Injuries can happen to anybody, even experienced home gym enthusiasts. For your own safety, you should be able to recognize the signs of injury and take appropriate action. Even more important, you should know how to prevent injuries occurring in the first place.
There are a number of different injuries that you may suffer. The first is a strain. This is a tear or damage to a muscle or tendon. This can be recognized by immediate sharp pain in the area of the muscle affected. It may be accompanied by swelling and redness. It can be caused by lifting extremely heavy weights or not warming up properly.
A sprain is a tear of a ligament. Ligaments are strong bands of connective tissue that hold joints together e.g. at the knee, elbow and wrist. Sprains are often caused when a joint is twisted beyond its normal range of movement. This can result in pain, restricted movement and swelling. Ligament injuries can take a long time to recover from.
An overuse injury can occur if you carry out the same exercises repeatedly. This can start as a small niggle but gradually get worse. It can be due to muscle injury or injury to a tendon.
Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is commonly encountered by novices. This is where the muscles that have been excercised become sore 24-48 hours after exercise. This is due to microscopic tears in the muscles. The body usually repairs these naturally and the new muscle is stronger and more able to withstand exertion.
You can help prevent injuries by ensuring that you warm up correctly. This should involve cardiovascular exercise for 5 minutes such as skipping or using treadmill. You should then do an exercise-specific warm up. When you use weights, build up the weights gradually. In all cases remember to maintain good posture and form. Do not sacrifice correct technique just to lift heavier weights.
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