Exercising safely

[Dorothey Allen]

Exercising without proper safety precautions often leads to injury. Muscle overuse and repetitive strain injuries may be prevented by

Scheduling strength training workouts 48 hours apart to allow muscles to recover
Keeping workouts varied in regard to exercise method and equipment choices

People should stop exercising immediately if they feel pain other than the usual mild burning sensation in muscles caused by lactic acid buildup.
Two types of muscle discomfort may be felt after exercise. The desirable or expected type, delayed-onset muscle soreness, does not start until several hours after exercising intensely. Usually it peaks within 48 hours, goes away within 72 hours, and feels better after the warm-up for the next workout. The undesirable type, in which pain indicates injury, is usually felt soon after injury occurs, may not disappear within 72 hours, and may become much more severe over time and if a person continues to exercise.