Working out is painful, literally. People tear their muscles, or rather, they make micro tears on their muscles, with the body then repairing them over time and making them stronger. Training is a process which should be done gradually in order to prevent injuries and to make sure that you have the proper form going forward.

People tend to skip a couple of steps with the idea of doing things really hard really quickly in order to reach a goal faster. This is a path to injury and one that should be avoided. Following are tips on how to train and approach working out in a way which should help you be injury-free.

Learn the Proper Form

This is paramount for any type of exercise. Whether you are lifting weights or doing bodyweight exercises, you should work on learning the proper form, to stay healthy. When lifting weights, it is really important to know which form is the healthiest for your spine and entire body before even considering adding weights to the bar.

Bodyweight exercises can also lead to serious injuries if they are not done properly. Note that there are variations of one exercise which target different muscle groups. This does not mean that one form is better or worse, if you do it intentionally, to target a certain muscle group. 

This is why you should focus on learning how to operate your body, as well as how to operate gym equipment, rather than the goal itself. Healthy and strong requires being slow and steady (at first).

Listen to Your Body

Beginners often have problems with listening to what their bodies are saying. Ah, a little pain here or there, who cares, let’s put on heavier weights. One should always listen to what their bodies are communicating, for they are often right when it comes to potential injuries.

If you are weak and your body is compensating when you are doing a certain exercise, try and spot that. Work on the weak areas individually or decrease the overload and intensity of the exercise that is making you lose form and compensate.

Your body can let you know when you should work harder and when you should slow down.

Stretch Regularly

This is a simple piece of advice that everybody should take to heart. Stretching keeps the body flexible and makes it less likely to be injured. People with flexible muscles and tendons can sometimes fall and stretch a part of their body so much that it would put others in a cast, but to them, it was a simple overextension. Stretch daily to keep your body healthy, no matter the exercises you do.

If you want to train and stay healthy and injury-free, follow these tips to get a good idea of what to and what not to do.