Common Workout Mistakes to Avoid

Whether it be walking, running, yoga, HIIT, or lifting weights, moving your body every day can have a significant impact on your quality of life. Too often, though, clients come to us with workout injuries that could have been prevented. 

Our team of physiotherapists wants to ensure you’re getting your workout in, but you’re doing so in a way that leaves you feeling great with no injuries and one that utilizes a full range of motion. 

Does this sound good? If so, avoid these common workout mistakes, and you’ll experience all the benefits of working out with no injuries necessary. 

Skipping Your Warm-Ups 

Whether you’re eager to start your workout, or you’re short on time, don’t skip fitting in a warm-up to your workout routine. 

Warming up prior to exercise warms the muscles up, which allows them to contract and release more quickly. This results in muscles that are much less likely to be strained during exercise. 

We recommend performing dynamic stretches prior to your workout (i.e. stretches that involve movement rather than holding a stretch). 

Training Beyond Your Capabilities 

When you exercise, you shouldn’t feel afraid to work up a sweat or lift heavy weights, but you also should be cautious of pushing yourself beyond your capabilities. 

But how do you know when you’re pushing too hard? This is going to be different for everyone, but one easy thing you can do to avoid injury is to not increase weight drastically within a short period of time. For instance, if you do bicep curls with ten pounds, don’t suddenly try increasing to twenty pounds. In addition, if you feel like a workout is causing you physical pain, you are likely pushing too hard. Yes, a good burn is fine, but feeling intense pain isn’t. 

Not Having a Well-Defined Exercise Regimen

Having some structure to your routine is also helpful for preventing injuries. 

While we encourage clients to try new workout programs if you’re a bit all over the place with your exercise, it’s easy enough to walk into a new program, unprepared, and end up injured.

A consistent workout routine also keeps your body functioning optimally, making it more resistant to injury. 

Exercising When Injured

This one should be obvious, but too often we’ve seen clients come in with injuries only to make things worse when they continue to exercise. 

Even for something as simple as lower back pain, if you’re experiencing pain in a certain area of your body, avoid doing workouts that are going to strain that area. Putting pressure on an already compromised body part will just make things worse. 

Not Getting Adequate Rest Between Workouts

If you don’t give your muscles proper time to rest and recover, you significantly increase your likelihood of injury. Plain and simple. 

Give your body proper time to recover, and you’ll reduce your likelihood of injury and will also likely experience improved exercise performance. 

Poor Posture

Lastly, don’t forget about the importance of good posture when it comes to avoiding workout injuries. 

Having good posture not only makes you stand taller and look more confident, but it also keeps your muscles protected during a workout. In particular, standing tall and focusing on your posture during a workout can protect against lower back pain. 

Reach out to Experts Today if You are Struggling With Injuries

If you have been struggling with workout-related injuries or feel fatigued and are experiencing muscle or joint pain, physiotherapy could be for you. 

With a team of professional physiotherapists, Versa Movement Collective can help keep your muscles functioning optimally for improved exercise performance.

Book your appointment today using our convenient online form or give us a call at (403) 727-0802.