Having a healthy lifestyle is vital and people tend to spend hours working out at the gym to stay fit and active. In the process, many of us end up hurting ourselves. Some common reasons behind these injuries could be training maximally all the time, not warming up properly, poor selection of exercises and fatigue among others. A few common injuries while working out include muscle strain, knee injuries, sprained ankles, wrist pain, or dislocation. Depending on the severity of the injury you may need to apply pain relief products or consult an expert for the correct treatment.¹

1. Foam Roller Back Extension for your back:

This is considered as one of the best exercises to avoid back injuries during workouts. If you do not have a roller the same exercise can be done using two tennis balls or a rolled-up blanket.

1. Sit on the floor, knees bent. Place a foam roller above your lower back
2. Lie back on the roller
3. Gently bend backward over the roller while exhaling
4. Keep repeating until the roller is in line with your shoulders.

2. Lunging stretch for the calf

Whether it’s a cardio day or leg day, warming up your calves is always a better option. When it comes to the most optimum warm ups for calves lunging stretches are considered as the best.

1. Stand facing a couple of feet away from a wall.
2. Place your hands on the wall for support and step one foot back into a mini lunge.
3. Lean into the wall and press your back heel down so it’s flat on the ground.
4. Once you’ve held this stretch, change the angle of your foot positioning.
5. Repeat on the other side.

3. Banded internal and external rotation for a shoulder stretch

Shoulder muscles require intensity to grow, but before you put in that intensity it is very crucial to make sure that these muscles are properly warmed up. Here’s a warm up exercise you can do before beginning with the intense shoulder exercises.³

1. Stand with one foot staggered slightly in front of the other
2. Place the resistance band under your front foot, holding a handle in each hand, palms facing in
3. Engaging your core, raise your arms straight out to the sides until you reach shoulder height
4. Lower back down to start position
5. Do 15 reps

 

 

4. Banded Ankle Stretch before running/cardio

Cardio days demand a lot from you and you want to make sure that you are ready to give your 100%. This is why it is important to do the right warm up before your running, treadmill or cardio session.

1. Sit with your towel or band around your left foot.
2. Firmly hold each end of the towel with your hands.
3. Slowly turn your ankle inward, then pull up with the right-hand side of the towel to deepen the stretch.
4. Repeat on the other side.

Reference Links:

1. https://w10.fit/top-six-causes-injury-gym/
2. https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/guide/workout-injuries-prevention-and-treatment#1
3. 10 Quick Resistance-Band Arm Exercises You Can Do at Home (byrdie.com)​