To avoid muscle and joint injury, it is important to carry out warm up and stretching exercises prior to any fitness training workout. But to help further with your workout there are some other things you may wish to do to make it more enjoyable.
To increase your flexibility and to avoid injuries, stretch before and after workout. Ok so none of what I have said so far is a secret but you would be amazed how many people do not do it but were you aware that you should also continue this stretching at the end of a workout as the muscles are warm and more flexible.
For most warm-ups it is quite acceptable to hold a stretching position for twenty seconds but to really extend the muscles groups and joint flexibility, this should be lengthened to one minute. It is not advisable to stretch and then relax straight away but to return to the original position slowly. Some people have injured themselves because they extend beyond their limits and do not hold the stretched position for a few seconds before returning slowly. As warm up exercises can be measured in terms of difficulty, it is always a good idea to commence with the easiest first and make sure all the muscle are stretched before moving on to any training.
A commonly forgotten area of the body to warm up, and one that is easy to injure, is the neck so make sure that the neck is warmed up by applying pressure to the head at the front, back and sides using pressure from the palm of your hand. Stretch regularly before fitness training to continually increase your range of movements and your level of flexibility and strength.
Never try to compete with the abilities of others as this is a sure way to injure yourself; even if not at the time, you will almost certainly feel it later when you body has cooled down. Always exercise to limits of your body on the day, just because a few days earlier you could carry out an exercise does not mean that it will be possible all the time so expect this to happen and do not over-exert yourself.
Summary
Every athlete knows that muscles need to heal and grow from physical exertion so give yourself a day off between fitness training and exercising; your body will appreciate it. Increasing your lung capacity, which means you won’t get out of breath so easily and heart improvement exercises like walking, running and rowing for instance are the best to start with and you will find weight machines much easier to use. If you are someone that likes aerobic exercise then you should listen to music if possible as it helps to have a regular beat. Make sure you get a decent pair of headphones though because you will probably want your music loud but not everyone else will want to listen to it. If you are someone who has trouble relaxing or sleeping then you may want to consider stretching exercises as it is good for you even if you are not working out.
