How do you avoid injuries in the gym?

Most people buy a fitness center membership because they want to lose weight and get slimmer. A little less those who realize that their life lacks the necessary physical activity to maintain health. In any case, people come to gyms for beauty and health, but sometimes it turns out to be very unpleasant consequences. This is such a paradox.

Андрей Семешов, a wellness coach and expert of “Championship”, tells us what injuries are most often encountered by visitors of fitness gyms and how to protect themselves from injuries.

Why can a visit to the gym turn into an injury?

Don’t rush to blame everything on the iron. Practice shows that in the overwhelming majority of cases in the process of exertion just come out those sores that we have already “worked up” over the years. Fitness is inherently aimed at improving health, improving the functionality of the body. With the right technique and rational dosage of loads, there should be no harm from it – it is only one continuous benefit. So-called sports injuries – and it is obvious from the name – should remain a risk zone for those who are engaged in sports, not physical training. It’s about where the records, the prizes, the fight for goals, points, seconds and kilograms on the barbell. Where you have to go beyond your physiological limits.

In the case of fitness, it should not be about overcoming yourself. We are more about health improvement and normal functioning of all body systems, which strength training contributes to.

Nevertheless, it is not without injuries. But in practice, in the vast majority of cases we are not talking about any “fresh” injuries. (It is difficult to tear off the head of the biceps while lifting dumbbells of 5-10 kg). Most often, the sores that have already accumulated in the process of use, so to speak, in domestic conditions “come out”. However, the smart body has adapted to this and learned to compensate for the damage by redistributing loads, for example, to other muscle groups. And it happens for us completely unnoticed, on a subconscious level.

In the fitness center we create such conditions when the body has to literally start working. And then all sorts of unpleasant news pops up. For example, a person had a herniated disc, but he didn’t even know about it. And then suddenly he started doing bent-over exercises with a barbell. And his back just shot up. But it was not the barbell that gave him this hernia, but many years of “strenuous” lifestyle.

Ask any personal trainer how many absolutely healthy clients he has? There are none, in any case, among those who have passed at least the third decade. Blood pressure, varicose veins, arthritis, diastasis, the same intervertebral hernia and protrusion, all sorts of systemic inflammation.

Is it possible to avoid pain with fitness?

The good news is that modern fitness is aimed at correcting this situation. Regular strength training can without any pills and shots and lower blood pressure, and restore joint mobility, and solve back problems. For especially severe cases, you will have to start with rehabilitation programs, but the essence is the same – a gradual increase in load.

To make fitness in your life a source of good emotions, and not a reason to find out what specialists are accepted in the district clinic, it makes sense to start going to the gym with a more or less detailed “check-up” of the state of health. Having found out the weak points, you will be able to choose for yourself such a character of loads, which will help you to lose weight/pump up, and lower blood pressure (or remove back problems). It is better to do it under the guidance of a trainer, but you can study the issue yourself, good thing there is no lack of information today. It all depends on what you have more of – free money to pay for personal training or free time to study articles and videos.

This is, so to speak, an ideal picture of the world. In reality, we take our own cars for maintenance and diagnostics in a disciplined manner. But we drive our own bodies according to the principle “until the wheels fall off”. That’s why nobody starts a trip to the gym from the medical office.

How to exercise in the gym on your own and without risk to your health?

In such a situation, I can advise at first not to turn the classes into a minefield and to lay the training route bypassing potentially dangerous situations.

First of all, don’t overwork yourself. Tomorrow you will not run a marathon or go on the Olympic platform, so do not rush with loads. The first workouts – first to light fatigue, then – to medium, no “refusal” is out of the question. Carefully choose the weight of weights. You should perform each exercise for 15-20 repetitions (and it is good if there is still a reserve of strength for 2-3). Limit yourself to 3-6 approaches per week for each muscle group.

