How can I avoid injury or pain when strength training?
You can avoid injury and pain while strength training by following a few simple and proper procedures. Number one, always make sure you're ready for the exercise session you're doing. Make sure that it's something that is appropriate for your current ability level as well as your health and medical history. Always warm up properly, and start with a lighter weight when necessary. Make sure you do the appropriate cool down and stretching after you're done. Always use good form, and synchronize your breathing with the movement of the physical activity. There's always exceptions but as general rule, you exhale on the concentric phase (that's when the muscle shortening); that's when you lift your body or your weight against the gravity and you exhale at that point. Inhale as the muscle elongating the joints are extending and you're lowering down for example. So synchronize the breath with the movement, stay relaxed, and anytime that you're doing a standing motion make sure your knees are slightly bent and engage your abdominals to give your core you mid section support. And, remember there's good and bad pain. Good pain is the next day when you feel your muscle and its not habilitating, but you know you did something good. Bad pain lasts for an extended period of time, it's in the joint and perhaps there's popping and clicking associated as well. That's the bad pain we want to avoid that.
