Strength training does more than build muscular strength and endurance. It also strengthens your bones, tendons and ligaments, can help you burn extra calories and thus lose weight faster, and makes everyday movements like carrying groceries, climbing stairs and moving boxes around safer and easier. But working out in a weight room also involves some inherent risks. Get the most out of your workout by following a few basic tips for weight room safety.
Stay in Control
No matter what range of motion you're lifting through, what cadence you're using and how you've mapped out sets and reps, you should never lift more weight than you can keep control of. Lose control and the barbell, dumbbells or weight plate might land on you or someone else. If you're no longer able to maintain your lifting cadence or guide the weights through the proper range of motion, you need to either stop or reduce the weight.
Ask for a Spot
If you're lifting to muscular failure, or pushing your limits with a heavy set, consider asking for a spot. Ideally you should bring a spotter with you so you don't have to bother other exercisers who are focused on their own workouts and might or might not know how to spot you properly. Gym staff might be allowed to give you a spot, too. But if your safety is in question, bothering another exerciser -- or just going light enough that you know you can control the weight -- is better than getting trapped or crushed beneath a bar.
Use the Safety Equipment
Most gyms provide collars to keep weight plates securely fastened on a barbell, no matter how you tilt the bar. Use them. Either squeeze the ends together to slide them onto the bar or screw the collar into place. If you're using a squat cage or Smith machine, adjust the safety stops to just below your lowest range of motion so that they'll catch the bar before it crushes you if something goes wrong.
Ask Questions
If you don't know how to perform a certain exercise or use a particular piece of equipment, ask the gym floor staff. If they can't help you, you might need to buy a teaching session with a personal trainer. You can ask other exercisers on the floor, but they're usually focused on their own exercise and might or might not have the answers you need.
Breathe and Put the Weights Away
You might be tempted to bear down in an attempt to lift the heaviest weight possible. But this bearing down, also called the Valsalva maneuver, can cause a dangerous spike in blood pressure. Maintain a regular breathing cadence in time with your lifts, exhaling as the weights go up and inhaling as they come down.
Once you're done lifting, keep the weights under control instead of tossing them. Rack the bar and put dumbbells or weight plates away. This eliminates a potential trip hazard for you and others.
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