No pain, no gain right?
Not exactly. Pain during workouts is not something that you WANT. We have tons of patients each day come into OSR and tell us that they had felt pain during some sort of exercise. Due to improper form, warm ups, and technique, injuries at the gym or during physical activity are very common. There are plenty of do’s and don’ts for the gym. Let’s make sure you’re working on the DO’s.
During a workout it is important to try and hit 50% – 85% of your resting heart rate. This means that you will get the most cardiovascular benefit during the exercise. Get your heart rate going at least three times a day. Whether it is jumping jacks or your workout routine, it’s important for heart health to get your heart rate up frequently.
The order of your work out is not set in stone. YES, you should be stretching before and after every workout. But the often heard “cardio before weight training” is not necessarily a rule! In fact, if you are trying to burn more calories and build muscle strength, you should actually be completing your strength training prior to cardio. If your goal is to build up your endurance then do cardio first.
Do you think that just weight lifting is the most balanced exercise plan? Think again! The most balanced plan for exercise is running, weight lifting, and yoga combines. All three of these aspects are important to having well rounded exercise. The running provides your cardio, the weight lifting increases your strength and muscle mass, and yoga helps your flexibility and keeps your muscles stretched. These three together help ensure the safety of your muscles by keeping them active, flexible and strong.
Along with stretching, it is very important to warm up before a work out. You don’t need to run a warm up marathon, but it is important that your muscles have been warmed up before you lift weights or are doing a lengthy run. Without a warm up you are increasing your chances to get injured. It is also important for your muscles to get time to cool down after workouts. Allow 5-10 minutes after a run to walk and give your muscles time to cool off. If you skip a cool down and go straight to sitting down, your muscles can cramp up and cause injury.
It is important to stay hydrated throughout your day, but even more so when you are physically active. Exercise will dehydrate your body and muscles so it is crucial to keep them hydrated during the day. If you know you will be exercising in the afternoon try to drink 3 or 4 glasses minimum in the morning. Always carry a water bottle with you at the gym or during runs! It’s important that you are drinking at least 8 ounces of water every 15-20 minutes of exercise!
Lift slowly and with good form during workouts. 5 perfect form reps with weights are worth more than 20 reps that are in the wrong form! Never use weights so heavy that they cause you pain to lift. If you’re lifting weights that are too heavy there is a good chance that you will be forced out of form, and can get easily injured. Practice building up reps and adding weight when 12 reps of a weight are comfortable.
Keep these tips in mind when planning your exercise from now on and try to get these habits into your routine! Here at OSR we give chiropractic care to lots of athletes in Kailua and we know how important your exercising habits can be! Avoid injury and stick to the safe route of exercise. If you’re suffering through pain during work outs or otherwise, give us a call or contact us here!
References:
https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/rm-quiz-fitness-dos-donts?ecd=wnl_day_011915&ctr=wnl-day-011915_nsl-ld-stry&mb=1HYQt9QOMUW91TDmlgyBGihonS%2fH3cwy85pnpZVpwac%3d