Prevent Back Injury with These 3 Tips

woman doing exercises on floor mat

By Randall Sutton –

By the time you read this, we’ll be well into the New Year. Positive emotions are running rampant. People are still excited and want to sprout and grow the fresh tendrils of new beginnings. This can only mean people across the U.S. are knee deep in their New Year’s resolutions. Right?

According to the latest research from the Journal of Clinical Psychology out of the University of Scranton, nearly half of all Americans make a New Year’s resolution. Of that percentage, close to fifty percent of the resolutions are fitness related. Weight loss, getting in shape, avoiding carb overload…that sort of thing. However, only about 10 percent of those who make resolutions like these have any success at keeping them.

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We can safely assume that a portion of Americans who make weight and fitness-related New Year’s resolutions are stepping into their local gym for the first time. What do you get when you throw a newbie into the gym? More than likely you’ll get pain and injury. The most sensitive areas of your body are in danger of improper exercise routines. Here’s how to stop the insanity and keep your back safe for the remainder of 2014.

Avoid the Gym

See all that shiny new equipment through the gym window? Racks upon racks of weights, just itching to be thrown around by a newbie who doesn’t know how to do it properly. If you don’t have the proper training on fitness equipment, rely on your own body to get the exercise you need.

Work the Core

Strengthen your core muscles with the proper exercise and your back will be in top shape. How do you do that? Try The Figure Method.

The Figure Method of exercising was developed by a former ballerina who felt that the moves and positions of ballet can help strengthen the core and reduce back pain. The exercise routine involves assuming various ballet positions and holding them. It’s similar to yoga in that regard, and also promotes the lengthening and strengthening of limbs through core exercise.

When combined with healthy eating and proper rest, core exercises like this can do wonders for your back. When your back is in shape, it can help support your body and prevent future injury. The world of fitness is full of tips that you can incorporate into your new routine. Support is also easily accessible from social media outlets like Facebook. The Laser Spine Institute Facebook page and other similar pages are places where you can go ask questions and find people in similar situations.

Lift Properly

If you are bent on hitting the gym, there are a few things you need to remember. For every piece of equipment, there is a proper way to use it. When you walk into the gym, ask the head trainer to give you a rundown on the right and wrong way to exercise. Take the dead lift for example. To perform a dead lift, a lifter walks up to a barbell loaded with weight, bends over, grips the barbell and raises himself and the weight up into a standing position. The weight never rises above waist level, but damage can be done when lifting without bending the legs. If you intend on throwing the dead lift into your routine, perform a squat to lift the weight rather than bending at the hips. Make sure you have any move down with proper form before trying it on your own.

Randall is a personal trainer who focuses on strengthening his client’s backs after surgery.

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Prevent Back Injury with These 3 Tips
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