As a beginner, or when you start exercising again after a long period of time, it is important that you don’t overdo it. An injury is definitely not a good idea when you’ve just found the motivation to start exercising (again). We have a number of tips for you to reduce the risk of sports injuries.
1. Take the right nutrition
The role of nutrition in reducing the risk of sports injuries is greatly underestimated. Nutrition plays a huge role in reducing the risk of sports injuries. Food contains the necessary substances that your body needs to recover from muscle damage. Muscle damage sounds fierce, it is not. After an effective workout your muscles are “damaged”, this is ultimately necessary for a muscle to grow. With the right nutrition you optimize the process of muscle recovery after an effective workout.
2. Train well rather than too much
Many athletes who start with weight training or some other form of exercise start too intensely. This can actually work against you. If you don’t give your body a rest after a workout, you increase the risk of sports injuries. Try to rest for at least 48 hours after each workout. This does not mean that you can never exercise two days in a row. Try to distribute the load per muscle over the whole week. Try not to strain a certain muscle group more than 4 times a week, so that your
body gets enough rest to recover.
3. Slowly build weight training
The role of technique is vastly underestimated in weight training. Therefore, start by focusing on technique first. However tempting it may be to start with as much weight as possible, this is not the wisest way to start weight training. In fact, when you want to do too much too fast and don’t pay attention to the technique of the exercise, this can be at the expense of your progress and the chance of chronic injuries will increase considerably. Therefore, always build up weight training slowly with the emphasis on technique.
4. Never forget to do a warm up
A warm-up is often skipped by athletes because they find it boring or aimless. However, this is not the way you should look at a warm-up. A good warm-up contributes to a positive blood circulation in your muscles so that they can prepare for an intensive workout. In fact, if you want to become stronger, a warm-up can not only prevent injuries but also contribute to your sporting performance.
If you apply these tips, you will significantly reduce the risk of sports injuries and you will be able to enjoy sports for a very long time.
ENJOY THE RIDE!