Train injury free

No Pain. No gain’. Chances are you’ll come across this phrase written in bold font on walls of gyms and fitness centres. While the message is to encourage people to train hard, and not give up, you have to draw a line between pain (hard work) that is good for fitness, and pain that actually affects your body adversely causing both short-and long-term injuries. 

Many tend to injure themselves when trying to achieve faster results, or there is  lack of expert supervision while working out. Manish Patil, city-based fitness trainer and sports nutritionist, points out, “Some of the common injuries include back pain, shoulder injury, wrist sprain, knee pain, muscular pull, compression in vertebral column etc. Many a time, beginners go wrong with their form and posture, hence they make a mistake which may lead to injuries. Wrong posture while lifting heavy weights can cause sprains and pulls.” Lack of flexibility compromises your form, leading to injuries.  

To avoid injury, a great pre-workout warm-up and post-workout stretches are a must. Patil says that apart from these factors, ‘ego-lifting’ is one of the reasons for injury. “There are many who come to the gym to impress others and just because people are watching them, they love to show off that they can lift heavy weights. Instead of doing warm-up properly and going slow with their workout, they lift heavy weights while having a wrong posture and end up hurting themselves,” says Patil.   

Training the same muscles everyday or continuously must be avoided at all costs.  For example, if you are training your legs on Monday, do not train these muscles the next day, instead do upper body workout. “Giving rest to your muscles and allowing them to recover will keep injuries at bay,” he says, adding, “It will give your muscles the much needed break they need. However, with time, you can gradually increase the intensity of your exercise by increasing the time and the weights that you lift.” 

When you start something you must seek professional and expert guidance and it applies to gymming too. The 22-year-old trainer advises, “If you are new to fitness or have enrolled into a gym for the first time, you must ensure that you do it under a professional trainer and if possible, take up personal training for the first few months. Learning the right way to do an exercise can help prevent injury and help you accomplish your goal without getting hurt.”  

Speaking of the importance of warm-up, he says that one must never exercise when the muscles are cold. “You must warm up because it prepares your body for exercise by increasing the heart rate and also improves blood circulation which can yield better benefits and prevent injuries. Similarly, stretching is equally important for both relaxing the muscles and improving flexibility. It also increases the range of motion and reduces the risk of injury caused by abrasion of the connective tissues. Plus, stretching is a great stress reliever,” Patil says.  

Just like nutrition and hydration are crucial for achieving your fitness goals, a good diet helps heal your muscles too. “Drink plenty of water because dehydration leads to muscle cramps. Your diet should have a good amount of proteins to rebuild damaged muscle fibres that break down during workout,” adds Patil who stresses that one must never say, “I don’t have time to stretch.”