Contrary to popular wisdom, stretching is not the cure-all that weve been led to believe. Walking, riding on a stationery bike, or doing calisthenics is a better way to warm up than stretching. If you stretch before your muscles are warmed up, you have a much greater chance of actually injuring the muscles. Stretching is best saved for after a vigorous workout.
Prevention of injury during exercise is best achieved by going slowly and paying attention to the task at hand. If youre not careful, you can let your attention drift, and between that and doing something physically challenging, you can genuinely hurt your body.
Lets look at some different injuries and how to treat them.
During weight- or strength-training, chances are that you might overdo it and injure your muscles in some way. You may strain or pull them, stretching the tendon too far and causing yourself great pain and swelling. Treatment includes rest, an anti-inflammatory medication, and alternating cold and hot packs on the affected area.
You can easily sprain ankle or wrist joints, and knee injuries are common. Exercising should NOT hurtif you are hurting, you need to stop and...