Simple Ways You Can Avoid Accidents at the Gym
Surely, you’ve already seen those “gym fail” videos on YouTube. You might have even seen a fellow gym-goer in ActiveSG make quite a funny mistake. But funny or not, these are actually accidents that are very much avoidable. Luckily for you, you won’t have to make those mistakes if you continue reading!
Remember to do a proper warm-up
A lot of people (usually beginners) make the mistake of heading to the weight racks and just head directly to their workouts. This is a recipe for injury! Even so, jogging on the treadmill for five minutes and doing a few stretches won’t cut it as well. You have to do a proper warm-up before you start doing anything. Starting with the treadmill is okay but you should then follow it up with dynamic stretches. Doing a proper warm-up will significantly reduce your risk of injury.
Have a spotter with you
If you decide to lift heavy, always have a spotter with you. It can be your gym buddy, a trainer, or even some random gym-goer (remember to ask politely!). But even then, if you lift something too heavy that even your spotter won’t be able to do anything, then good luck buddy, you’re waiting for an accident to happen to you right in your face.
Don’t ego lift
Ego lifting is probably one of the biggest reasons why accidents happen in the gym. It’s basically lifting excessively heavy weights and sacrificing form just to feed your ego. Just don’t do that! There’s nothing wrong with not being able to lift heavy at all. More than anything, you’re keeping yourself safe from injury and you don’t risk damaging the gym equipment.
Be mindful of your surroundings
Another thing you should remember is to be mindful of your surroundings. If one person is doing a heavy bench press and you suddenly walk in the way of the bar path, the barbell might fall on that person’s face. Of course, this would cause an accident. But it’s also likely that it will get you in a fight. When you’re walking around to get equipment, remember to keep a safe distance between others who are in the middle of their sets.
Be careful when re-racking weights
A lot of people also make the mistake of not placing the weights on the rack properly. Chances are, those dumbbells or plates will fall off and crush yours or somebody else’s feet. Some even get their fingers crushed by the weights because they don’t put it back cautiously. Just don’t rush and take it slow when you have to re-rack your weights, especially if they are heavy.