you with lasting damage to your body that will never go away.
Finally, you need to learn the correct breathing techniques. It can very tempting to hold your breath as your lift very heavy weights, but this is actually a very bad idea and can cause very serious problems. Holding your breath while you lift very heavy weights can lead to dangerous increases in your blood pressure which will ultimately cause you serious problems. This will lead to you needing to give up exercise in an effort to avoid this kind of high blood pressure.
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