At the beginning of the year, many find their way to a sports club or start a new sports hobby, which in itself is extremely positive. However, increasing your training load too quickly can lead to overtraining or, in the worst case, training injuries. Here are some tips on how to avoid injury and overtraining in the gym.

1. Bigger isn’t always better

Rest and proper recovery is an important part of training to achieve the best results. Of course, it is unreasonable for an amateur to train 5-6 times a week. You need to start much more conservatively so that there is room for progress. For beginners, I would recommend 3 full body workouts per week; with the right and thoughtful training plan this is more than enough for development. It is important to keep in mind that there must be at least one day of rest between two training days so that the muscles can recover. Overtraining and too heavy load can slow down our development, and in the worst case there is a risk for regress.

2. Support your health and joints with mindful eating and nutritional supplements

In addition to a healthy and mindful diet, you might consider taking vitamins. Firstly, with an increase in physical activity, our body’s need for magnesium increases. When we exercise, we inevitably sweat more, which causes loss of fluid and mineral. Magnesium also plays a role in all intracellular metabolic processes. Therefore, adequate magnesium supplies are essential for the proper functioning, recovery and development of our muscles.

Another important dietary supplement for almost all Estonians is vitamin D. However, people involved in sports should pay special attention to it. Namely, one of the symptoms of vitamin D deficiency is unusual muscle pain and muscle weakness. Thus, vitamin D is important not only for bone health, it also plays an important role in muscle function.

3. Warm-up plays an important role in the gym training

Most gym goers know to warm up before exercising. This is usually about 10 minutes on the cardio machine of your choice. This raises the heart rate, speeds up blood circulation and is a very important part of the warm-up. However, in addition to this, our warm-up should also include dynamic warm-up and stretching exercises. For example, go through the movement patterns of upcoming exercises with lighter weights or bands. Add a variety of stretches to help prepare your muscles, joints, and tendons. A proper warm-up prepares the body and nervous system for the effort ahead and, in turn, reduces the risk of injury.

4. Choose the right workout clothes

Perhaps few people know that gym training also requires the right clothes and shoes. By doing squats or pull-ups in running shoes, we increase the risk of injury in training. Shoes designed for running do not provide enough ankle support and stability for strength training. For training in the gym, you should prefer shoes with a stiffer sole, such as the Nike Metcon series. Proper gym shoes also have non-slip soles. It is strictly forbidden to work out in the gym in sandals, which can slip off your feet when using various machines and create a dangerous situation.

When doing squats, you should avoid wearing hoodies or slippery running shirts for the simple reason – the bar can get stuck in the hood or slip off.

5. Train with a personal trainer

One of the best ways to avoid injury in the gym is to train with a competent personal trainer. A personal trainer will help you choose the right exercises and training load based on your goals. If you are a beginner, it is also important to learn the correct technique together. It is often difficult for us to see ourselves from the outside and objectively evaluate the performance of the exercises, so I recommend even an experienced gym visitor to check the technique with a trainer from time to time. In addition to the above, an experienced trainer can also detect early signs of overtraining and reduce training load before the risk of injury increases.

Cätlyn Toomere

As a personal trainer, Cätlyn combines her two biggest passions – working out in the gym and helping people. Cätlyn believes that conscious exercise and proper nutrition can be a part of everyone’s lifestyle, and therefore she does her best to share her knowledge with clients. An active lifestyle also plays a very important role in good mental health, but the path to it is not always easy. A solid plan and consistent work will make the dream come true – come train with Cätlyn and reach your goals!

Telefon: +372 5302 5710
E-post: catlyn.toomere@myfitness.ee