Gym Fitness Safety Tips

Prioritize movement standards over weight, warm up and cool down are indispensable, body signals are higher than the training plan, and do not push the limit when unprotected. Doing these four points can avoid more than 90% of fitness injuries. I have been practicing for 7 years, and apart from stretching my trapezius muscles once when I just started practicing blindly, I have never had any injuries since then. The more than ten cases of fitness injuries I have seen around me are all due to one of these pitfalls.

Not long ago, I met a young man in the strength area who had just been training for more than 3 months. He was jealous that the person next to him benched 80kg. When the coach was not paying attention, he added plates to the bar without even adjusting the protective frame. After the second push, he couldn't get up. The bar directly hit his chest. Fortunately, the big brother who practiced powerlifting next to him had quick eyes and quick hands to grab a handful, otherwise his ribs would have been broken. In fact, regarding weight, different training schools have different opinions: veteran powerlifters will say that as long as there is a protective frame and someone to protect you, it is normal to push the limit. After all, the performance is important. ； However, most seniors who practice bodybuilding will say "better to be gentle than fake". Even if you push 100kg if the movement is deformed, all the stress will be on the joints and the muscles that borrow the force. If the target muscles are not trained, the shoulders and waist will be destroyed first. Ordinary people mostly go to the gym to look good in their clothes and have a strong body. They cannot compete with professional athletes. If their movements are standard, even a 20kg dumbbell chest press will have a much better effect than pushing 40kg while shaking your body.

What is more often ignored than pressing the weight is the warm-up, especially in winter. Many people take off their coats after entering the gym and rush to the equipment. They feel that warming up is a waste of time. I had a former personal trainer who came in in November and started deadlifting without even doing the warm-up set. He pulled 120kg on the first lift and squatted on the ground with his hands on his waist as soon as he stood up. His iliopsoas muscle was strained and he was unable to sit for a long time even at work for two months. There is no unified standard for warm-up. Some people think that a 10-minute dynamic warm-up (high leg raise, side sliding step, joint circle) is enough. Most people who practice strength will add another target muscle group activation, such as holding an elastic band before doing shoulder exercises. Do 3 sets of shoulder external rotation. Before doing leg exercises, do a few sets of clam pose to open your hips. When you practice it, you just need to feel that your whole body is warmed up and your joints are moving without getting stiff. Don't save those 10 minutes. If you are really injured and take two months off, you will have to go back to what you practiced before. Don't rush to get dressed and go after training. Walk slowly for two minutes and stretch for 10 minutes to cool down. Otherwise, if the muscles are tight for a long time, they will easily suffer from strain. Especially after leg training, it will be difficult to go down the stairs the next day without stretching.

There are also many people who regard the training plan saved in their mobile phone as an edict. Even if they stay up late today and feel stiff all over, they still have to complete the set weight according to the plan. If they feel pain, they grit their teeth and carry it, and they still feel that they have "strong willpower". Don’t be stupid. First of all, you should clearly understand the difference between muscle soreness and pain: the soreness and swelling on the second day after training is delayed onset muscle soreness, which is normal. ； However, if you experience tingling, numbness, popping joints and pain during exercise, it is an alarm sent by your body and you must stop. The last time I practiced shoulder training, my condition was not good. When I was doing the third set, my acromion suddenly hurt like pins and needles. I just put the dumbbells down and replaced them with 1kg elastic bands for activation. If I had to carry them hard to complete the number of sets, I would probably have to rest for less than half a year due to rotator cuff damage. Of course, there are many training systems that emphasize "breaking through the comfort zone" and "reaching the point of exhaustion", but they are all aimed at advanced people who have many years of training experience and are watched by professional coaches. Ordinary people really don't need to gamble with their joints. If you leave a margin of 1-2 times in each group, you can steadily increase your strength and are less likely to be injured.

There are also some inconspicuous little details that still hurt for a long time after stepping on them. Don't wear thick-soled running shoes or dad shoes to practice squats and deadlifts. Last month, I saw a little girl wearing thick-soled coconut shoes to practice deadlifts. When she got up, her center of gravity swayed and her waist suddenly moved. The soles were so soft that it was impossible to lock her center of gravity. Wearing flat canvas shoes or professional squat shoes is better than that. Adjust the parameters before using the equipment. Don't just use it. The height of the seat for chest pressing that someone else adjusted is suitable for his height of 185cm. If you sit on it at 160cm, the handles will be at the level of your ears. When you press, you will fully press your shoulders. After two exercises, your shoulders will become useless. Don’t wear protective gear blindly. A loose waist protector will be the same as not wearing it at all, but it will cause your core to exert incorrect strength. You don’t need to wear protective gear when the weight is light. Just wear it when you start to set heavy weights. Don’t listen to people saying that "wearing protective gear will make you unable to rely on your core." When you deadlift to twice your own weight, it is really easy to get injured without wearing a waist protector.

In fact, after all, fitness is a matter of talking to your own body. There is no need to compare weight and number of sets with others. If you can push 60kg after half a year of training, there is no comparison with others who can push 100kg after three years of training. It’s much more important to practice for a long time than to practice hard. If you practice steadily for ten years, you can develop all kinds of figures. If you practice for half a year and take a year off, and still have injuries, what’s the point?