Top 15 Essential Exercise Tips

Warm Up Properly: Start with a general warm-up to increase your heart rate and blood flow to your muscles, followed by dynamic stretches or movements that mimic the exercises you’ll be doing. Performing the exercise you will be doing for 10-12 reps prior to strength training allows the body to understand the movement.

Use Correct Form: Always prioritize proper technique over lifting heavier weights or performing faster. Poor form can lead to strains and other injuries.

Progress Gradually: Increase intensity, weight, or duration slowly to allow your body to adapt. Sudden jumps in intensity can cause overuse injuries.

Listen to Your Body: Pay attention to signs of pain or discomfort. Sharp or severe pain is a signal to stop and assess. Pain does not equal gain.

Rest and Recover: Allow time for your body to recover between workouts. It is recommended we take 3-5 minutes of rest when strength training or 90sec-3 min when hypertrophy training. Also including getting enough sleep and incorporating rest days into your routine. 1-2 rest days are recommended in a week.

Stay Hydrated: Drink plenty of water before, during, and after exercise to keep your muscles hydrated and functioning properly. When the muscles are broken down water is required for the healing process.

Use Proper Equipment: Ensure that your equipment is in good condition and that you’re using it correctly. For instance, wear appropriate footwear for your activities.

Mobility Regularly: Maintaining good mobility is crucial for ensuring joint health, enhancing functional movement, and preventing injuries by allowing for a full range of motion in everyday activities and exercise.

Cross-Train: Incorporate a variety of exercises to work different muscle groups and prevent overuse injuries. This also helps improve overall fitness.

Strengthen Supporting Muscles: Focus on strengthening stabilizing muscles that support major muscle groups to improve overall stability and prevent injuries.

Cool Down: After your workout, spend time cooling down with gentle stretching and deep breathing to help your muscles recover.

Avoid Overtraining: Balance your workouts with appropriate rest and avoid exercising the same muscle groups on consecutive days.

Seek Professional Guidance: If you’re unsure about your form or how to perform exercises, consider working with a certified trainer or coach. (We can help you with this here at Shift)

Modify Exercises as Needed: Adjust exercises based on your fitness level and any pre-existing conditions or injuries.

Incorporate Balance and Coordination Work: Exercises that improve balance and coordination can help prevent falls and other injuries.

Exercise Order: Performing compound movement movements prior to accessory or single joint movements can help reduce the risk of injury as it decreases over fatiguing a single muscle group when resistance training.