by Rhianna Carlson

Created on: May 26, 2007

It is essential to follow certain safety tips while you are out at your gym. This will assure your safety during workouts while avoiding injuries and/or other complications. It is imperative that you adhere to your physician's/fitness therapist's guidelines before taking up any workouts.
Gym safety:
1. Check your fitness before you start up any strength-training program. You might have to modify or avoid weightlifting if you have muscle or joint problems, seizure disorders, heart disease, high blood pressure, previous injuries or any other physical condition with potential for danger.

2. One of the cardinal principles of gym safety is to never work out when you are tired or ill. You can worsen your situation or injure yourself.

3. Warm up before any aerobic workout, as it involves repetitive exercise that increases your heart rate. Stretch your muscles before putting them through a strenuous workout. Follow your brief warm-up with some stretches. Do not injure your muscles without preparing them adequately.

4. Don't rush into any sport or exercise without warming up first - muscles that haven't been properly prepared tend to be injured more easily. Start out with some light cardiovascular activities, such as easy jogging, jumping jacks, or brisk walking, just to get your muscles going.

5. Do not lift weights jerkily. This can lead to muscle injuries. Do your exercises in a slow and controlled manner. Increase weights gradually. Use safety collars when working out on squats, bench presses, curls and dumbbells. This will ensure that weight plates don't slip off and cause an injury. Use a weight belt, wraps, straps and gloves to support heavy lifts. This protects your lumbar region. Knee wraps prevent injury to your tendons and ligaments.

6. Using the proper lifting form is important not only to work your muscles correctly, but also to prevent injury. Always do your exercises through a full range of motion in a slow, controlled manner.

7. Don't hold your breath while lifting weights, it can cause inter-abdominal pressure that can lead to hernia. Breathe out as you exert yourself and breathe in as you relax and let weight back down. Repeat exercise routines steadily to benefit from the workout. Lift weights with control and not explosively.

8. Don't lean heavily on the stair-stepper rails. Leaning heavily on the stair-stepper rails will place unnecessary weight on your wrists and back. Unnecessary leaning can cause injuries to your wrists and back.

9. Drink water while you workout. This prevents dehydration and aids better workout performance. Stop your gym activity if you experience dizziness, fainting or change in heart rhythm. Any significant increase or drop in blood pressure must not be ignored. A critical gym safety tip is to discontinue the fitness activity if you feel tightness in the chest or shoulders and surrounding areas.

10. Replace gym equipment in the right place after you are done with them. Leaving them around can injure other gym members. Always use the collars that prevent weights from falling off the barbells. Keep your hands away from chains, cams, pulleys, and weight plates of exercise machines when they are in use. Use gym equipment after wiping them. Wash your hands after your workout. This may reduce your chance of catching any virus.

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