Why Is It Important to Be Safe With Muscular Fitness?

Regardless of how much weight you lift or the number of reps you perform, you are working on muscular fitness when you do resistance exercises. Improper training during resistance exercise can lead to muscular strains, sprains or even joint damage. Focusing on safety is key when performing any exercise routine so that you can improve health, fitness and reach your goals.

  1. Benefits of Resistance Training

    • The benefits of resistance exercise are numerous. Regular sessions will increase your lean muscle tissue, improving strength as well as increasing your metabolism. During a workout you will burn calories, and you'll continue to burn them after a workout is complete, aiding weight loss. With improved strength you'll be able to perform day-to-day tasks more efficiently; if you are an athlete it will enhance performance. Improved muscular fitness also has the added benefit of helping to preserve muscle tissue as you age.

    Prevention of Injury

    • The most important reason for safety during muscular fitness training is injury prevention. When you don't know what you're doing in the weight room, you increase your chances for injury. To help prevent injury, first learn how to do each exercise correctly. Start with a light resistance until form is perfected, then gradually add five to 10 pounds until you have a challenging weight to perform your exercise. Start with one or two sets of eight to 12 reps of each exercise, resting between sets.

    Overtraining

    • It is very easy to overtrain your body. There is a mindset that if a little is good, more is better, but that's not always the case with muscular-fitness training. Your body needs time to recover between resistance-training sessions. Rest at least 48 hours before you work a muscle group again. If you are still very sore, take another day. Signs of overtraining include fatigue, inability to perform at the same level, soreness and potential injury.

    Inappropriate Exercises

    • You may see someone on television or in the gym doing a very advanced exercise that looks like fun, or challenging. Consider, however, that this exercise may not be appropriate for you. When choosing muscular-fitness exercises you need to consider your ability level, physical limitations and goals. This is where a professional fitness trainer will be useful. They can evaluate you and design a program that meets your needs and ability. Start with one exercise for each major muscle group: back, chest, shoulders, triceps, biceps, abs, glutes, thighs and calves. Do these exercises two or three times per week on nonconsecutive days to help improve muscular fitness safely.