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SoulCycle: Your Heart's in the Right Place, But Your Butt Isn't
No. 1 Mistake: Your posture is killing your workout (and it's not doing your back any favors, either).
"We see riders over-using their shoulder muscles by leaning or holding on to the handle bars, or [overusing] their knees and quad muscles," says Stevens. The result? Neck, shoulder and back injuries. Hello, SoulCycle is a powerful core cardio workout -- if you're walking out of class with a stiff neck or wake up with a torqued back, you've wasted an hour of your life and two ibuprofen.
The Fix: It's all about tightening your core when you're in the saddle, says Stevens. You have to relax and release any tension in your neck, shoulders and back -- easier said than done when you're focused on pedaling your heart out. If your knees, back or hands hurt when you're riding, lower your shoulders and clench your ab muscles, which should force your body to reposition.
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Your Relationship With CrossFit is Moving Way Too Fast
No. 1 Mistake: You think you're Wonder Woman because you're in good shape and go all-out in class because the diehards around you are deadlifting 200+ pounds.
"Going too hard and too fast can, and usually does, cause significant problems," says Southwick. She says that while CrossFit is designed to flirt with your limits, that doesn't mean you should ignore your body when it's crying out in pain. As she puts it, "there's no point in deadlifting 500 pounds if you're not going to be able to walk tomorrow."
The Fix: To thine own self, be true. Because CrossFit is a communal sport, it's easy to look around and feel like you need to catch up with everyone else. But Southwick says you should focus on your technique and not, say, the pregnant lady next to you who's squatting with 300 pounds. Before you move heavy weight, you need to be able to hold proper form (so stop rounding your back when you deadlift!).
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You're Getting Bendy Before Barre
No. 1 Mistake: You're stretching to warm up.
Betcha thought barre was all about stretching, didn't you? It is, but not until your body is good and ready, says Weisman. "As a young ballerina, I would enter a dance studio and immediately settle into splits (dancers still do this all the time) but it can cause injury if your body is cold. You only want to stretch when you are nice and warm, and we bring you there halfway through our core fusion barre classes," says Weisman.
The Fix: Weisman recommends using the stall barre (it looks like a torture rack but it's used in orthopedic practices) before your workout. Hanging from it helps to stretch the spine and open the lower back.
If you're still stressed that you'll never be able to do a split or hold that leg lift without wobbling like Jell-o, let your teacher know. "Whenever my students wish they were receiving more out of their barre workouts, I encourage them to create very specific goals -- emotionally and physically. I guide them very specifically and create customized schedules based on their availability and desires," says Weisman.
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Shoddy Footwork is Ruining Your Run
No. 1 Mistake: Your heel hits the pavement first, aka "heel strike."
Dreyer sees heel strike in both veteran runners and beginners training for their first 5K. "With heel strike, every time you're taking a stride, you're putting on the brakes," says Dreyer. "It makes your running less efficient and contributes to injuries."
Second runner-up mistake: you're stretching like a rubber band before you start running. "If you watch Olympic athletes, they're not doing hamstring stretches before a race. They're jumping around, keeping their body warm and shaking it out," Dreyer says.
The Fix: Instead of running by sticking your legs out in front of you, focus on your legs landing underneath you. Lean your body forward (without falling on your face) instead of leaning back. Dreyer says the best shoes to prevent heel strike are those with minimal construction. Vibrams, anyone?
And about all of that stretching? A light warm up run and shaking and loosening the body will do more good than stretching cold muscles. Likewise, runners who don't do a cool down jog after a race are running the risk of muscle contraction and cramps.
Avoid Injury:"Preparing for a race is like coming up with a really good business plan," says Dreyer. If you've prepared, you should have worked out all the kinks that might pop up. But, if you find yourself hobbling mid-race, or experiencing sharp, shooting pain, Dreyer says you need to slow down, shorten your stride and assess what is hurting.
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Swimming: All Brawn and No Brain
No. 1 Mistake: You're not using your brain.
Hall says the most common mistake is sloppy technique. You can't just do what feels right, you have to think about your form. For beginners, Hall says that means rotating the body when swimming freestyle. "Most beginners don't grasp just how important that rotational motion along the axis of their body really is," says Hall. The rotations create a force for the swimmer to pull against -- kind of like riding a wave. You might feel like you're thrashing around, but the extra movement is creating the ideal swimming environment.
For advanced swimmers: "Swim with your brain, not your brawn," says Hall. He says swimmers often default to a stroke that feels powerful, but isn't proven to be the best way to swim.
The Fix: Halls says he sees immediate improvement when beginners remember to rotate. "Add the rotation in, and presto, the swimmer gets further down the pool with each arm pull -- almost like she's pulling on a lane line marker," says Hall. For advanced swimmers, Hall teaches them to pull with the high elbow, which means the elbow is always close to the surface. It feels awkward, but it's the fastest way to swim, because letting your arm drop or sliding it under the body creates a slowing frontal drag.
Avoid Injury: Work on your flexibility, which is required to prevent injury to the muscles that support joints. "My idea of a perfect week? Three days of swimming and two days of yoga," says Hall.
You're finally following through on that New Year's resolution. You'll get to the gym, sign up for that 10K and come up with a workout plan. But before you do, consider this: Every year, more than 174,500 women end up in the ER with an exercise-related injury. The No. 1 cause of exercise-related injury? "Overenthusiasm," says Dr. Joseph Horrigan, a board certified chiropractic sports medicine practioner at DISC Sports & Spine Center in Los Angeles.
Horrigan says many women who are new to a workout feel good when they start to train, and push themselves too hard. The combination of overdoing it and a competitive streak (no one wants to feel like they can't keep up) often leads to injuries -- whether it's a yoga mistake, CrossFit injury or SoulCycle slip-up.
"When you start a new workout plan, really ask yourself, 'When is the last time I did this?' If the answer isn't 'recently,' pull back," says Horrigan.
While everyone knows what the end game is -- how many pounds you want to lose, or miles you want to run -- Horrigan says few of us actually have a real workout plan to get there. "[Most people] don't appreciate that it takes time to change your physiology," he says.
His advice? "Put to rest forever the idea of 'no pain, no gain.' Create short term goals that are achievable."
Easier said than done, with so many of today's fitness trends focused on pushing you to your limit. We asked seven instructors of the most popular workouts (yoga, CrossFit, SoulCycle, swimming, dance workouts, barre and running) what the most common workout-related injuries are and how to avoid them, so you can get fit and stay healthy. That's the point, right?
Horrigan says many women who are new to a workout feel good when they start to train, and push themselves too hard. The combination of overdoing it and a competitive streak (no one wants to feel like they can't keep up) often leads to injuries -- whether it's a yoga mistake, CrossFit injury or SoulCycle slip-up.
"When you start a new workout plan, really ask yourself, 'When is the last time I did this?' If the answer isn't 'recently,' pull back," says Horrigan.
While everyone knows what the end game is -- how many pounds you want to lose, or miles you want to run -- Horrigan says few of us actually have a real workout plan to get there. "[Most people] don't appreciate that it takes time to change your physiology," he says.
His advice? "Put to rest forever the idea of 'no pain, no gain.' Create short term goals that are achievable."
Easier said than done, with so many of today's fitness trends focused on pushing you to your limit. We asked seven instructors of the most popular workouts (yoga, CrossFit, SoulCycle, swimming, dance workouts, barre and running) what the most common workout-related injuries are and how to avoid them, so you can get fit and stay healthy. That's the point, right?
