When exercise does more harm than good

The zillion benefits of exercise are well known; but can there be any dangers? Yes, as a matter of fact. Read on...

The duration, frequency, intensity and technique when not monitored, can all be factors, among others, causing damage to the body.

Being impatient to see results can lead many to overdo it; causing more problems in the process and making the journey to a better body even longer.

Watch out for these:

Exercising all seven days a week

Your body needs at least one day of rest to repair and recover. Without this, it is constantly being put under pressure.

The muscles can't recover and rebuild; so you can't gain muscle density and mass.

The joints go through excessive wear and tear, putting them at risk. Immunity levels go down making you more susceptible to colds, flu and other illnesses.

You won't see results like this.

Even if exercise is your high, you need to cut it down to six days a week.

Exercising for too long

With newer studies, fitness experts now encourage shorter, high intensity training durations. These are known to give you the same benefits of longer cardiovascular workouts.

For weight training, heavier weights with fewer reps are far more beneficial for muscle strength and appearance; and it also cuts down on time.

Exercising for a long duration puts more stress on the joints and causes more fatigue, resulting in less than good exercise performance.

Adding extreme high intensity

High intensity is good, killer intensity is NOT good!

Muscles, joints and organs cannot be stretched and pushed beyond a point. Trying to do so is going to cause damage and no gain!

Intensity must be carefully monitored.

If you are used to doing 20 push ups, at your next session aim for 22, not 50. Progression must be gradual to give the body enough time to adapt.

Improper technique

Working out with incorrect form and technique will cause immediate or long term damage; more so if you work out often and at high intensities.

Understand the form and movement technique for each and every exercise before you perform it.

Over arching the back, locking knees and elbows, pushing the knees way past your toes, jerking motions are just a few of poor form and movement examples.

It can lead to various joint problems.

Ignoring the warm up and cool down

Focussing on the main exercise segment and skipping the warm up leads to working your muscles when they are cold, causing strains, sprains and tears.

To keep the body supple and heart healthy, a cool down is very important.

Its lowers your heart rate back to normal gradually (prevents stress on the heart and dizziness) and relaxes your contracted muscles so that you don't develop stiff muscles.

Ignoring your trainer's advise

No matter how much you know about fitness, always take your trainer's advise.

Doing as you please could lead to injury, postural and joint problems, imbalanced training and a lack of a good fitness level.

Respect your body; it's the only one you've got!

Lead image used for representational purpose only. Photograph: Kind Courtesy NeroNeo/Pixabay.com