| All
kinds of exercises involve warm up activities. Unfortunately,
people absentmindedly do warm up activities in the wrong way.
And this may lead to injuries. Here are some warm up mistakes
that you may be doing already. One
warm up mistake is the neck roll. Rolling the neck will rub
and grind together the axis vertebrae of the neck. This will
adversely affect the spine. In stretching the neck, there are
only three different ways to do it. First, move the head forward
and backward. Second, twist your neck to the left and right.
And third, lean your head close to the shoulder, first to the
right shoulder and then next to the left shoulder.
Another common mistake
when warming up is throwing the arms back behind the body. This
abrupt motion will weaken the ligaments at the shoulder joints.
The hyper-extension will eventually rip apart the pectoral muscles.
To safely and properly warm up the arms and shoulders, circular
motions are effective. And in all exercises, controlled and
deliberate movements must be done.
Doing a bunny hop
is another mistake. This strains the knees and will lead to
fatal injuries. The best way to warm up the knees is to use
circular motions. These motions must be coming from the hips
and ankles while the knees are locked in a slight bend. Knee
bounces are fine as long as you know what you are doing. That
is, you do not overextend.
Yanking your body
is a big mistake. For example, in back stretches, some people
who are trying to bring their head towards the right knee will
hold the right leg and use this hold as leverage to pull the
upper torso closer and lower. This will not add to a person’s
flexibility. It will only force the muscles to shorten themselves.
And this can be excruciatingly painful. The best way to warm
up and do back stretches is to go as far as your upper body
can go and then hold this position for about six seconds. Your
head may not go as far as you want it to be, but be patient
about it. Eventually, you will achieve the ability of a contortionist
if you do all your stretching exercises the right way.
In a hurdle stretch,
the common mistake of people is to stretch their bodies too
far that the hip of the leg being stretched is lifted off the
floor. A lifted hip is a sign that there is overstretching.
Again, the best way to go is to move your body as far as it
can and hold the position.
Sitting back between
the legs should be done only by people who have achieved superior
suppleness. This position should be avoided by beginners because
this would the damage the ligaments of both knees.
We hope that by knowing
these mistakes, you will have a safer warm up exercise. |
