11 September 2015 in Theory, Training

Exercise safely

September is a month when many people are building their schedules for the next 10 months to come. I hope they include doing sports in them. Though exercising should be done wisely. Today I will remind you about a few important rules.

Photos by Bartek Wieczorek (VIVA!)

WORK OUT REGULARLY

During a workout there are reactions that allow to adapt the organism to the effort and increase its physical fitness. The changes triggered by those reactions do not last long though. An athlete who exercises once a week or less often makes his body do the job from scratch again and again. Therefore, there are no desirable effects – better fitness, weight loss, improvement of respiratory function etc. We should be active 3 times a week. Such workouts do not have to be long and exhaustive every time. The body should be given sports tasks in order for training changes build up from workout to workout, which helps to increase fitness, strength, flexibility etc.
However: your body needs some rest between workouts, do not overdo it by exercising too often. Leave yourself some time to regenerate.

TAKE CARE OF COMFORTABLE CLOTHES AND GOOD SHOES

EXERCISE SAFELY
A safe workout has to include the following stages:

warm-up and stretching
proper training
stretching
recovery

Do a warm-up before each workout, irrespective of its type. This part of the workout helps to raise the temperature of muscles, relax them and get ready for the effort. It prevents injuries, but also it makes easier to perform the main part of the workout.

During every warm–up try to move all main muscle groups, performing exercises from top to bottom. I wrote about warm-ups and stretching already.

Main training – irrespective of its type, perform it carefully. It’s better to do fewer reps but correctly rather than do a lot of reps but in a wrong way. Focus on a correct posture during exercises, running or cycling.

Before you start doing exercises, get familiar with their proper technique. Mistakes lead to injuries and fixed errors are hard to eliminate. Throughout the entire workout focus on proper breathing. It should be even, coordinated with body movements. Never hold your breath. Breathe out when you tense your muscles, breathe in when you relax them.
Having finished the main part of the training, do some stretching again, but do it when your muscles are still warm!

DRINK WATER DURING AND AFTER TRAINING

TAKE CARE OF PROPER RECOVERY

After a workout let your body recover: do not overload it with another effort too fast. Meanwhile, take care of a good rest and hygiene as well as supply your body with all the necessary nutrients for recovery.