Gyms all over the area are reopening their doors after a two-month hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the Stay at Home Order. Many us of are clamoring back to the gym to get back on track with our fitness and health goals. Here are some tips to follow to avoid injuries as you return to the gym.
STRETCH, STRETCH, STRETCH: If you have been inactive during the past two months, I cannot emphasize enough the importance of stretching! It allows the body to warm up before activities. Gone are the days where you bend forward, reach your toes, count to twenty and are ready to go.
Instead, do Dynamic Stretches followed by the activity and finish it off with Static stretches. Make sure that the target muscle groups are properly engaged before doing the activity. Stay tuned on our next Blog which will focus on the benefits of stretching.
GO SLOW: If you have not been training during the quarantine, ease your way back to the intensity and weight that you were doing Pre-COVID-19. The best way to maximize your time back to the gym is by doing the repetitions slowly. In gym terms, this is called a “negative rep”. Setting down the weight after a bicep curl back to the original starting position is a good example. Another one is squatting down to sit. Or slowly bringing bar down towards your chest when doing bench press. Eccentric contraction produces more force than concentric contraction therefore doing eccentric contraction is better for muscle strengthening.
There are different types of muscle contractions: Isometric, Concentric and Eccentric. Isometric is when the muscles are actively engaged but they are held in constant length. Concentric is when muscles are engaged and can move the weight load, shortening the muscle. A great example is the raising of the weight during a biceps curl. Eccentric contraction occurs when the contracted muscles are lengthening.
REST: You might be feeling like you have been resting A LOT for the past two months. Remember that rest is key to recovery and muscle growth. You will most likely feel more sore than usual over the first two weeks of returning to the gym. That is normal as the muscle are adapting to the increased workload with muscle hypertrophy or growth. Proper rest in between sets and especially at night with proper sleep is the best way to help our muscles and our body. Here is a link for Sleeping Tips from our colleagues at Whitney Green Acupuncture
WHO’S READY TO GO BACK TO THE GYM?!?!?
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