“‘When you take care of your spine, you’re taking care of your whole body. What we see as we’re coming out of the pandemic is that many Americans are going to be looking for quick fixes as they return to the gym, but we’re raising awareness that a multi-prong approach to wellness gets the best results for people,’ Dr. Rita Roy, CEO of the National Spine Health Foundation (NSHF), told Healthline.

This is particularly true for those who want to weightlift and haven’t been trained on safe lifting techniques, she said, as they are more likely to sustain a back or neck injury while weightlifting.

While having a strong core can help prevent injuries during weightlifting, Christina Brown, MS (exercise science), certified nutrition and fitness coach, said it’s not necessary to have a strong core before jumping into weightlifting.

“Instead, they should start slow, start with lighter weights, and because they will be using their core to stabilize and keep correct form, they will build their core muscles as they build the other muscles they are working,” Brown told Healthline.”

My Takeaways From This Article

1. As everyone hits the gym again since the new year and also the uplifting restrictions of the pandemic, weight-lifting is a great way to keep our body in shape and healthy especially for the upcoming summer season where we can show off the fruits of our workouts.

2. However, weightlifting can be dangerous if not handled with proper techniques and form during the exercises as it can put unnecessary load on places other than our muscles.

3. The most important thing to protect is our spine, improper form and workout can lead to back problems that can potentially plague you during night and also throughout the day. It’s also important to engage your core muscles more to help stabilize your body and prevent it from overcompensating when you reach maximal exertion.

4. As always make sure to take it slow and ask for help if needed! There are many fitness coaches available and additionally people in the gym are more than happy to help one another with their form and give tips and tricks on the correct way of working out.

Full article is here!

Are you planning on beginning/continuing weight training any time soon? What are some ways you can prevent injuries caused by weightlifting?

#WeightLifting #InjuryPrevention #Exercise