We all know why home exercise videos became such a huge hit. As gyms closed, there was an exponential increase in the demand for at-home workout routines. From humble sit-ups and ubiquitous push-ups to lifting your couch over your head, we saw many different suggestions out there. Another popular topic that the search engines had to adapt to was joint and muscle injuries. Quite the coincidence, right? Staying fit is important, staying safe, even more so. So whether it be weight lifting or yoga, and let us tell you, there are plenty of reasons men should do yoga, your approach to the given exercise is of vital importance. Let’s look at a few tips on how to avoid injuries when working out at home.
Listen To Your Body
When it comes to love, we often say that somebody is good or great or even fantastic, but they just aren’t for us. Turns out, this can be applied to many different facets of life, including exercise. While many people, with the best of intentions, have posted online videos and guides on how to get the most out of home exercise routines, you need to remember they were not tailored to your personal needs. More often than not, they are suited to theirs. Factor in the small detail of many different people on our planet, and it is easy to see why we should not take everything at face value.
So what can you do? Find a workout that you feel comfortable with, then modify it further. If you are a beginner or have not worked out in a while, lower the weights and number of repetitions. Focus on your form initially, not on resistance. You are not chasing numbers here to boost your ego. You are carefully getting your body back into shape. Get to know the equipment you will be using, make sure you can do the movement using proper form. Once you get that down, you can talk about the number of reps. People tend to rush into things. Then they tend to be rushed to the doctor due to various injuries and aches.
Weights, Yoga Mats and… Laundry?
It’s the middle of winter. It’s cold and miserable outside, and the gym isn’t exactly next to your home. Still, you put on several layers, pack your bag, a change of clothes, and brave the cold. Why do we do it? There is a simple answer – because it gives you a clear purpose. You know why you are going to the gym, for one reason only. Yes, there might be dirty dishes in the sink, and that weekly report is only half-finished, your laptop calling out to your guilty conscience to complete it ASAP, but all of it can wait. It has to. There is no way you can perform these tasks simultaneously if you are not physically present. This is a big pitfall that can get you if you are not careful. It can also easily be avoided.
Staying at home means staying locked up with all your day-to-day obligations. When you exercise, you need to be focused on the task at hand. You cannot be watching TV while making a mental checklist of everything you need to do after the workout while holding a rather heavy weight in your hand. A loss of focus leads to a loss of form, and we all know what that means. You need to have the same mentality when you leave the house and go into the blistering cold. I usually exercise in my bedroom to a specific playlist I have been compiling for some time. A simple psychological trick of associations, but when I enter my room and put on the first song, I know that I am there to exercise. Nothing more, nothing less.
All Pain, No Gain
Did we mention you should listen to your body? Contrary to popular belief, pain is not a good sign. Pain is a warning signal. One you should heed. Here are some tips and general rules to follow that will help you avoid injuries when working out at home:
- Warm-up – In our initial enthusiasm to start pumping those muscles, we forget about the boring warm-up exercises those annoying trainers keep raving about. Your body is a machine, and it needs to warm up. These initial exercises will increase blood flow to the muscles, increase heart rate gradually, and decrease the chances of aches and pains down the line.
- What Goes Up Must Go Down – Do not forget to warm down after you exercise. This one is even easier to forget, as you just want to hit the shower after a grueling workout session. Stretching is an integral part of the process.
- Sore muscles – The cause of painful muscles is lactic acid. Fortunately, there are ways to remove lactic acid faster, and by applying these tips, you can negate a lot of the problems it causes.
- Work through the pain – Another hazardous phrase being thrown out there. Never ignore a movement that hurts. Pain is your queue to stop. It won’t go away if you keep at it. What it will do is exacerbate existing conditions and create new ones.
- Rest and recovery – It is important to remember that your body needs time to recuperate after a tough workout, so make sure to get enough rest. A tired body is an injury-prone one.
The Workout Itself
Equipped with the above knowledge, you can focus on the exercises themselves. The idea is to get a full-body home workout and an injury-free one at that. There are many different exercises to choose from, and you must make a routine that suits you. A common mistake people make is they do not include enough variation but always target the same muscle groups through the same movements. It is important to activate your entire body to get the most out of each session and increase your overall fitness. Therefore, create an exercise routine that works for you and push yourself to new levels. Just don’t push too hard. As we said, safety always comes first.
Warm Down
That was intense. There was a lot of information – time to wind down a bit and relax. Exercising at home seems like a simple enough idea, but that’s what gets you every time. You ignore the possible pitfalls. If you follow our guide to how to avoid injuries when working out at home, you should encounter no problems. Take it a day at a time and enjoy the benefits of a safe and healthy exercise routine so you can google beaches you can show off your new physique on, rather than the address of the closest chiropractor!
