One of the most popular workouts that has taken off in the last several years is CrossFit. CrossFit is a type of high intensity interval training that uses a lot of heavy weights and lifting. As an exercise that is popular among both men and women, CrossFit has made strong the new sexy, but it has also left a lot of people with injuries. Here are three ways that you can prevent yourself from getting injured while doing CrossFit.
1. Custom Weightlifting Belts
During CrossFit, you are going to be lifting a lot of heavy weight and if your back isn't strong or if you are new to lifting, you are putting yourself at risk of injury. To help stabilize and support your back when lifting, consider getting a custom weightlifting belt. These belts are essentially designed to hold in the lower part of your back while you are squatting and lifting so that you don't pull a muscle or knock anything out of whack.
2. Stretch
Stretching isn't just something you should be doing if you are a runner — it's something you should be doing both before and after CrossFit as well. Since you are going to almost solely be doing weightlifting, you are going to experience extremely sore and tense muscles. By stretching before and after, you can loosen up your muscles, release lactic acid, and hopefully find relief so that the next time you work out, you don't pull anything. Just make sure that you give every stretch at least a minute on each side so that you get the full benefits.
3. Try Smaller Gains Over Bigger Ones
In the world of CrossFit, bigger is definitely better, but that doesn't mean that has to be your motto. While one week your friend may lift 50 pounds more, you lifting 5 pounds more is still something worth bragging about. Remember that when you are first starting out that even little victories are showing that you are improving and succeeding. Plus, it's better to slowly go up and not be injured than to quickly go up and be out of commission for several weeks because of injury.
The last thing you want is to fall in love with CrossFit, but then get injured doing it. In addition to following these tips, make sure that you are learning techniques from a certified trainer so that you know what is considered safe and what isn't. To learn more about CrossFit, reach out to a gym near you.
Share25 March 2020
As the mother of three, I have a hard time finding enough hours in the day to get everything done that needs to be done. My doctor told me that I needed to increase the amount of exercise that I was getting each day. I laughed at him and told him that I didn't have more than 10 minutes to shower each day. He continued to explain all of the benefits of finding the time to exercise and I told him I would try. I started looking for information about mothers finding time to exercise and found out that a lot of exercises can be done while doing other things. Find out how to multitask and include exercise in your day without losing any time.