Welcome back to this week’s edition of 2-Minute Tuesdays where we are talking about one exercise topic for two minutes and giving you three reasons why you should follow our advice. This week we are addressing our most-asked exercise question, “How can you exercise to minimize and reduce the achy joints and muscles?”.
1) Respect Your Range Of Motion
Our first tip is to respect your range of motion. We have lots of videos and content available on how to check your range of motion, but as a reminder, always do the motion that you are about to do with your weights, but do it without weights. Do it slowly and find out how far your body can move on that specific day. Make sure that when you do the exercise with the weights, you don’t blow past where you can move without the weights.
Action Step: Download our 5-Minute Mobility Check so you can learn how to check your own joint motion!
Related:Resistance Traning – 3 Life Benefits From Doing It Consistently
2) Incorporate Isometric Exercises
Our second piece of advice is to incorporate isometric exercises. These are exercises where you are not moving. For example, if you are going to do a pull-down exercise, set the weight stack so it is heavy enough that you cannot move it. Then, grab the handles and focus on squeezing the muscles you are trying to strengthen. You won’t be moving, but you will still be challenging those muscles. Or, you can come to Muscle Activation Schaumburg and try out our Isophit 🙂
Action Step: For every exercise you do, try doing an isometric version of it. Whether it is a chest press, a leg extension, or a crunch, make it into an isometric exercise by putting yourself in the position of the exercise but don’t move with it.
Related: Are you a first-time exerciser? Read this.
3) Limit Stretching The Tight & Achy Stuff
Our last tip is to limit stretching the tight and achy stuff. A lot of times you might think that if your hamstring is tight and achy, you need to stretch to get rid of the tightness and achiness. We are firm believers that your body is tight and achy for a really good reason, so be really respectful of your body. Instead of asking, “How can I get rid of this tightness and achiness?” ask the question, “Why are this tightness and achiness here?”.
Action Step: Instead of stretching your tight muscles, try supercharging your stretching by making this one simple change.