Secondly, under no circumstances should you try to work through pain. If any exercise causes acute discomfort (not to be confused with muscle fatigue), it should be abandoned. Either there is some damage or your muscles are still quite weak. In the first case, it is a good idea to see a doctor and get appropriate recommendations. In the second case – strengthen the target area with other exercises.

What exercises are best to avoid?

Let the fitness does not imply frankly traumatic movements (provided that the weight of the projectile is adequately selected), nevertheless, there is a list of exercises from which at first it is better to refrain. There is a high risk that their performance will fall on the already existing pain point. Plus, many of them are technically difficult, and it is better to master them under the guidance of a mentor and already having a couple or three months of regular visits to the gym.

Bench Pull

The most useful exercise that pumps the body from top to toe. But it is technically very difficult and requires not only knowledge of the general rules, but also adjustment to individual features of the physique. In addition, since it involves a lot of muscle groups, the weight of the barbell will be relatively large.
Crooked technique, multiplied by solid kilograms, is very likely to give “hello” to the weak muscles in the area of the lumbar spine, which in many people and so from the last effort to keep the spinal column in a more or less functional state.

How to replace:

Since the exercise is multi-jointed and involves a large number of muscle groups, it will not be possible to find a universal replacement for it. The closest thing you can find is a combination of leg curls in a trainer + Romanian standing pull. If your lower back is quite tender, try the complex of leg flexion/extension in a trainer and, for example, hyperextension with your own weight or in a trainer. Does it still pull on your lower back? (I won’t even repeat that you need to see a doctor sooner) – then look at the schedule of group Pilates classes. But see a doctor first.

Squats with a barbell

This exercise is, frankly speaking, indispensable. But only if you are engaged in powerlifting, where it is included in the competition program along with deadlift and bench press.
In all other cases, you can easily find an adequate substitute. Either until the moment of muscle strengthening and mastering the technique (and there are many nuances there), or, if there are serious problems with the spine, not to approach squat racks at all. Which doesn’t mean that you can’t build a fitness figure. Especially for the lovely ladies who want to squat their outstanding glutes as soon as possible – the muscles do not understand what exactly forces them to contract, and will increase in size, even if no one forces them to squat.

What to replace with:

Platform leg press. Anatomically everything is very similar, but there is no such load on the lumbar region. Plus, you can choose the foot placement, which will be the most optimal for the knees. And gluteals in this exercise also get a decent load, but if you want to strengthen (and girls will definitely want to), you can try gluteal bridge, and leg extensions from the lower block, and much more.

“Army press

This exercise looks spectacular and is familiar to many who have served in the Armed Forces. But the necessity of its performance raises questions. Yes, men strive to get wide, round shoulders no less than ladies – firm buttocks. But there is a nuance: the anterior bundle of the deltoid muscle is predominantly loaded in this exercise, while the middle part determines the necessary volume and shape. Other exercises that do not create undesirable axial load on the spine are better suited for its development.

What to replace it with:

The front part of the deltoids can be worked perfectly in all chest presses – at least barbells, dumbbells, or machines. But try to work the middle part of the deltoids by pulling the arms apart (dumbbell swings) or pulling to the chin (“broach”).

French barbell press

This exercise perfectly loads the triceps, but at the same time puts the elbow joint in a very awkward anatomical position.

What to replace it with:

Start with extensions from the upper block.

Running

If you’re going to start running, the fitness room is the perfect place to start. Treadmills are designed in such a way as to level out faults in technique and significantly cushion the impact load on both knees and spine. You can only achieve a similar effect outdoors with a combination of proper technique and running shoes that fit your anatomy. But it doesn’t make sense to wear yourself out running at the risk of joint pain, especially at an advanced age and at the start of your fitness career.

What to replace it with:

Start your aerobic sessions by familiarizing yourself with an exercise bike or elliptical.

The above list is by no means exhaustive, we are all individual, so it makes sense to be guided in the choice of exercises and loads, based primarily on your own feelings and common sense. I repeat, do not work through pain and do not give up because you can not squat, and the butt without squats can not pump up. You can. And what kind. If you had the desire.