November 30, 2015
Muscle Pain Or Injury? Save Your Workout By Knowing The Difference!
It is that time of year again -- holiday season! This is the time of year many people ramp up their fitness efforts in order to look their best. This desire is understandable when you consider the endless parade of parties and social engagements one is expected to attend! So, if you are upping your regular routine or starting to workout for the first time in ages, you may experience pain. And while some pain is normal, it can be hard to tell the difference between achy muscles and an injury.
Overuse injuries happen with prolonged, repeated motion or impact and can cause the bones, joints or muscles to become inflamed and irritated. If ignored, overuse injuries can lead to serious problems down the road. Here are some tips you can employ to help keep yourself safe from trouble!
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Know your limits!
If you are just starting out or getting back into working out after some time away, it can be tempting to think that more you do, the better your results will be. But if you push yourself too hard, you'll shock your body. The muscles and joints need time to get used to their new activities. While pushing yourself is important when it comes to results, make sure you are starting slowly and leaving time and space to allow the workouts to get harder as you build strength and endurance.Always warm up, cool down and stretch!
While you may want to shave some time off your routine and save yourself some minutes, you shouldn't be doing it at the expense of your body! Starting your workout with cold muscles is the most common way people cause themselves injury. Having cold muscles means they will be stiff and you won't have the flexibility required for key movements meaning you'll be likely to tear something. Do 10 minutes of cardio and some stretches before you do anything else. A cool down is just as important as it lets your body know the workout is complete. If you stretch when you're done, you will have a greater range of motion the next time you hit the gym and be less likely to feel sore in the morning.