Most people have no idea on how to preserve their joints when losing weight, yet a damaged joint can singlehandedly ruin your weight loss career.
The issue here is that joint deterioration happens slowly, over time. And many people do not pay attention to things that will happen in the distant future.
So here is how to keep your joints healthy when lifting weights for toning:
1. Don’t overdo the bench press: Not only can it cause extreme impingement of your rotator cuff, but it can also destroy your ac joint. If you have a slouched posture (like the majority of desk workers), this is even more of an issue. So use the bench press is moderation.
2. Don’t neglect muscles in your legs: Having leg muscles that are disproportionately stronger than others will cause your knee cap to not move in a correct path. Over time, this can damage the cartilage in your knee. So make sure you give equal attention to all the muscles in your legs.
3. Stretch all the muscles in your legs equally: Don’t just do hamstring stretches here. Have a holistic approach towards leg flexibility. You see, overly tight muscles can pull your patella out of its natural range of movement. And over time this can degenerate the cartilage in your knee.
4. Stop if it hurts: Joints are not like muscles, they take much more time to heal because of poor blood supply. So make sure you never work through any joint pain whatsoever. A couple weeks rest can save you a surgery and months of rehab.
5. Avoid spinal flexion as much as possible: In other words, avoid the rounded out back position not only when you lift, but during normal day activities as well. And don’t forget to avoid spinal flexion when sitting at work. At the very least, get a lumbar support to help prevent disc degeneration.
Since joint deterioration happens slowly over time, most people completely ignore it when structuring their exercise programs. So make sure you don’t make this same mistake and enjoy a lifetime of exercise health.
Writer Katherine Crawford, an exercise expert and recent arm fat sufferer, instructs on how to tone your arms. Unearth how to get sexy arms by exploring her blog with advice on how to get rid of arm fat now!
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