Tips to prevent gym injuries

The last thing you want to pick up from the gym is an injury. It means potential pain, time out of the gym, restriction of movement, and maybe therapy bills. None of which you want, and the truth is most injuries are avoidable. All you have to do is follow a few basic tips laid out below.

Warm up – A thorough warm up will avoid many preventable injuries in the gym. Simply spend 10-15 minutes going through a general warm up and your body will be fully prepared for a tough workout. Even if you’re short of time, cut your workout time down, have shorter rest periods, up the intensity; but keep your warm up in place. It’s not worth getting hurt.

Build your weights up slowly – Don’t jump straight into the heaviest weight you’re going to use for a particular exercise. Do a couple of lighter sets to grease the groove and get the movement flowing before you start on the heavier weights.

Use a spotter – Have a gym buddy or personal trainer spot you and give you a helping hand if you get in trouble. This allows you to push harder and work right at your limit, while minimizing the risk of injury.

Focus on perfect technique rather than more weight – Don’t fall into the trap of trying to use the biggest weights you can all the time. Instead, focus on having the best possible technique and doing every exercise under total control, before you use heavier weights.

Ensure you have enough mobility and stability – The range of motion around a joint and your ability to control it, is fundamental to safe training. Lacking range of motion or stability puts your body in a compromised position, and increases your risk of injury. Spend time working on your mobility to ensure you can use a full range of motion for every exercise.