Getting injured while exercising in the gym is not just painful and dangerous; it’s also quite ironic. After all, most people are so eager to advance that they skip stretching and warming up or add more weight to the barbell as soon as they assume they can lift it. They fail to realize that patience is the game’s name and that, by getting injuries, they’ll lose out on far more gym time than they’ll save by using these “shortcuts”. To help you avoid this, here are a couple of tips you should watch out for.

1. Stretch

You need to start your workout routine by stretching out. This way, you’ll activate the parts of your body that were dormant up until now and get the blood pumping. This way, your body will be more resilient to injuries of all sorts. It’s like when you get up early in the morning and can’t control all of your limbs. Now imagine overworking these half-asleep limbs. The most important part is that you learn how to warm up properly and that you warm up your entire body. This is why you need to emphasize the individual exercises and your stretch routine as a whole.

2. Warm Up

After you’ve done stretching, it’s time to warm up a bit. Now, there are a couple of ways for you to do so. A bit of light cardio is a way to go. You can also include a brief HIIT routine. Other than this, you can also warm up for a weightlifting exercise by putting minimal weight on the barbell and trying to do as many reps as quickly as possible. This way, you’ll get the blood rushing through your muscles and reduce the impact of the shock on your body.

3. Wear a Propper Apparel

Wearing the wrong shoes, apparel that’s too loose, or a workout outfit that doesn’t fit (no pun intended) is another great way for you to get injured. There’s a reason why sports apparel is the way it is. After all, its clothing is designed for functionality, while your shoes are designed for optimal support. Also, the materials that sportswear is made out of are designed to minimize the likelihood of a rash, which already helps you get going.

4. Get Your Regular Checkup

It’s a lot easier to make matters worse than to just twist, sprain, or break something right away. You see, pain is usually a warning sign that you’re pushing your body past your limits. Of course, it’s not uncommon for someone lifting a preposterous weight to just feel a snap. However, in many scenarios, the damage will be gradual and lead to erosion. This is especially common in areas with a lot of brittle bones like your hands in your feet. According to experts in sports podiatry, getting a regular checkup can save you from a world of pain and cut your recovery time drastically.

5. Don’t Increase the Intensity Until You’ve Mastered the Form

The biggest contributing factor to a high injury rate at the gym is people not being able to control their ambition. Some are afraid that they would be ridiculed for working out with a barbell with no added weights and adding more than they can handle to do vanity lifts. This ends the way you would expect it to. Just arm yourself with patience and all should be well.

6. Stay in the Moment

Mindfulness is incredibly important while exercising and if you allow yourself to get distracted, there’s a risk that you’ll get injured, as well as that you’ll injure others. You need to develop an awareness of your surroundings since you don’t want to back out into someone else while backing up to assume your squats pose. Also, put 100% of your mental capacity into maintaining a proper form.

7. Have Someone Around

Having a spotter is one of the best ways to keep yourself safe while working out. The reason why is that they can come to your rescue when you’re in a position from which you can’t help yourself. Other than this, a spotter sees your body from a different angle. One might even suggest that they have a more holistic view of your posture, which means that they might notice when you’re doing an exercise wrong. Everyone knows that having a spotter for a bench press is a must. However, not a lot of people have a spotter for barbell rows (and they should).

Lastly, while you may do everything right and still get injured, such a thing is quite unlikely. After all, the majority of people, post-injury, if they’re completely honest about how they got hurt, will be able to diagnose the problem quite efficiently. Most importantly, in 9 out of 10 cases, it will be due to not following one of the above-listed seven items. This list gives you a blueprint for avoiding these scenarios for good.