The Great Dumbbell Handbook Breakdown

Weight Training Safety Tips

1) Always warm up before you start a workout

Warming up the whole body before training is important for safe and productive workouts. Warming up can be as simple as performing a specific exercise at 25% to 50% of the weight you normally use. It is very simple so warm up before starting your workout and can help weight loss.

2) Use proper posture

Improving or maintaining good posture will greatly reduce the chances of injury and maximize exercise gains and benefits. Good posture is like sitting up straight when lifting weights or standing with feet shoulder width apart while not locking the knees. Making sure not to twist or arch to complete an exercise. Good posture can make or break your physical health.

3) Use proper form

Focus on only working the muscle groups intended for the exercise you are doing. If you feel strain elsewhere you may need someone to critique your exercise motion or reevaluation the amount of weight you are lifting. Keeping proper form also means lifting in a smooth fluid motion. Know when your muscles are too tired to keep going.

4) Breathe properly

Never hold your breath during any part of an exercise. Holding your breath may cause severe intrathoracic pressure and raise blood pressure leading to dizziness, blackout or worse! The rule of thumb is to exhale slowly on exertion and inhale on the return part to the exercise.

5) Stop training if you feel pain

If you feel any pain during a specific exercise, stop immediately to avoid any injury that may occur. Any continuation may lead to future pain or injury that can lead to years and years of pain that is not needed. Make sure you are using proper form and lift only the weights that you can do with good form.