How to avoid injury when lifting weights: Essential tips for gym-goers

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Lifting weights is an incredible way of boosting strength, building lean muscle, aiding weight loss, and enhancing overall fitness. It’s also renowned for easing stress and improving confidence. However, if done incorrectly, weightlifting can result in injury. Lifting too much, too frequently, or without proper form can put strain on the back, biceps, and shoulders, and damage other vital parts of the body, too. Fortunately, there are some easy and simple ways to avoid injury when lifting weights. Provided you follow our top tips below, you will continue to progress rapidly throughout your weightlifting journey, and enjoy reaping the many benefits of this amazing form of exercise.

1. Stretch before, during and after

Many people see stretching as an optional extra. But, in reality, stretching before and after workout is an absolute essential, and it should never, ever be skipped. If you are feeling particularly tight, even adding in extra stretches between sets is a good idea. Stretching helps muscles relax and elongate. This ensures that they are at their most flexible, and therefore more resistant to injury. Meanwhile, stretching post-workout aids recovery, and leaves you feeling less sore and tight the next day. So, before you pick up your weights and jump into your workout, make sure you allocate time for a quick stretch before, and after your session. Your body will thank you for it in the long term.

2. Warm up

After stretching, the next most important thing to do before a weightlifting session is warm up. Just doing a few minutes of jogging, squatting, or arm circles, can be enough to increase blood flow to your muscles, prepare your body for your workout, and go a long way towards helping you avoid injury. Another good way of warming up is to do lots of light reps for your first few rounds, rather than heavy ones. This lets your body ease into your workout, and it lessens the likelihood of you pulling a muscle or putting your body under unnecessary strain.

3. Master proper technique

Learning how to correctly perform weightlifting exercises is perhaps the most effective way of avoiding injury in the gym. There’s lots of information online about the best weightlifting techniques, however the safest and most effective way to educate yourself is to hire the expertise of a personal trainer. They will talk you through the theories and mechanics behind every move, and teach you how to connect with your muscles, maintain good posture, engage your core, and get maximum benefit from every minute in the gym.

For example, at Embody Fitness, all our qualified personal trainers are experts in the latest weightlifting techniques. They have provided over 2,000 clients with a safe and enjoyable introduction to strength training, and kept them fit, healthy and injury free throughout their fitness journey.

4. Take it steady

While it’s important to challenge your body, jumping up your weights too rapidly can cause serious injury. While you shouldn’t be able to coast through your reps without breaking a sweat, moving up gradually allows your body time to adapt and recover to the new levels of strain that you are placing it under, and become steadily stronger and more powerful. Instead of ‘running before you can work”, gradually increasing the amount you are lifting and the intensity of your workouts ensures that you keep making progress, and that you never have to skip a session due to aches and pains.

5. Prioritise Recovery

Give your body sufficient time to rest and recover between each weightlifting session. If you are weak, tired, and sore, your chances of sustaining injury are higher, and your progress will suffer as a result. Work one muscle group at a time, schedule rest days, and make sure you get plenty of good quality sleep. You should also support your workouts with a healthy diet, and make sure you drink plenty of water throughout the day, too. At Embody Fitness, we offer a whole array of recovery services such as ice baths and sports massages, and tailored meal plans that provide you with exactly the right amount of protein, energy, and nutrients that you need to perform at your best.

6. Listen to your body

Injuries often happen when you stop listening to your body and ignore the signs that something isn’t right. If you are in pain or discomfort, immediately stop what you are doing, rest, and seek expert advice from a trainer or physiotherapist. If you have any pre-existing conditions or if you’re recovering from a previous injury, make sure you modify your workouts to suit your limitations, and again make sure you don’t push yourself too hard.

7. Focus on balance and flexibility

As with most things in life, adding variety to your workout schedule can be immensely beneficial. Supporting your weightlifting journey with activities such as yoga and Pilates, and mobility exercises that improve balance, flexibility, and core strength, can help you avoid injuries while lifting. These types of exercises also enhance your range of motion, and strengthen the key muscles that power your big lifts and protect your joints. For more advice and information about how to prevent injury, recover from injury, and practice weightlifting safely, just get in touch with our team. They will provide you with your own tailored programme that has been customised to suit your body and goals, and they will soon have you feeling stronger and healthier than ever before.