Regular workouts are essential for getting healthy and staying healthy, no matter what your age. Unfortunately, the risk of injury – particularly the risk of hernia – increases as we get older. This doesn’t mean you need to kick your workouts to the curb, though. With proper form and the right tools, such as underwear support for hernias, the risk of a hernia doesn’t have to keep you away from the gym.
There are plenty of exercises that can aggravate or cause a hernia if not performed correctly, especially without a weight-lifting hernia belt. Lifting weights, squats, some isometric exercises, and even vigorous jumping activities like jump-roping and jumping jacks can increase the risk of a hernia.
Whether you’ve just started exercising or you’re a weight-lifting enthusiast, here are a few tips to stay safe in the gym:
Warm Up Slowly
When engaging in certain exercises, such as lifting heavy weights, the body is put under a lot of stress. Even for those who work out regularly, it’s imperative to warm up first. For those already experiencing a hernia, this is especially important, and the help of something like underwear support for a hernia may also play a part in minimizing risk and pain. Charging into the gym and taking on the most massive thing you can lift without a warm-up routine is just asking for an injury.
Start slow. Build up the intensity of your workout as you go. If you’re already suffering from a previous injury, consider a weight-lifting hernia belt to mitigate the effects. If you’ve warmed up but find yourself too tired to bench that 400-pound monster barbell, take it down a few notches. Build up slowly.
Similarly, jumping into 50 burpees in a row (kudos to you for that) before taking a brisk walk or without equipment like underwear support for a hernia might be inviting pain.
Avoid Forced Reps
Forced reps of any exercise can be OK with the right trainer or if you’re particularly aware of what your body can handle. As a rule, if you’re trying to avoid an injury, and even if you’re already using underwear support for a hernia, they’re just not a good idea.
A lot of heavy lifters use a spotter to help finish a set when they push themselves to the point where they can’t do it alone. This is why they’re called forced reps. It also borders on pushing your body too far.
Unless you’re entering a competition anytime soon, stop when you’ve reached the point that you can’t do any more reps without too much strain, even if you have underwear support for a hernia. If you’ve got a little left in you, resume after taking a break — but don’t overdo it!
Use a Weight Lifting Hernia Belt
Whether you want to take your workouts to the next level, or you just want to protect yourself during your regular routine, using a quality hernia exercise belt or other underwear support for a hernia is a great best practice.
Newport Orthopedic Center offers hernia belts, hernia trusses, and hernia briefs that provide various types of hernia relief and prevention. Stop by the shop or give us a call today for help on choosing what’s best for you!