Campus Rec’s Healthy U Wellness Challenge continued last week with an event aimed at educating students on proper exercise safety, along with proper use of various equipment and gear. I wrote about this event prior to its taking place, but I realize that school, work and life have a tendency to get in the way of other things we might like to do. So for those who were unable to attend, don’t worry. Yours truly is going to cover some common exercise safety errors right now. (Unfortunately, I’m unable to offer any challenge points for reading my articles).
Lack of a warm-up
Thanks to our high school gym teachers, most of us don’t skip warming up altogether. However, there are still some folks who jump right into things without any warm-up. Don’t be one of them. Not only is there an increased risk for injury, but warming up also leads to better performance during the actual workout.
Doing the wrong kind of warm-up
A trainee should warm up for the particular activities they will be performing in their actual workout. For example, if I am going to go bench press 300 pounds, jogging for five minutes followed by some upper body stretches isn’t going to cut it. While there is nothing wrong with those warm-ups on their own, they don’t prepare the connective tissue or muscles for the 300 pounds I’m about to lift. I’ve already written about warm-ups at length in my beginner’s gym guides, so I won’t go into great detail here, but the basic idea is build up to the weight of 300 pounds over several warm-up sets, but without fatiguing myself. Not only does this warm up the necessary tissues, but it also helps “awaken” my central nervous system, so I will actually be stronger following a warm-up. Had I gone straight to attempting the 300 pounds, it would have felt much heavier, along with putting me at risk for injury.
Becoming distracted while using equipment
Remember that viral video of some guy face-planting on a treadmill, then getting shot off into the wall? Believe it or not, this sort of thing happens in real life. The result is most commonly a mere bruising of the ego, but obviously there is the possibility of physical injury as well. The usual reason for this type of accident, whether it is on a treadmill or another piece of cardio equipment, is not paying attention. It only takes one misstep while texting a friend to fall off the equipment. I’m a multitasker myself, so I have no qualms about fiddling with my iPod, but I’m also aware of my feet the whole time. I’d recommend, at the very least, slowing down the speed of the machine beforehand if one is going to send a text or scroll through a long playlist. All of this also applies to the practice of ogling gym hotties.
Not using a spotter for heavy sets
Trust me, I realize asking for a spotter is a pain in the ass and often awkward. However, I’d personally rather deal with the hassle of bothering someone for a spot than winding up trapped under a pile of weights, or suffering an injury. When dealing with challenging poundages, safety needs to be a priority. Suck it up and find a spotter, or better yet, start working out with a friend. Then there will be no need to find multiple people for a spot within a workout. If a spotter is absolutely impossible to come by for some reason (which they really shouldn’t be), the safest thing to do is to use machines instead of free weights, or end all of the sets a couple reps early. i.e. before they get too challenging.
Many of us work out because we know it will result in a higher quality of life down the road. While pursuing this noble goal, we must remember that safety while working out should always be a priority. A broken limb or a torn muscle is a tragedy for any active person, so remember to use the old noggin and to stay safe. ?