Pain-Proof Your Workouts!

Is your gym session damaging your joints? Here are the mistakes you could be making.

- Mary Comber

Creaking knees, painful back, stiff shoulders… it’s easy to dismiss sore joints as an older person’s problem.

But research shows more younger people are suffering than ever before and – along with sedentary lifestyles – poor gym habits are to blame. From repetitive, high-impact workouts that can lead to overuse injuries, to excessive yoga sessions causing hip problems, here are some of the risks to watch out for, and expert tips on how to workout-proof your body.

Do you monoworkout?

Can’t stop Spinning? Addicted to BodyPump? Doing the same activity every time you exercise means you always engage the same muscles, which puts pressure on your joints. ‘It can lead to repetitive strain injury and make your workouts less effective, says Alex Clark, physiotherapist at NeoG (neo-g.co.uk).

Prevent problems by interspersing your favourite exercise with other activities. ‘Switching up your workouts gives your overworked muscles and joints time to rest and recover, preventing overuse injuries from developing,’ says Clark. ‘Choose an activity that uses different muscles, for instance, do a yoga class if cycling's usually your thing.’ If you always do cardio, add some weights work to help strengthen the muscles around your joints. Adding low-impact exercise, such as swimming, keeps joints mobile and strong without putting too much pressure on them.

Going too hard, too fast