For exercise enthusiasts, nothing is more fulfilling like going an extra mile over the limit in your previous exercising session. It feels good to know that you are making progress because, after all we all know that it takes a great deal of sacrifice for one to exercise faithfully on a regular basis. However, for quick results, it is so tempting to push yourself so hard to a point of getting injured. Here are a few tips on how to avoid injury while exercising.
1. Observe the Rule of Ten
If you want to go that extra mile in your exercising, do it gradually, in small bits. Just add about ten percent weight from the one you lifted last week or if you run, cover ten percent more distance than you did last week, advises Dr. Rajeev Pandarinath, who Is an assistant professor at the School of Medicine and health Sciences in George Washington University.
2. Don’t lift Above the Shoulders
The human bodies are not made to lift heavy loads above our shoulders, advises Dr. Kenneth Fine of the Rockville Orthopaedic Center. When your arms are out at an angle of 90 degrees from your body, it is not advisable for the weight to go anywhere above that.
The doctor says that “The paradox is that shoulder presses are not all that important to the human body and most of the elite athletes avoid this exercise, but on the contrary, amateur athletes concentrate so much on it. Any overhead press will put too much stress over the rotator cuff which is unhealthy.”
3. Warm up
Performing light cardio exercises to warm your muscles up, followed by stretching gently, can help avoid injuries. A little bit more dynamic stretches, like high knees and walking lunges can be very helpful in preparing you for high-intensity workouts like crossfit, says Dr. Pandarinath. Watch below what the Wall Street Journal had to say about stretching prior to exercising:
4. Cross-train
Exercising for long hours in a day can be very healthy, however, while you’re at it, it might be even healthier to mix the types of exercises that you engage in. Dr. Fine says that it would be advisable to “limit any given activity to one in a day”
5. Learn to listen to your body
According to Dr. Chris Annunziata, of the Arlington Commonwealth Orthopaedics, “Sometimes it is easy to assume that we are still in our twenties, and as a result we train so vigorously and unknowingly cross the red line. What follows is that we start complaining of knee and shoulder pains”
With more marathons and runs coming up, more and more people are “diving in a bit too quickly” leading to unnecessary injuries, observes Dr. Daniel Pereles of The Montgomery Orthopedics Centre. Tough mudders and CrossFit, among many other strenuous workouts are likely to lead to rotator-cuff tendinitis (which is usually as a result of lifting weights overhead). Such vigorous exercises can also be responsible for knee tendinitis and even stress fractures (Which are both as a result of jumping repeatedly).
It is always good to challenge yourself and push yourself a little bit more, but while you’re at it; listen to your body’s messages.
