At-Home Training Tips For Avoiding Injury

Protect yourself from aches and pains with this guide to staying healthy

- Ali Horsfall

Have you noticed that your knees feel creaky or your back starts twinging after working out? Some of these niggles can be blamed on the aging process – the likelihood of getting injured increases as we get older, owing to the body’s natural loss of muscle mass, a decrease in bone mass, and reduced elasticity in tendons and ligaments.

‘Muscle weakness, inefficient movement, reduced flexibility, and poor technique when exercising at home also raises the risk of injury – and prevention rather than cure is always a better approach,’ says Dr. Richard Seah, a consultant at the Institute of Sport, Exercise, and Health, in partnership with HCA Healthcare UK.

Follow these expert tips to injury-proof your at-home workout.

1 Start slowly

If you’re new to exercise or haven’t worked out for a while, it’s a good idea to build your strength and cardiovascular fitness slowly, so as not to put your joints and muscles under stress. ‘A gradual start also allows you to test out aspects of a plan or workout, to discover if it suits you or whether it needs modifying for your current fitness level,’ says Dr. Seah. A personal trainer can guide you safely when starting anew regime.

2 Prioritise rest

When you want to see results, it’s tempting to give 110%. ‘A common mistake is adopting a “boom or bust” approach to exercise,’ says Dr. Seah. ‘If you let your enthusiasm take over when you start a new activity, you can easily overdo things. You may then have to stop abruptly if you sustain an injury.’