Getting to the bottom of a niggling gym injury can be extremely frustrating. But fortunately, there are only a few areas that could be the cause of your discomfort. In this article, we’re going to break down five of the most common causes of gym pain.
Overtraining
If you are new to training, you may think that the more times you go to the gym, the better. Unfortunately, it’s not as simple as that. While training every single day will lead to results in terms of muscle gain or fat loss, it can also lead to injury, which is known as overtraining.
It may feel counterproductive to take a day off in terms of training, but it can actually benefit you in the long run. Taking sufficient rest days allows you to train harder on training days, and fortunately, there is far more information out there about rest and recovery these days.
Undertraining
While training too much can lead to injury, so can not training enough, so it’s important to find the perfect balance. If you aren’t working muscle groups at least once a week, then there’s a good chance that they’ll be underprepared when it comes to workout days.
Everyone’s body is different, so try listening to your body to determine the correct frequency of workouts. It can also be wise to play around with the intensity of your training sessions. For example, if you’re returning to the gym after a few days off, don’t be hell bent on setting new PBs and pushing yourself to the limit.
Incorrect Form
Another common cause of gym injuries is poor form or technique. If you’ve never been taught the correct way to lift heavy weights, then there’s a strong chance you’re doing it wrong, and this can lead to serious injury.
This is particularly important with exercises that involve some form of bending, such as deadlifts or bent over rows. Without the correct form, these types of exercises will hit the lower back and cause back issues. This problem can easily be rectified by working with a personal trainer or by attending instructor-led classes.
Inadequate Warmup
For some reason, many of us overlook the importance of warming up. A good warm-up gets our muscles ready for exercise and promotes the flow of blood around the body. This goes a long way to reducing the chance of pulls, strains and other niggling injuries.
How strenuous your warmup should be depends on your workout. For most workouts, combining light aerobic activity with dynamic stretches should provide an adequate workout.
Wrong Clothing
While not a common cause of injury, it’s important to consider your choice of clothing too. While there was a time when any form of sportswear would do for the gym, today’s gym goers are spoiled for choice, meaning there’s no excuse not to be wearing sport-specific clothing. For example, there’s a range of new brands offering athleticwear designed specifically for yoga, while the likes of A-Game offer premium activewear designed for the gym, including long sleeve training tops and 2-in-1 training shorts.