Injuries are scary things, they can kill your motivations and plans for getting into shape as quickly as they can happen. And unfortunately beginners are more prone to injuries when they go to the gym, it could be a ton of reasons, lack of knowledge, wrong form, and so much more, however that can’t stop you from going to your workout, can it? Of course not! I am here to share with you some tips on how to avoid injuries when you go for your workout, after all nobody wants to get hurt as they are going to the gym. So if you are a newbie heading off to the gym, please take the time to read this or if you just want to avoid injuries altogether, which I am sure you do, read this article too.

Learn the techniques – And by this I mean learn the proper techniques if you want to avoid injuries. When your form is wrong or you are bending a muscle in the wrong direction, you can end up pulling or stressing something and that will lead to an injury. This is especially true for beginners as when they start to workout, they still don’t know proper forms, it is best to study up and make sure you are doing an exercise correctly or be warned you can be headed for a world of pain.

Never skip stretching or a good warm up.

Too much, too soon – Weights are very daunting for a lot of people, and for beginners this can be a very big cause of injuries. If you want to avoid injuries, and of course, you definitely want to, make sure to test the weight of each exercise properly. Do not be embarrassed that the weights are light, you will strengthen yourself up by coming back. Just focus on being able to avoid injuries for now during your workout, that is the most important thing to concentrate on.

Forgetting to stretch or warm up – Make sure you take the time to ready your muscles for a good workout. Some people say that you shouldn’t warm up but it really depends, I personally believe that a good stretching will help you avoid injuries and so far I have yet to experience otherwise. My suggestion, get proper warm up techniques or stretching that best focuses on muscles that you will be working out for the day.

Training too often – This is not isolated to beginners only, truth be told. There are times that you are so driven that you workout too often, on a daily basis and forget to put a rest day or time in between. This is a big no-no and can really lead to injuries. Muscles need rest, which is why it is advised to exercise every other day when going weight training or at the very least focus on a different muscle group each day. To avoid injuries, make sure to allot enough rest for all your muscles, give them time to repair themselves and grow. Simple enough rule, if your body aches, don’t workout heavily, this will really help you avoid injuries.

A rest day is a must – Working in conjunction with the tip above, a rest day must stay a rest day. People tend to get really involved in the gym, and quite frankly you end up sneaking off to the gym on your rest day, again if you want to avoid injuries, do not do this. As involved as you are with your workout routine, when it is indeed time for a rest day, do just that, rest. You’ve worked hard and your body can appreciate you for it plus it will help you avoid injuries.

Forgetting to pair off with proper nutrition – As beginners start the gym, sometimes the focus is solely on working out and forgetting that the body needs proper fuel. By fuel I mean a good diet, proper and healthy food that the body needs to strengthen itself. I suggest researching a good diet and maybe focusing on proteins, as always in order to avoid injuries, do not dive in a crash diet, take the time and gradually change your diet into something that works for your particular workout.

Cool down – Just like how you had to warm up, never forget the importance of taking the time to cool down your muscles. In order to avoid injuries, get your heart rate back to normal, perhaps by walking or just slowly moving. This is especially true if you are on the treadmill but perhaps for anyone’s overall workout, take the time to cool down as well. Don’t disregard this as most people do, a good cool down can make the difference of an injury and a great a workout.

Don’t go guns a blazing – Getting the drive to go to the gym is great, but a lot of people are overly enthusiastic about it and tend to charge in with all guns whipped out. Not good, not good at all. Make sure you ease into the workout and really take the time to build up, don’t overdo the workout or you won’t be able to avoid injuries. Your top priority is to avoid injuries while you are there, along side with getting fit of course but you can’t get fit if you have injuries now can you?

When in doubt, get a personal trainer especially if it is your first time to hit the gym.

Doing the same exercise over and over – The fun part about going to the gym is that there are so many things to do and while repetition in each exercise is advised, keeping it the same all the time is not something you want to do. Mix it up and learn new things, it will really help you avoid injuries and keep your workout interesting. Feel free to use some of the other machines when you’ve learned how to use them in order to avoid injuries.

When in doubt ask an expert – I highly advise this for beginners or those who just started again. Quite a few memberships come with a few free sessions with the resident trainer, I highly suggest taking them in order to avoid injuries, if there aren’t free sessions, bite the bullet and pay for a session or two. Your safety is the utmost importance, and besides getting injured during a workout is a lot more costly and inconvenient as well, so when you aren’t sure of anything, get an expert to teach you some stuff, such as form and what to focus on.

These are just some of the really great tips in order to avoid injuries when you workout. I highly suggest doing all of them as you can never be too safe when it comes to your body. Again nothing can stop a good gym session faster an injury and nothing destroys a newly found drive to get fit than hurting yourself and putting yourself out of commission. Take the time and make sure to take care of yourself, cause no one else will. Stay healthy!

