Weight rooms can seem intimidating when you are not familiar with the equipment. It is easy to injure yourself if you are not careful and attentive. Keep the following tips in mind and you will greatly reduce your chances of injury in the weight room.

Stretch and Warm Up Before You Workout

Warming up elevates your heart, increases blood flow, and prepares your muscles for exercise. Skipping the warm up increases your risk for pulling or tearing a muscle. A good warm up is low impact, involves all of your muscle groups, lasts at least 5 minutes and will make you sweat a little bit. The elliptical machine is great for warming up.

Begin With a Light Weight

If you are new to weight training, or performing a new exercise, you should begin with a light weight that you can raise and lower comfortably. If you find yourself rocking or leaning, when you lift the weight, then it is too heavy. Lifting weights that are too heavy can damage muscles and joints. Find a weight that you are able to lift at least 12 times while maintaining proper form.

Look in the Mirror

Have you ever wondered why weight rooms have mirrors all over the place? It’s not just vanity. They are a great way to help ensure proper form and technique while exercising. When you use free weights (dumbbells), mirrors will help you check your posture. If you are using a machine, mirrors will help you check that the weights do not touch down between reps.

Slow down

When lifting weights, you have to pay attention to the speed at which you raise and lower the weights. Uncontrolled movements are the quickest route to injury. You should lift weights  slowly without rocking or leaning. Many people find using a 2-4 count to be a helpful method to control their movements. Count to 2 when lifting weights and count to 4 while lowering weights. This will ensure your movements are slow and steady, reducing your chances of pulling or straining muscles.

Stop if You’re in Pain

It’s important that you recognize the  difference between fatigue and pain. The gradual burn that you feel while working out is fatigue. Pain is a sudden sharp feeling that you need to stop. In any form of exercise, it is important that you pay attention to your body. If you feel a sudden pain while working out, then it’s best to stop and take care of the problem. However, that burn felt after a few reps is a great thing!

Ask for Help

You shouldn’t feel embarrassed to ask for help when you need it. Gyms don’t expect you to remember everything from your orientation. That’s why they have staff at the ready to answer your questions. So make the most of the time you spend at the gym and ask the professionals.