1. Don't Dive Right In
The best way to avoid injury is to start with slow warm up exercises to get your heart pumping and muscles moving. Some prefer to keep a light jacket on as they warm up, until they begin to feel warm from exertion. Doing 10 to 15 minutes of cardiovascular exercise, such as walking on a treadmill, will get your body geared up for a good workout. This also helps get your mind set for the workout that's to come.
2. Stretch to Prevent Injury
Perform stretching exercises after a cardio warm up to limber up muscles and joints and increase flexibility. Stretch all major muscle groups including calves, quadriceps, inner thighs, hamstrings, chest, biceps, triceps, back/spine, shoulders and neck. Give extra attention to muscles that feel tight or strain easily.
3. Breathe Oxygen Into Muscles
People lacking good exercise technique frequently hold their breath when they're weightlifting. This not only stresses the heart and arteries, but also deprives the muscles of the oxygen they need to help you lift that weight. The proper way to breathe when lifting weights is to exhale on the exertion and inhale on the release. For a cardio workout, strive to increase your rate of respiration, but stop short of gasping for air.
4. Focus on Proper Form
Using bad exercise technique won't work your muscles the way you're hoping, so you'll get limited, if any, results. For instance, doing abdominal crunches by pulling on your neck to help you do the crunch will not only strain your neck, but it doesn't work your abdominal muscles effectively. Instead, keep your elbows out to the side where you can't see them, press your spine to the floor, keep your chin off your chest and engage your stomach muscles to pull you into the crunch position. Most gyms include as part of membership a session with a trainer. Take advantage of this and you'll learn all you need to know about proper form.
5. Cool Down
Conclude your workout by slowing down your pace, allowing your heart rate to return to a resting rate. Cool down exercises might include going from jogging to walking, or taking a few leisurely laps in the pool. Deeper stretches are appropriate at this point in your workout, which will not only help to work out the buildup of lactic acid in your muscles, but also increase your flexibility.
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