Emma Radebaugh Becoming a frequent visitor to the gym, or creating your own at home, is an excellent way of life. Despite how good going to the gym is for you, there are a lot of ways to get injured or sick there. Follow these gym safety tips, whether you’re on a treadmill or lifting weights.
Have A Spotter
One of the best ways you can improve your safety in the gym is to have a spotter. This is crucial if you lift any kind of heavy weight. A spotter will help you get the weight back on the rack if you have trouble getting it up yourself. This why having a workout partner is a huge benefit; you already have a spotter for your entire workout. If you don’t have a partner, and decide to tackle your legs or chest, you can ask someone at the gym for a quick spot.
Clean Up After Yourself
A gym is one of the most common places where you can spread germs and potentially pick up an illness. Bring a towel with you, and wipe up your sweat to clean up after yourself. Also, use disinfectant wipes to clean the equipment after you use it.
Remove Weight Properly
A common mistake that can severely hurt someone in the gym is removing weight improperly. If you use a squat rack or a bench press, there is a specific order you should remove weights. You should not remove all the weights from one side at once. Take one weight off at a time and you must switch sides each time, so the bar stays balanced. Removing all the weights from one side at once will result in the other side tipping over and potentially hitting someone.
Watch Your Surroundings
Speaking of hitting someone accidently, situations like the one we mentioned above are why you must watch your surroundings. Make sure you give yourself enough room to perform your exercise without hitting someone or a piece of stationary equipment.
Warm Up
An additional gym safety tip we recommend you follow is to warm up prior. Stretching before a workout can help you prevent injury. It doesn’t have to be a lot, as you just want to get your muscles prepared for the hard work ahead. This will also help with your recovery.
Perfect Your Form
Many people think that you must lift extremely heavy weights to get stronger, but that isn’t necessarily true. Lifting heavy weights can actually hurt you. Instead, focus more on your form rather than how much you lift. Doing research on your own or getting help from a trailer are good steps to take to perfect your form and prevent injury.
