Welcome to our comprehensive guide on “Staying Safe at the Gym in 5 Ways.” As fitness enthusiasts, we understand that the gym is a sanctuary for many, a place where we strive to achieve our health and fitness goals. However, it’s essential to prioritize safety and well-being while working out to ensure a rewarding and injury-free experience.
The following will provide you with the necessary tips and tricks to ensure a safe workout session.
Tip #1 Staying Safe at the Gym in 5 Ways: Listen to your body
You might be entering a new environment. You might be potentially trying new exercises and movements that you are not used to. It is very important that you take it slow with any new workout. There are many reasons why this is a good idea. The first reason is that you may not know what is “too much” until the day after your workout is complete. Your fellow gym-goers may encourage you to push super hard through your first workout, but GRAYSON recommends you take it easy. Every new motion you try is a new opportunity to injure yourself. Make sure you ask your trainer plenty of questions and expect to be a bit bored at first. It is OKAY to play it safe!
Tip #2 Staying Safe at the Gym in 5 Ways: Clean and Stable
Hand sanitizer. Check. Disinfectant spray. Check. Stable equipment. Check. Make sure you check the reviews of your new facility and take a personal tour to ensure your facility is a safe place for you to work. Do people get injured there often? How do the bathroom look? The little things matter. If you can not be confident in the little things, it is going to hard to endorse the things that matter most. Hopefully by the time you read this most, people are not worried about coronavirus infections and social distancing anymore. However, just in case we have to deal with any more disease outbreaks, pay attention to the current status of increase infections, continuing to assess the risk-reward of entering a crowded place where the other folks might not take the same precautions that you are.
Tip #3 Staying Safe at the Gym in 5 Ways: Mix-it-up
Rather than working only one body part (biceps, tricep, quads), consider more complex movements that integrate multiple joints as you work into your new routine. Some examples of workouts that are more functional and “multi-jointed” include squats, push ups, pull ups, and planks. These workouts allow you to get a good workout using only your body weight and also provide you with an opportunity to listen to your body. In addition to this, these workouts allow you to understand where obvious deficits in strength and imbalances might exist, which will give you more information to work with down the road as you fine tune your exercise program.
Tip #4 Staying Safe at the Gym in 5 Ways: Take Notes
How many reps did you do? How did you feel after? Pain? Super-easy? Too difficult? Odds are, many workouts are going to get easier with time. Knowing how things went during the prior workout will help you gradually increase your load so that you can improve your strength quicker. Also, know what workouts were too hard might help you retrace your steps if you have an adverse reaction (swelling, pain, etc.) so you may eliminate that particular workout or modify it so that is benefits you versus hurt you.
Tip #5: Enjoy it
Stale workouts will increase your likelihood of burning. Make sure at least half of your workout is something that you enjoy. Work in some racketball, some bicep curls, or something else that just gets you excited! Working out needs to be fun. It is important that your body and mind are in sync so that you can expect increased compliance over time. Consider adding new workouts in periodically in order to keep your regimen fresh and fun. High intensity exercises can get the blood pumping but it is smart for you to take breaks so that you do not get tired too soon. Injuries are a sure fire way to kill that exercise buzz. Take time to learn how to move right before getting too crazy!
Bonus Tip: Do NOT push through pain
No pain no gain? The sad reality is that people often do not know how to decipher “good” pain from “bad” pain. If you are having discomfort, consider reaching out to a skilled professional, such as one of the CSCS (Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialists) at Kinito Physical Therapy. You can call or text us at 405-833-0783 to ask us questions for free. We would love to help you find direction through physical therapy and avoid a serious injury, Good luck!
