If you've ever had a strenuous workout in your garage, you are aware that home workouts are not a walk in the park, despite what some people may think. Depending on the exercises you are doing, they are not necessarily safer at home, either.
Although exercising at home has a reputation for being easier and safer than gym routines, this is not always the case. During your next workout, avoid these common mistakes to stay safe and injury-free.
5 mistakes that can jeopardize your training at home
You skip your warm up
If you're used to working out in the gym or attending group exercise classes, it's easy to have a good time or completely neglect your warm-up. But that can leave you sore or even injured.
One of the most common mistakes is the lack of proper warm-up. Warming up is essential to ensure that the body is prepared and ready to perform the movements in training. Without proper warm-up, you have an increased risk of injury.
Do at least two minutes of light cardio to increase your heart rate and get your muscles ready for work. Then follow up with some mobility exercises. If you're not sure what you're supposed to do during your warm-up, start with some slow, controlled movements of body weight, similar to the exercises in your chosen routine.
You don't have a training plan
For some, staying motivated is a big challenge when they exercise at home. But your lack of ideas can be even worse if you don't have a solid plan.
Usually, when people enter a training session without a plan, they return to an exercise routine they've done in the past. Over time, doing the same movements over and over again can lead to overuse injuries. Also, you probably won't see much progress if you stick with the same routine over and over again.
Consider dividing your routines by body parts. For home workouts, it's best to alternate between your upper body and lower body each day. Have a plan at the beginning of each week and vary your exercises over time.
Your workouts are too complex
Exercising at home with limited equipment can definitely get monotonous. But just like not having a training plan, you also don't want to go too far in the other direction and create a complicated program.
A little creativity in your exercise routine is not a bad thing, but you don't want to complete your entire routine with complex exercises inspired by social networks, especially if they are beyond your current level of physical fitness. If these movements are too complex for you or you lack the specific technique, this can quickly lead to injuries or accidents during your training.
Instead of looking for complex movements to experiment, try changing your repetitions or adding intensity. Instead of doing 10 repetitions of squats, try a one-minute AMRAP (as many repetitions as possible).
Your technique is not up to it
If you normally attend training classes with a monitor that corrects your posture, it can be difficult to transition to training on your own.
Practicing and monitoring your own posture takes practice, particularly if it's not what you normally do in the gym. But even performing poor technique bodyweight exercises can lead to inadequate joint load , which can cause joint or muscle pain over time.
If you are not sure of your technique, try practicing each exercise in front of a mirror. This will help you pay close attention to your movement patterns. Or consider hiring a virtual coach.
You are using homemade materials
There are many creative and safe ways to use household objects in your training. Don't have a bar? Fill a backpack with heavy items. Without weights? The soup cans will work if necessary.
But you also don't want to experiment too much with your home training material alternatives. Sorry, but pressing the couch with your legs is probably not a good idea , despite what social media influencers may be leading you to believe.
Lifting objects with an irregular technique or different weights can cause asymmetries in your body and irregular loads on your joints.
Try to find items that are similar in shape and weight to use during your exercises. If you are doing bicep curls with a bottle of water, make sure each bottle is filled with the same amount of water. Also, make sure the items you wear are stable and won't break while you wear them.
