Maintaining strength, a slim body, and general health as you age requires regular strength training. Everyone should practice some kind of resistance training to build strength. To avoid any potential hazards or injuries, it’s vital to make sure you follow the right instructions.
While strength training is generally safe, it can lead to injuries if you develop bad habits or fail to perform exercises correctly. In this article, we will guide you through seven detrimental strength training habits that can harm your body by the time you reach 40, if you’re not cautious.
If you want to make the most of your body’s ability to age gracefully and enjoy the benefits of strength training without facing the consequences of these bad habits, it is crucial to avoid making these mistakes.
Discover seven of the worst strength training practices that might cause irreparable damage to your body by the time you’re 40 by reading on.
7 Strength Training Mistakes
1. Ignoring Warm-ups and Cool-downs
To safely complete your workouts and reap the rewards of resistance training, a solid warm-up is crucial. It’s not just about doing better; it’s also about decreasing your risk of injury while lifting weights.
It’s not necessary to warm up for 30 minutes. Instead, try doing three to five minutes of brisk walking or a similar aerobic activity. After that, do 10 to 20 repetitions of dynamic exercises that focus on the body part you’re training.
For instance, you may begin lower-body workouts with five minutes of medium intensity stair stepper training. Then, with your hands behind your head, complete 10 sets of slow bodyweight squats and 10 sets of walking lunges. When working on your upper body, start with five minutes of brisk treadmill walking. After that, perform 10 sets of tiny and large standing arm circles and 10 sets of downward dog to cobra pose.
2. Disregarding Muscular Imbalances
We all have a tendency to engage in repetitive activities throughout the day. Whether you spend most of your time sitting at a desk or have a physically demanding job that requires a lot of bending or reaching overhead, it’s quite common to experience muscle imbalances.
Stretching and foam rolling should be a part of your everyday practice if you want to enhance your general well-being. Don’t forget to pay particular attention to strengthening the weaker muscles that might not get as much workout during your normal activities as you do the stronger muscles that you regularly employ over the course of your day job.
3. Not Considering Flexibility
Flexibility should always come first if you want to keep your body healthy and flexible while gaining strength, regardless of whether you have muscular imbalances or not. Stretching should take five to ten minutes at the end of your workout in order to accomplish this. Ensure that you hold each stretch for at least 30 seconds, if not more.
Additionally, when performing your resistance exercises, be sure to employ your entire range of motion. Your body will constrain your ability to move in a range that will allow you to use functional strength otherwise.
4. Lifting Too Much Weight
It can be tempting to pile on the weights at the bar, thinking you can handle it all. But, if your aim is to avoid injuries and ensure safe and effective training in the long term, this approach is a mistake.
Instead, use a weight that is light enough to leave one or two reps in reserve after completing your set. This will enable you to perform each exercise with a full range of motion on every repetition. It’s perfectly fine not to train to failure because you will still experience strength gains.
5. Ignoring The Appropriate Form
Ignoring appropriate form when lifting, whether small or heavy, is a huge no-no if you want to prevent injury. Avoid making several frequent errors when performing lower-body workouts, such as folding your knees and ankles inward and overarching your lower back.
When executing pressing and rowing activities, common upper-body form mistakes include shrugging the shoulders and thrusting the neck forward.
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6. Working Yourself Way Too Hard
Although you might have the need to work out every day, it’s crucial to realize that your body truly heals and gets stronger when you take breaks, not when you’re working out. You won’t be giving your body enough time to heal if you push yourself to exercise every day, which might slow your development or possibly raise your chance of being hurt.
It’s crucial to incorporate at least two rest days per week into your routine and avoid consecutive days of intense training.
7. Repeating The Same Exercise Routine
One of the worst strength training habits that can wreak havoc on your body by the time you hit 40 is sticking to the same workout routine day in and day out. It’s crucial to mix things up every six to eight weeks, regardless of the exercise regimen you follow.
Just like doing repetitive motions, doing the exact same movements in the gym repeatedly, month after month, can lead to overuse. Moreover, switching up your exercises helps to vary the stimulus on your muscles, resulting in greater improvements in strength and muscle growth.