What are the best practices for gym safety?

There are too many to write an extensive list, but some common things to consider are:

• Never perform an exercise you aren’t comfortable with or don’t know how to do properly – consult a professional trainer first!
• Never keep going if you feel pain – stop immediately. There’s a difference between sharp pain and muscle burning pain. Muscle burn is good, but sharp pain is not!
• Warm-up prior to lifting. This gets the muscles warm, reduces joint stiffness and lubricates your joints.
• Incrementally increase weight if going heavy. You may need several warm-up sets prior to your recorded set if you are really pushing it in strength phase.
• Don’t be shy from using a lighter load to keep good form. We are not impressed by big weights – we are impressed by perfect form.
• Mind your posture! Your back is probably the most at risk of significant injury, so any bending or twisting, especially under load, can potentially lead to injury.
• When in doubt, don’t attempt. Ask for advice.
• Going heavy? Ask a trainer for a spot.
• Take water breaks. Dehydration can lead to serious injury or even death. If you’re thirsty, you’re already dehydrated by at least 1%, and your performance is already affected. If you’re older, your thirst mechanism may not be what it used to be. Take incremental water breaks. Urine should be light and good flow.
• Be careful of rotator cuff injuries by preventing your shoulders from externally rotating except under very light controlled loads. Letting dumbbells fall to the side of a bench can tear a rotator.
• Be careful of pinch points around the gym.
• Use collars for lifting. Our gym has bumper plates that very easily slide off. If one plate goes, things will get ugly fast!
• Use perfect form. Ask a trainer for coaching tips if you aren’t sure if your form is picture perfect. A second pair of eyes is always a good idea.
• Control your lifts, especially the eccentric or “negative” portion.
• Clear your surroundings before you begin an exercise. Our gym is spacious and clutter free for a reason!
• Don’t train the same muscle back to back days. It’s not the workout that gives amazing resistance training benefits, it’s the recovery. If you want to train more, do some cardio and stretch, or use a split routine like upper/lower, or upper push/upper pull/lower.
• Don’t wing your workouts. Use a plan. Need a plan? Ask a trainer. Our membership comes with professionally designed fitness plans.

Let us know if you have any questions on gym safety. We are happy to help you especially to decrease chances of injury. This is a trainers #1 job.