4 Clever Ways to Avoid Workout Injuries

Exercise is supposed to be this glorious, healthy thing. And it can totally be that. But so many people jump into it without proper preparation and end up injuring themselves.

You want to achieve physical fitness without causing yourself pain and misery. Here are some clever, less conventional tips for preventing injuries while you work out!

Watch your diet

We all know that what you eat can affect your health in several ways. Indeed, most of us are aware that your diet can directly affect your ability to exercise and how much good your exercise can do.

But not many of us stop and think about how our diets can actually prevent workout injuries. The fact is that all those nutrients need to be pummelled into your muscles as you work out. And if you’re not getting enough of them then you’ll have problems. Nutrients are especially important for the post-workout phase. This is where your body starts the process of recovery. If it doesn’t recover properly, then you can find yourself in pain.

Support any problem areas

Let’s say you’ve given yourself a minor injury. It may not even be an injury; more like a mild, irritating pain. It’s still something you can exercise with, though you know you need to be careful.

In such a situation, many people will just go for a regular workout and end up making the pain worse. In all likelihood, they’ll drive themselves towards a full-on injury. Bad times. Remember not only to slow it down a notch, but also to support the problem area properly. Let’s say, for example, that you’ve got a little bit of knee pain. In that case, you might want to look into getting a knee compression sleeve before you exercise any further.

Lay your ego to rest

You’re at the gym. You’re having a pretty good session with the weights. Your lover is watching you, cheering you on. But then some really bulky bro – let’s call him Arnold – enters the scene. He starts lifting weights twice as heavy as what you’re lifting, and he’s lifting them as easily as he would a kitten. You get it into your head that your lover is looking over at Arnold instead of you. (They’re not.) So you try lifting double the weight and – “Ow, what was that cracking noise?”

So many injuries in the gym are caused by someone simply not wanting to be outdone by some complete stranger. Don’t push yourself further than you can go, my friend. In all likelihood, such patience is precisely how Arnold got to be so strong in the first place.

Take up yoga

Don’t give me that weird look. Think about it: what are the most common workout injuries? Hip pain, pulled hamstrings, knee and shoulder strains, lower back problems. They usually happen because those areas aren’t stimulated enough before exercise. And do you know what stimulates those exact areas really well? That’s right: yoga.

(Of course, you shouldn’t forget to avoid yoga-related injuries. That might be embarrassing.)