You’ve been working out, and it’s paying off right now. You can finally see the fruits of your labor, and it feels great! However, if you’re not careful, muscle pains can also result from pushing yourself too hard at the gym. The good news according to Dr Mahmud Kara, is that there are ways to prevent this from happening – some of which won’t even cost you a penny.
Get A Good Night’s Sleep
One of the best ways to prevent muscle pains is to get a good night’s sleep. This practice helps your body recover from the day, which in turn helps you avoid injury and keep your muscles strong. Getting enough sleep can also help lower stress levels, which can lead to less tension in your muscles.
It’s not always easy to get enough restful sleep – but one thing that can help is making sure you’re sleeping on a comfortable mattress. If your mattress is old or worn out, it may not be providing enough support for your back or hips as they move throughout the night. If this sounds like something that might be happening in your home, consider investing in a new mattress today.
Warm Up And Stretch Before Your Workouts
Warming up before exercise is an important part of stretching. It increases blood flow to the muscles and helps you increase your range of motion. Stretching before exercise can also reduce muscle soreness after your workout, which may make it easier to stick with your exercise routine.
Other than that, stretching after exercising will help prevent injuries by increasing flexibility and improving balance, coordination, and posture. In addition to helping prevent injuries, doing some stretching after a workout will help relax you so that you’re ready for bedtime.
Resting Is As Important As A Good Warm Up
Resting between sets allows your muscles to recover and rebuild, so it’s more important than resting between workouts. For example, if you’re lifting weights on Monday morning, but then go for a run later that same day or even later in the week, it’s best to rest at least 24 hours before working out again.
If you’re doing something like weightlifting where there are multiple sets involved. For example, bench pressing 200 pounds for 10 reps with 2 minutes rest between sets. You should take about 1 minute per 50 pounds of weight lifted off the bar before doing another set with it.
Don’t Force Yourself To Lift More If Straining
If you are straining to lift a weight, then the load is way too heavy, as there should be no struggle. If you feel like your muscles are being pushed beyond their capacity, it is time to put down the weight and rest for a bit before trying again with something lighter.
Keep A Good Posture When Lifting
Finally, if you must lift something heavy from the floor, then Dr Mahmud Kara recommends that you keep your knees bent, spine straight, and back flat.
Slowly lift with your legs, then let gravity take over when it is close to your body. Also, don’t use your back to lift heavy objects. If possible, use a cart or other device to help move the object instead of manually carrying it yourself.
