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3 Actionable Tips To Avoid Injuries In The Gym
I find that a lot of women are afraid of going to the gym. We all have our reasons for this, but one of the main ones is that you’re worried about injuring yourself. The gym can seem like a pretty dangerous place when you’re not used to it. There are heavy weights all over the place, strange machines, and lots of people in a small space.
If you’re not careful, then you can easily hurt yourself. This will put you out of action for a period, meaning your fitness progress slows down. I don’t want this to happen, and I know you certainly don’t either! So, here are my tips to help you avoid injuries in commercial gyms:
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Visit your doctor
Have you noticed that pretty much every machine or piece of equipment in a gym comes with a disclaimer on it? If they don’t, then they should! Basically, these disclaimers all say something along the lines of ‘make sure you have a physical checkup with your doctor before starting any exercise regime’. My question to you is; how many people actually heed this advice? I’d wager we’re looking at a pretty low overall percentage here!
The thing is, you should definitely go and visit your doctor before going to the gym. They can look you over and tell you how healthy you are. If you have any niggling injuries or problems, then they’ll notify you. As such, this can stop you from attempting things that will trigger your issues and cause an injury.
For example, your doctor may notice that you have a muscular imbalance that weakens your knee joint stability. Therefore, they recommend that you don’t use the treadmill and that you avoid specific exercises until you fix this imbalance. If you didn’t see them, you wouldn’t know this, and you’d most likely go and hurt yourself.
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Book a gym induction
A gym induction is basically a tour of the gym facilities. It’s specifically designed for people who are new to the gym. Hopefully, if the gym workers are good, they will give you a detailed rundown of everything in the gym – including all the machines/equipment.
Now, you may feel embarrassed or awkward, but you must ask them to show you how to use every machine. This is the only way you’ll learn how to use things correctly and avoid injuries. Sure, there are instructions on the machines, but they can sometimes be hard to decipher. By seeing someone do the exercises, you will get a better understanding of what to do to stay safe.
What happens if you don’t have an induction? You’ll probably use a machine, not really understand how it works, and injure yourself. If you’re lucky, a good personal injury lawyer can maybe help you get compensation out of this, but the likelihood is that you’ll be at fault. Either way, you don’t want to be injured, so book an induction and see how everything works.
Learn proper form
If you’re entirely new to the fitness scene, then ‘form’ refers to the way that exercises are performed. When something is done with excellent or proper form, then it’s done correctly. The sad thing is that a lot of people use bad form, which is almost like a plea for injuries.
Poor form means you put your body in compromising positions that lead to an increased risk of injuries. Every exercise can be done in bad form, but there are a few that are more dangerous than others. Lots of girls love doing squats and deadlifts to build those booty and leg gains. Unfortunately, these exercises are prone to really bad form, which often results in back pain and long-lasting joint issues.
So, my advice is to learn how to do each exercise before you do it. I’ve posted a video above that shows the correct squat form, and you can find videos for every single exercise on YouTube. Alternatively, it might be worth booking a few sessions with a personal trainer, just to help you get started. Here, they can spend a few sessions just teaching you the basics and showing you how to do all the different exercises and lifts. When you’ve got to grips with the proper form, you can start training on your own with more confidence.
That’s all there really is to it; injuries can so easily be avoided if you follow these steps. Consult your doctor before beginning any exercise routine, book a gym induction, and learn proper form on all exercises.
