Preventive workouts

Most people today are so concerned with the aesthetic portion of working out that they forget how much exercise can help when it comes to injury prevention. With age comes the increased chance of injury, whether from accidents, by performing everyday activities or by conducting designated physical activities.

Performing a proper warm-up and stretching routine can reduce your chances of getting injured. But if you also take measures with your current workout to strengthen the areas that typically cause problems, you can decrease your chances of being sidelined in the future.

places of injury on the body

The typical places most people injure are the back, the knees and the shoulders or rotator cuffs. Injuring your back is particularly harmful, as it can be a lifelong injury and, if not taken care of properly, it can be very debilitating. The knees and shoulders are often injured due to the high ranges of motion that tear the great number of ligaments and tendons around these joints. Dedicating a portion of your workout to performing strengthening exercises for these three body parts is well worth your time and effort.

exercises you should do

To protect your back

Back raises: This exercise will really help strengthen all your erector spinae muscles, which help support you while you are performing major lifts. To perform it, lie down on your stomach with your legs straight and your arms above your head. Slowly lift your chest off the floor or mat using your lower-back muscles and hold for 10 to 20 seconds, then lower. Complete 2 to 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps each.

Straight-leg deadlifts: This is another great exercise for your back muscles and it will also target your hamstrings. To perform it, place a barbell in front of your feet. Bend at the waist and grasp the barbell with an overhand grip. Slowly, keep your back as straight as possible, return to a standing position and lower again. Complete 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps.

Abdominal crunches on a ball: Abdominal crunches on a ball are going to help strengthen your entire core (due to the instability of the ball) and they will help prevent back injuries. To complete them, lie on top of an exercise ball with the small of your back over its center. Keep your hands near your ears and use your stomach muscles to slowly raise your upper body up as high as you can; hold the position for 10 seconds and return to the starting position. Complete 2 to 3 sets of 15 to 20 reps.

To protect your knees

Leg extensions: This exercise will help strengthen the outer quadriceps, which are responsible for ensuring that your knee tracks over your toes when you perform bending motions, such as squatting. This exercise can be painful for those who are already suffering from knee injuries -- if this is your case you may want to either use a lighter weight or avoid it altogether.

To complete the exercise, sit upright in the leg-extension machine and use your quads to slowly extend your leg. An advanced option for this exercise is to use one leg at a time. Aim to complete 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps for this exercise.

Squats: Squats are known as the king of all exercises because they utilize so many different muscles in the body at one time. They are excellent for injury prevention, because they develop a great deal of overall strength, which allows you to train harder and remain injury free on your other activities.

Perform them with a barbell resting behind your head and across your shoulders (it is best to use a squat rack for this exercise). Next, position your feet so they are slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and squat down, knees following over the toes.

The lower you can go on these the better, as you will further call your glute muscles into play. If you are suffering from knee pain, take precaution, as going too low can place additional strain on them. Complete 3 to 5 sets of 6 to 10 reps.

Cable hip adductions: Stand beside a pulley machine and attach a cable to your outside ankle. Take a few steps away from the pulley and slowly raise your outside leg to the side as high as you can go. You will feel it mostly working in your hip muscle area. This will also help prevent knee problems by strengthening the muscles that help hold your knee in place. Use a lighter weight for this exercise and perform 2 to 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps.

To protect your shoulders

Shoulder press: This exercise is also known as the military press and is perfect for strengthening all the muscles around your shoulder joint. Since there are so many different heads that make up this muscle (lateral, anterior and posterior), hitting each one is very important. To perform it, grasp a pair of dumbbells or a barbell so they rest on top of your shoulders. Then, ensuring that you are keeping your spine in line, press the weights over your head, extending your arms.

Be careful not to overextend, as this can increase your chance of injury. Once at the top, slowly move the weights down to the tops of your shoulders again. Perform 2 to 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps.

Lying external rotation: This exercise is perfect for hitting your exterior rotator cuff muscles. To perform it, lie on your side on the floor. Hold a light-weight dumbbell (5 pounds to 10 pounds is a good weight) in the hand that is not against the floor. Keep your elbow locked at a 90-degree angle and your upper arm pressed against your body. Lower the dumbbell to the floor in front of you and rotate upward, so your hand points to the ceiling, then lower back down. Aim for 1 to 2 sets of 10 to 15 reps.

additional considerations

Along with the exercises specified above, there are a few other things you can immediately do upon experiencing any type of pain to prevent a minor injury from becoming major.

Ice and heat: Ice and heat are two very useful tools for anyone who does a lot of physical activity. Not only is ice good to use as soon as you experience some pain, but it is also good to use during the recovery process. Heat is a great option too and should be used to enhance blood flow to the injured area later on. You can also use heat for muscle aches. For any injury that causes a part of your body to swell, ice is the best bet.

Cross training: Cross training is something everyone should consider in their workout program. It will add variety to your workout and it will also help ensure that all the muscles in the body are being worked and that you are not overworking one particular muscle group. Try performing an alternate activity a couple of days a week to incorporate this into your routine.

Regular massages: Massages are really beneficial for someone who is experiencing muscle pain. Sometimes stretching will not help heal deep muscle pain and a deep tissue massage is necessary. Try to have a massage once a month to keep your muscles feeling fresh and to prevent any soreness from starting in the first place.

Rest: If you feel a great deal of pain in one of your major joints, the best thing to do is to rest it immediately. It is better to back off the exercise and relax your muscles than to try and push through the pain, which will only make it worse. If you do not rest right away, it will take longer to return to your regular routine than if you simply took some time off and rested at the first sign of injury.

for the long run

As I'm sure almost everyone who leads an active lifestyle knows, being injured is not a pleasant situation. Not only is it frustrating to be unable to do the activities you enjoy, but the amount of time you need to dedicate toward rehabilitation exercises can be a considerable nuisance. It is much smarter to take preventative action and strengthen your weak areas so injuries do not occur in the first place.

Resource: exrx.net