1 – Develop a Go-To 4 Minute Warm-Up:
Warming up may seem like an “extra” step, but it’s an essential step to get your muscles (and especially your JOINTS) ready to move without pain. Instead of making up a new warm-up every time or “Stretching” before you workout – you should “wake up” all of your joints with light, full-body movements.
Dan gave me full permission for you to steal his go-to warmup routine to reduce injuries:
I recommend a light walk with slow arm swings forward and back or about 1 minute, followed by 10 steps of high-knees walking, followed by 4 forward lunges (2 on each leg), 10 jumping jacks, and 4 backward lunges… repeat this sequence slowly 2 or 3 times.
2 – Soreness is Good – But Work Around the Pain
If you feel a bit or soreness in your muscles after a workout – you’re probably doing things right. However, if you feel sharp, piercing pain during any movement in your workout – you should avoid that movement and possibly see a doctor.
“Stubborn-ness” only causes more injury, and is not a healthy long-term strategy – don’t push through real pain in your workouts.
Similarly, don’t let some achy-ness or pain stop you from exercising altogether. If hard, pounding exercise like jogging hurts your knees, workout out your lower body with an elliptical machine, swimming, or stationary bike. If you can’t do an overhead press of a bar without hurting your shoulders, try pushup variations to keep your arms and shoulders active despite the injury.
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