You will have to learn how to deal with a body building injury if you are going to make significant physical changes to your body.  To achieve this you will have to work hard and it will take effort, organization and commitment.  The quality of the exercise you do is more important than the quantity and no matter how careful you are, the chances are that at some point you will suffer a body building injury.

If you injure yourself, you need to give your body time to heal.  Exercising when you are injured will compound the problem and the stress you are putting your body under may do further damage.  Forget about training for the moment.  Fill your time with something else.  Distract yourself.  You do not want to obsess about getting back to the gym.  You must wait until your body has time to heal properly.

If you spend all your time thinking about getting back to your body building routine, then you’re not really relaxing.  When you get back in there, your training will be less effective because you have been stressing about not working out.  What you will do is to take the first sign that you’re feeling better as a green light to start training again and it is likely that this will be too early and you will have a set back.  Be patient!  As keen as you are to get back to it, you must wait until your body is fully ready, otherwise you may do more damage to yourself.  At the same time, any workouts that you are doing will be less effective.

If you have to do something physical, keep it low key.  Consider the nature of your body building injury.  Swimming is often a great choice of alternative exercise because the water supports your body ensuring that there is no stress on your muscles.  You could also consider Yoga or any other gentle stretching system.  Or perhaps there are lots of jobs around the home that you have been putting off.  If you undertake a little light gardening or decorating it will distract your mind and it will please your partner.  It doesn’t really matter what you do, so long as you can distract yourself from working out and give your body the recovery time it needs.

Why Warm Up Before Exercise?  As anyone who knows anything about exercise is aware, in order to be effective and in order for you not to injure yourself, your fitness program should include three distinct stages: warm up, exercise and cool down. 

Why Warm Up

The function of the first stage is to get your body ready.  You don’t start by running from a standing start.  If you do, you’re more likely to pull a muscle or do yourself some damage.  Like a musical instrument, your body needs to be warmed up gradually.  It needs to be prepared for activity.  It’s neither sensible nor beneficial to go straight to the big weights and the sprint.  Do not let yourself be encouraged to do too much by those around you.  They are probably more experienced and more able than you.  It is not in your interest to impress them.  Work at your own pace and do not overdo things.

When your body is warmed up, your muscles prepared and your heart rate has increased, only then are you ready for the more rigorous workout.  And when you’ve finished be sure to give your body time to cool down gradually.  Most exercise regimes finish with simple stretches to prevent saw muscles and cramp. 

Each stage of your workout is as important as the next.  Sticking to such a routine will make injuries less likely and your workout more efficient.  In the early stages it is especially important that you have a gradual warm up period and a cooling down session.  Look after your body and it will develop properly and be less likely to sustain injuries.