No pain, no gain? That isn’t always true. Pain doesn’t mean you have worked out well and that you’d be seeing results soon. It could simply mean an injury. Whether you choose to exercise at home or outside, the risks of injuring yourself are equally high. Want to learn how to protect yourself when working out? Read on! You can thank us later.

If you are a gym-goer, chances are you use the gym equipment in your workouts. We’ve all seen excited beginners who skip into the gym, going from station to station and touching every piece of equipment at the gym, exclaiming in wonder, “This machine looks so cool!” “I want to try the weights! I think I can do it.” It is very often this excitement that leads to accidents happening.

Pulled muscles is one of the most common injuries experienced by beginners. This is because they overestimate themselves and want to try lifting weights that they shouldn’t be lifting as of yet. Especially if you have just pick up gymming, it may be tempting in wanting to go beyond your limits, but overestimating your body would only result in more injuries. But how do you tell if too much is too much? Well, there is no definite answer to these questions. You must exercise good judgement and once you feel your muscles protesting in pain, that's a sign for you to stop. Exercise is for the long run, so build up your stamina and strength progressively. And never under-estimate your warm up routine. Like what the name suggests, warm up helps to "warmup" your body, sending a signal to your body that you are preparing to exercise, so that you do not end up straining a muscle 5 minutes into your work out. Here is a warm up routine that you can follow before you start working out:

While warming up before exercising is important, so is cooling down after exercising! Many people overlook cooling down, and feel so satisfied with their accomplishing workouts that they neglect it. After exercising, the heart is beating faster and harder than normal. If you totally rest right after intensive workouts, you may experience dizziness or even faint. With cooling down exercises, you give your heart the time to go back to its normal heart rate gradually. Stretching also helps to reduce the build-up of lactic acid in our limbs and muscles, ensuring we do not get terrible muscle aches the next day. Here is one cooling down routine we recommend!

Another reason for injuries at the gym is due to the improper use of equipment. Did you know that treadmill injuries account for thousands of admissions into the Accident and Emergency department yearly? In fact, in the United States alone, it has caused the most number of gym injuries to date. Many of those injured by treadmills complain of chest pains, runner’s knees and stress fractures. And this might be due to poor use of the equipment, such as unable to adjust its altitude, speed or even the type of workout. Gym users these days also tend to be distracted by the videos, music or phone and failed to see their laces coming off. Always remember to make sure you are in proper exercising attire when using sports equipment.

As for other equipment, don’t try it without supervision and guidance if you are new to it. Especially at the weights section. Its very common for new gym users to injure their backs due to wrong posture, positioning or even over estimation. It may be dangerous to try out the weight machine without any guidance if you are a new gym user. So grab a gym buddy who is more experienced than you to work out alongside with you. If not , you can also ask the staff in the gym for help.

We have seen so many gym goers wearing converse or other non-athlete shoes to gyms. These users often thought that it is fine to wear these shoes as long as they are not running. However, having the right pair of shoes is important irrespective of the exercising that you plan to do. Having the right support, cushioning is important during your gym session, to prevent knee and sprain injuries. Also, watch out for shoes that require replacement too. Don’t think of saving money by wearing your shoes that have hit the 10 year mark, because it most probably could land you injured in time to come.

Different shoes are suited for different types of exercises. We have tennis shoes, running shoes, basketball shoes for a reason. They are not all the same! Wearing the wrong type of shoe for an exercise could injure you. For example, running shoes are specially created to absorb the shock and impact from landing on the ground with every step. Hence, all of them come with thick, shock-absorbent cushioning. Love trail running? Then you better not be wearing normal running shoes, if you want to stay injury-free! Trail running shoes are formulated to withstand harsher conditions, with mud, water, gravel. They also have more heel and side-to-side support to keep you safe and balanced even when you run on uneven surfaces. Basketball shoes have thick and stiff soles to give players stability as they run up and down the court. Most of them are high-top to support the ankle when players dribble and shoot, jumping and landing rapidly. To ensure your safety while exercising, shoes aren’t the only things to look out for! Hence, get suitable workout apparel here so you don’t get injured!

We know it can always be adrenaline pumping in wanting to push your body and see how far you can go. But there is a thin line between pushing your body and knowing your limits. If you have not ran for quite some time, then start off with a 3km run before moving towards a 10km run. Exercising is for the long run, so you would not want to ruin your exercising experience with injuries. If you are new to exercising or wish to pick it up again after a hiatus, join our runs and connect with a community of runners from all over the world. Check out the variety of runs we have for you here!

As much as you want to stay fit and quick on your feet, it is important to recognise the signals your body gives you, and listen to it! Only by staying injury-free can we all work towards a fitter journey and better health! Lets go, 42Racers! Check out our apparels for you: https://web.42race.com/discover

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