How To Prevent Back Injuries While Working Out

Written By McKenzie Jones / Reviewed By Ray Spotts

Back injuries happen for various reasons. Sometimes, the injury is work-related, but it can also happen because you worked out and did something you shouldn't have. The good thing is workout back injuries are preventable. All you need to do is figure out what you need to do to prevent back injuries, and that's what you're going to learn here.

Warming Up

The first thing you want to do to prevent a back injury is warm up. Some folks don't do this and end up needing herniated disc treatment or something like that to deal with the injury. While these sorts of treatments are effective, you don't want to be injured, no matter how good modern medicine has gotten.

First, you want to prepare your mind for the fitness session. Mindful meditation can be helpful. You can do warm-ups for about five to 10 minutes before the workout. If you're working with a trainer, then ask this person to teach you a few warm-up exercises, which are usually quite light. Most of the time, warm-up exercises include things like shoulder rolls, trunk rotations, and arm circles, just to name a few.

Safer Planks

Planks are one of the most common types of exercises that people love to do, but these could be a little dangerous if you don't do them right. It's important to learn a safer technique so that you protect your back while you do your planks. Again, if you have a trainer, then he or she should be able to help you learn how to get this right. If you don't have a trainer, you'll want to look at videos to see what you need to do.

In essence, you have to brace your abdominals as you perform your planks. When you brace your abdominals, pretend that you're trying to protect your gut from getting punched by someone.

It's important to tighten your core when you brace your abdominals, which means you'll want to fill this space. Most people like to suck in their stomachs when they're performing planks, but that doesn't help support your spine and back muscles.

Better Sit-Ups

Sit-ups or crunches are common when working out. This could be kind of dangerous if you don't do it right. Your back is already under enough pressure, so you don't want to add any more. If you want to do sit-ups, you want to get yourself a stability ball. Yes, this type of exercise is good for your abs, but your abs shouldn't cause you a back injury.

The reason this is an effective tool that'll keep your back safe is that it helps support your back. When you perform a sit-up on the floor, you can stress the curve of your back. The ball gives you a full range of motion and offers some protection. You'll be protecting your back muscles and spine. These stability balls are pretty inexpensive, and most gyms have a few of them for you.

Cycling Wiser

Work-out routines usually include some cycling at some point. The problem is that people can experience back pain or even injure themselves from cycling if they don't cycle correctly. You want to make sure you do this right for the sake of your back. The first thing you want to do is ensure your bike is fitted to you perfectly. The position of the seat and the handlebars have to match your size.

When you bike, you want to drop your shoulders as much as possible and bend your elbows a bit. Bending your elbows helps absorb the shock you're going to experience on the road. Always push and pull the pedal, which is something people don't always do believe it or not. Those using a stationary bike will only need to worry about adjusting the seat until it feels comfortable.

In addition to that, don't rest your forearms on the handlebars, no matter how tired you are, because this action adds pressure to your back.

It might be a good idea to stretch before you do anything physical and especially when you're going to exercise. Hopefully, some of these suggestions help keep your back safe when you're exercising.

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Written By:

McKenzie Jones  is your typical Midwestern gal. When she is not writing or reading, she can be found training for her next half-marathon, baking something sweet, playing her guitar, or cuddled up with her golden retriever, Cooper. She loves watching football, fall weather, and long road trips.

Reviewed By:

Founder Ray Spotts has a passion for all things natural and has made a life study of nature as it relates to health and well-being. Ray became a forerunner bringing products to market that are extraordinarily effective and free from potentially harmful chemicals and additives. For this reason Ray formed Trusted Health Products, a company you can trust for clean, effective, and healthy products. Ray is an organic gardener, likes fishing, hiking, and teaching and mentoring people to start new businesses. You can get his book for free, “How To Succeed In Business Based On God’s Word,” at www.rayspotts.com.