Going in for sports is importants at any age and at any time of the year, because regular sports activities help keep our muscles in good shape, develop willpower and improve mood.
The popularity of a sports lifestyle in our days has greatly increased, which is good news. In order to start exercising, you don’t even need a subscription to a fitness room, because there are home fitness equipment, street jogging and exercise apps for your smartphone
But every coin has two sides. The mass enthusiasm for fitness training and their availability have led to the fact that people start exercising without the necessary preparation and understanding of how to do it without harm to health.
Yes, training can really hurt if you do not follow the recommendations, which we will talk about today.
Personal characteristics
The first thing to remember is the uniqueness of each of us. And it's not about motivation, but about the fact that the intensity and frequency of classes depends on age, gender, lifestyle and, most importantly, health status.
Before starting training, you should consult with your doctor and find out if you have any contraindications to any exercises and loads.
For children, pregnant women, the elderly, people with heart problems or overweight - absolutely everyone has their own approach and their own limitations, which you need to know about in advance so that sports bring health benefits, not harm.
Warm up and cool down
During training, muscles, joints and ligaments are exposed to heavy loads, for which they need to be prepared by preheating. Cardio exercises are well suited for this purpose: running, jumping, walking, cycling, etc. A warm-up will take only 10-15 minutes from your workout, but it will help you stay healthy and set you up for a vigorous continuation and a good result.
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After training, it is imperative to perform a cool-down, and the best option would be a 15-minute stretch of the muscles that we trained. Stretching will help you recover faster, reduce muscle pain after exercise, and also help improve and consolidate the result.
Run
Running is good and healthy. Running helps to lose weight, develops physical strength and endurance, but many do not like to run, because, with all the advantages, running takes a lot of energy. And in the absence of preparation, our well-being quickly deteriorates due to a rapid heartbeat.
And there are three mistakes here.
1) Running without training
If before that you only ran at school in physical education and in the mornings, being late for work, then you should not demand much from yourself in the first workouts. You need to start running gradually, controlling time, speed and distance. Coaches and athletes on the Internet offer many different running and walking programs that will help you fall in love with running and learn how to run correctly.
Special running applications with ready-made programs will help to simplify life even more, we reviewed one of these in our article, read .
2) Running without heart rate
This point applies not only to running, but to all cardio workouts that we do to train our cardiovascular system. Therefore, it is very important to monitor your own heartbeat in the process. This can be done “manually”, listening to the pulse, or you can use a special fitness bracelet.
The optimal heart rate during cardio is calculated by the formula:
(220 - *your age*) x 0.7
The pulse should decrease and increase gradually, so you need to start running at a low speed and end with a step.
3) Running right after getting up
Jogging in the morning is a good thing, but you should not take it too literally and go out on the track immediately after you wake up.
Cardiologists unequivocally state: active physical activity within two hours after lifting is harmful to the heart . And running is just such a load. So in the morning you should limit yourself to exercises or light stretching, and start running no earlier than a couple of hours after waking up.
Rest after training
Another common mistake is to sit or lie down in one place, resting between sets or after completing a workout. This is no less harmful to the heart than the wrong run.
The best way to rest after a set or workout is to walk at a calm paceuntil your breathing evens out and your heart rate returns to normal. This method will help you catch your breath without undue stress on the heart.
Water, juice, or maybe soda?
It is possible and necessary to replenish the water balance throughout the day, and especially during training, when we sweat and water leaves the body faster. But the only liquid that is suitable for this is pure still water , preferably at room temperature.
Any liquid containing a lot of sugar will raise your blood insulin levels, which will affect your endurance and overall well-being. Carbonated liquid will also very soon make itself felt in the form of poor health.
Caffeine pre-workout?
Definitely not! Drinking caffeinated drinks before training in order to cheer up is a very bad idea, because we are again exposing our own heart to “strike”.
Caffeine not only invigorates, but also raises blood pressure, increases the heart rate even before the start of a workout (and we already mentioned that it is important to monitor it) , and increases the load on the heart.
Is this extra vigor worth it? After all, we started our studies to improve health, and any additional harm is contrary to the original good purpose.
Diet
If you do not play sports professionally, it is not necessary to change your diet or follow the special diets that professional athletes follow. However, there are a number of rules to keep in mind.
You should not start training on an empty stomach, as you simply may not have the strength to finish it. But you can't do it on a full stomach either. The best option is to eat 2 hours before the start , so that the body has time to digest food and is ready for physical exertion.
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After training, you should not starve either, because without food the body will not be able to fully recover. However, severe hunger and a feeling of fatigue can play a trick on us, and too hearty lunch (or dinner) will nullify all our efforts in the gym. So after class, it's best to have a snack with something easily digestible , and save heavy foods like fatty meat for later.
Load control
And again, two extremes, into which one is drawn to embark. The first is the lack of any activity between workouts. The second is the desire to “move mountains” on a wave of adrenaline and increased motivation.
Both of these extremes will negatively affect health and the result of training. Don't stop being active outside of the fitness center, especially on non-training days. Do not forget to walk, walk, do exercise and keep your body in good shape .
Busting with loads, on the contrary, will quickly put you out of action, because the muscles will hurt mercilessly, and motivation will go out after a few sessions. Do not chase a quick result, increase the load gradually , otherwise there is a risk of not seeing the result at all.
Cold shower
After a workout, our muscles need a flow of blood to deliver oxygen and nutrients to them, as well as remove toxins. A cold shower immediately after a workout will narrow the blood vessels and greatly slow down this process.
Pills for muscle pain?
Another bad idea. After an intense workout, our muscles need to recover as soon as possible, and drugs that relieve pain will delay muscle recovery by several hours . This is another way to put your health at risk, so it's best to avoid it.
A set of exercises
And the last thing on our list, but the first thing to remember is that there is no single ideal training program that suits absolutely everyone . The choice of exercises and the result is highly dependent on the goal and initial data.
And if at the beginning of the article we advised you to consult a doctor, then the right step after that would be to contact a trainer who will professionally select a program for you, taking into account all the nuances.
Classes with a trainer will help you correctly calculate the load, minimize risks and achieve results faster, but if this option does not suit you, look on the Internet for video tutorials on how to properly use the simulators in the gym or do exercises at home.
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