7 Safe Solutions to Exercises That Can Hurt You ...

Performing a squat correctly is the first of my safe solutions to exercises that can hurt you because this is my top functional exercise. I hear often from new clients that they cannot perform squats because this will hurt their knees, and I am here to tell you this is not true. Squats will not hurt your knees if fact squats are great in building all the muscles surrounding your knees like your quadriceps, hamstring and glutes. But if you are performing a squat incorrectly this can hurt your knees and lower back. The correct form for a squat is seated position with your hips, feet and knees pointed forward. It is important not to extend your knees beyond your toes when performing a squat to avoid injury. Often you will see people in a gym incorrectly perform a squat and hyperextend the knees beyond their toes. By performing an exercise incorrectly you will not only risk an injury but also miss out on the benefits of the muscles that the exercise works.

If your neck is bothering you when you are doing abdominal exercises this is because you are pulling on your neck as you lift up. This occurs most often with new exercisers. The safe solution to this is to gently support your neck and do not pull as you lift up in your ab exercise. Remember to tighten your muscles and focus on attaining the lean abs of your dreams.

I see this most often with people that try to lift weight much higher than they can handle. And usually they wind up with lower back pain as a result. Why? If you are lifting weights that are heavier than you can handle you will automatically rock your body to leverage this weight so you can lift. This will put a strain on your back. The safe solution for this is to lower the weight you are lifting to a more manageable weight and slightly bend your knees to take undue stress off your lower back.

Are you running too many miles? If you are new to running and quickly increasing your weekly mileage, slow down. By increasing your weekly running miles quickly, you put yourself at greater risk of an injury, so make sure to never increase your total mileage by greater than 10% per week. Also look at your sneakers and see if you need a new pair. Running shoes should be replaced every 4-6 months. Follow these tips and see if your knee pain disappears... if not visit your doctor to make sure you did not injure yourself!

If you are not lifting weights heavy enough to challenge you this can hurt your results. If you have been lifting the same 3 pound weights since Denise Austin did them with you on the morning television show, it may be time to amplify your weights a bit. You can begin with a tiny bump of going up just a few but make sure you are challenged. You should feel muscle soreness and fatigue the next day. Lift weights for a leaner and more sculpted body!

If you are exercising for one hour and pushing yourself, you should be sweating. Heck, I sweat after 10 minutes of my workouts. Why? I push myself to the next level. A workout should be a work out of stress, calories, toxins and you should get a good sweat. So my solution to this is to add in a jog and 10 push ups every quarter mile to amplify your fitness routine!

If you are finding it difficult to get the energy to perform your current workouts, it is time to switch things up. Hire a personal trainer, or take fitness class to switch up your program. Make sure you find yourself challenged during the workout and satisfied when you complete this. And good program will keep you body stimulated and you will be craving more results!

These tips will help you to achieve great results and decrease the risk of an injury. Have you noticed any exercises performed incorrectly at your gym? How did you handle it?