There is just something so powerfully alluring when you see toned arms, isn’t there? I mean not to sound overly strange about it, but you have to admit toned arms that you know have gone through rigorous exercise or an insane workout routine is just so eye catching that you can’t help but stair as a couple of strong arms pass by. Arms that have mastered a good workout also decreases cellulite. Now let’s get those toned arms on you, I will share with you today some great exercises that will best bring out the muscles in your arms and make the most out of your workout routine.

Uneven push up – For toned arms the uneven push up is an ideal exercise to add to your workout routine. You will need a medicine ball ideally for this but a firm ball that won’t roll out from under you will be fine too, if that is not possible a hard sturdy surface will do. Get into regular push position but use the medicine ball to elevate one hand and keep it on top of it. Proceed to do a push up and do a few reps. After switch to the other arm and repeat.

Uneven push-up is one of the most convenient propped workout for toning arms.

Biceps and arm curls – The typical arm curl is always a cliché in any workout routine montage and for a good reason, they really give you toned arms. All you need are some free weights for this one and simply hold one weight in each hand, standing straight with legs shoulder length apart, palms facing forward with the weights. Simply lift each arm one at a time, with the weights up to your chest, slowly return to starting position and alternate with the other arm, repeat several times and in multiple sets for the maximum effect.

Tricep swings – Here is another exercise you will want to include into your workout routine in order to get toned arms. Simply lie on your back with your knees up. Hold some weights above your head with your arm straight, then slowly raise it forward as though it is straight away from your chest. Return to starting position, repeat for a few more reps then switch arms.

Kickback – Stand straight up for this exercise, hold some weights in each arm, keep both feet a little wider apart than your shoulders. Now bend forward without bending your knees, keep both arms parallel to your back, you should be at a 90-degree angle from the floor ideally. Now slowly move both arms downwards by bending the elbows, as they reach past your waist, twist them towards each other and keep going until it reaches your chest, by then the palms will be facing you, return to the starting position and repeat. Do this workout routine at least 3 sets and you’ll get your toned arms in a few weeks or so.

Get-up plank – Lay on your side, propped up by your elbow and one arm, keep both feet tucked behind your knees and allow your hips to slightly bend upwards, with your other free hand hold some weights. For this exercise, use the arm with the weights and reach out as high as you can while lifting your lower body higher, lift your hips upwards while staying in the position. Hold for a second or two and return to starting position, repeat a few more times and alternate with the other side to achieve toned arms.

Split squat rotation – This exercise will really be good for your workout routine to get those toned arms. You’ll ideally need a medicine ball but any weights will do as long as you can hold it with both hands. Now start off with your right foot in front of you and your left foot in the back with your left knee slightly bent, almost like a lunging position. Keep the weights in front of your chest with both hands on each side. Now to start, stand on your toes with the left foot, get your knee as straight as possible and raise your entire body upwards, while that is happening twist your body to the right and lift the weights above your head with both arms stretching upward as far as you can go. Return to starting position, repeat several times over and then switch sides. Repeat a few more times to get toned arms.

Lunging bicep curls – Again grab some weights, stand up straight with both your arms holding one weight each, keep your legs shoulder width apart. To get your toned arms for this exercise, simply lunge forward with your right foot, and simultaneously curl your left arm towards your chest with palm facing you and return to the old position. Switch sides and keep repeating until tired.

Chest-fly hand off – For this exercise to get toned arms, you need some more free weights. Lie on your back and keep your knees bent and pointing upwards, with your feet tucked close to your buttocks. Put the weights on your right hand and keep them to the sides as if you are in a cross formation, however keep your elbows slightly bent, as if you are hugging a big, big tree. Now slowly move both arms towards each other right in front of your chest while keeping your elbows slightly bent, when they meet in the middle switch the weights to the other hand and return to the starting position. Repeat a few more times and you’ll get a good sweat in this workout routine and toned arms after a few weeks.

Of course, don’t forget to set those triceps to work too!

Shoulder cycles – Again grab a couple weights for each arm, and stand up straight, legs as usual need to be shoulder length apart. Keep the weights and your arms at the sides, palms facing towards your thighs, raise both arms upwards up to your chest, keep palms facing inwards still, then at the same length move it horizontally to your sides, you should be in a cross formation with both weights on your sides, slowly return to starting position. Repeat a few more times to get toned arms.

Overhead tricep extensions – Stand up once more with the usual position for your legs, shoulder length apart. Now grab one free weight, ideally a dumbbell and place it behind your head gripping it with both arms, keep the elbows bent and let it sit slightly above your nape. Now extend your arms and straighten your elbows for this exercise in order to get toned arms, make sure to grip your free weights well, you don’t want to drop it on your head, repeat a few more times and you’re done for the day.

These are just some of the best routines that will give you the ideal toned arms that you are aiming for. All it takes is some exercise that particularly targets the arms that you can add to your workout routine. All it takes is a little sweat, some free weights here and there, and consistency, and you will get those toned arms that you have been aching for. Stay healthy!