If, even after exercising regularly, you routinely suffer from aches and pains, then you're not working out correctly. Resistance training and cardio will make you fitter, but if your form is lacking, then you will fall prey to dysfunctional fitness.
In other words, your body won't reap the rewards, and you will suffer from frequent workout injuries and pains. We take you through the top 10 common workout mistakes that you must stop making today. Let's take a look...
Runner's Knee: This condition usually involves acute pain near the patella or the knee cap. The term "runner's knee" is actually a generalized term associated with common running injuries like knee pain or inflammation of the patella tendon. Commonly seen in new runners, this mainly occurs due to tight calves and hams (back leg muscles) and weak muscles at the front of the thigh. Hamstring stretches and wall sits are great to help ease this condition.
Illiotibial Band Syndrome: In case you are experiencing sharp pain on the knee that is extremely sensitive to touch, don't panic. This is another common running injury caused by the tightening of the illiotibial fascia that runs from the pelvis towards the knee. To control this, work on your lower limb stabilizing muscles including the gluts med on your pelvis. You can even try to control the stubborn ITB fascia using massage and rolls.
Not warming up: Warming up is not an option. 7-10 minutes on a treadmill, elliptical, stationery bike, or skipping, spot-jogging or jumping jacks are crucial to your workouts. Follow up this warm up with a minute or two of deep stretching to loosen up your muscles and now you're good to begin your weight training workout. An absence of warm ups with warm stretching can lead to frequent injuries (especially lower back) and regular muscle cramps.
Locking knees while lifting weights: Perhaps the number one reason why many gym-goers complain of joint aches and continued workouts with few results. Locking your knees while weight lifting will stress your knees, and take the pressure off your muscles. Other than specific exercises that require locked knees for added strain to hamstrings or calves, you must always leave your knees slightly bent. The best posture for most weight training exercises is chest spread out, shoulders and back arched or flat, legs apart to shoulder length, and knees slightly bent.
Holding your breath: Another reason why your weight training performance might not be consistent. A common mistake during exercises like pushups, tricep dips and shoulder presses, holding your breath will do three things - 1. It'll strain your neck muscles, leaving you wide open to neck injuries. 2. It'll make it tougher to engage your core, since breathing and core tightening go hand in hand. 3. It'll severely reduce your performance levels, since incorrect breathing will mean an incorrect posture, rhythm and ability.
Not going down to 90 degrees on squats: This one isn't such a threat if your aim is to maintain low intensity workouts and are willing to wait a while for results. It might not be incorrect. But it's a waste of time. When you lower your body for squats, your knees must be at 90 degree angles, with your back straight, chest spread out and knees never crossing the tips of your toes. Any more than 90 degrees and you'll hurt your knees. Full range (more than 90 degrees) squats where you go all the way down, are best left for highly trained athletes, and even then their benefits are highly debatable.
Cycling is just about peddling, and the resistance bit is hyped and hard. If you're cycling out on the roads and regularly, at that, then yes - it is about peddling and maintaining speed. But by using the gym exercise cycle, you're already at a disadvantage - it's a lot easier on your muscles and cardio strength. So challenge yourself, and increase the cycle's resistance. Or select a programme that gives you hills and valleys and makes the cycling session tougher.
As long as I'm walking on the treadmill, I can hold the handrails for greater ease. Firstly, a workout isn't about ease and comfort. Getting out of your comfort zone is part of the constant challenge that'll keep your body in great shape. By holding the treadmill's handrails you're easing the weight off your lower body and using your upper body to cheat. Whether at an elevation or at a high speed, always work your legs when walking or running on the treadmill.
You stretch before cardio and then start cardio at a high speed: We aren't against stretching, but stretching the wrong way and at the wrong time can lead to muscle injury or long-term soreness. Always start with a 7-10 minutes up-tempo warm up, and then stretch for a couple of minutes before upping your speeds. This will help in giving a gradual elevation to your heart rate and will avoid burnout.
You exercise daily but with the same weights: Many women have this notion that using heavy weight equals bulking up, thus they prefer sticking to 8 to 10 pounds of weight. Please note that women CAN lift heavy weights. No one wants to look like bodybuilders in every day, regular life. But the good news is that women just do not produce enough natural testosterone to get that big. In order for a woman to get big and bulky she will have to really tank up on those steroids. Aim at increasing a few pounds every week as your muscles build resistance over time.
