By Greg Rothman, M.S. P.T.

This is the first of several columns that will help you to prevent exercise-related injuries and understand when an injury may be serious enough for a visit to a medical professional.

In today’s column, I’m going to discuss the most common causes of injuries in the gym so that you can make sure that you are doing everything possible to stay injury-free. Frequently, people injure themselves in the gym because they fail to properly warm their bodies up in preparation for exercise, they don’t stretch properly, they perform exercises with poor form, or they do exercises that are not recommended to begin with.

I frequently see people hurrying into the gym, stressed out from their day at work, talking on their cell phones. They don’t take the time to decompress or warm up. They just change clothes and start their workout routines. I’m not surprised when I see them later rubbing their shoulders or backs. Not infrequently, it is these people whose workout programs are interrupted by having to take a week off from the gym because of a ‘pulled muscle’ or worse, jeopardizing their abilities to move forward with their workout programs and stymieing their results in the process.

Before jumping right into a strength-training or intense cardio workout, it is paramount to warm up so that the muscles are prepared for these high-demand activities. A simple bout of five to 10 minutes of cardio will do the trick, as will spending the same length of time doing some simple body weight exercises or calisthenics. The goal is to get the heart pumping, shuttling warm blood into the working muscles so that they are ready for the more intense exercise that is to follow.

People often think of stretching as a good warm-up activity, but it absolutely is not. In fact, stretching before warming up is a common cause of injury. Think of taking a rubber band out of the freezer and stretching it. What’s going to happen? It’s going to snap very easily. Now, think of picking a rubber band up off of the pavement on a very warm day. That rubber band will easily stretch to its maximum length. Muscles are much the same.

Stretching is certainly important to helping prevent injuries in the gym, but you should stretch at the best times to get optimal results: that is, following an intense workout, when the muscles are at their warmest. A good time-saving tactic is to stretch the muscle group you’ve just worked immediately following a set; you have to rest between sets anyway, so why not do something that is productive and shave some time off the end of your workout?

One or two 20- to 30-second stretches for each muscle group that you are working is appropriate. Following cardiovascular workouts, stretching your legs and back muscles is important. Stretches should be held at the point where you feel a deep stretching sensation in the muscle, but before any pain is felt. Stretching should not hurt, per se, although some people describe the sensation as a kind of pain that feels good at the same time. For specific stretching techniques for various workouts and sports, I highly recommend the book “Stretching” by Bob Anderson.

Warming up and stretching muscles go a long way toward preventing common gym injuries, but you also have to make sure you are performing exercises correctly. Taking your time and ensuring good exercise technique is also essential to minimizing the risk of injury. Swinging weights and using ballistic movements have their place in very advanced exercise programs if your intention is developing extreme power or training for a competitive sport at a high level. But generally speaking, movements should be consistent and controlled, with all parts of the movement performed at the same speed. If you are not sure of the proper form on the exercises you want to do, it might a good idea to consult with a fitness professional to learn correct exercise technique.

Finally, there are a handful of exercises that simply are not recommended at all. Doing ‘lat pull-downs’ or ‘shoulder presses’ behind the neck is a recipe for rotator cuff injuries or spinal disc problems in the neck. Instead, pull the bar down to the chest in the former exercise, and press in front of the head for the latter. Using many of the commercially available weighted ‘abdominal machines’ in which you flex the body forward are a frequent cause of low-back pain and disc herniations. These machines will also not give you optimal results. For an explanation and video on a number of better abdominal exercises, you can go to my Website at: www.emPowerFitnessNYC.com/videoexplanation.

Exercise is never completely free of risk, but if you follow some simple guidelines you can greatly minimize that risk. In my next two columns, I will write about some of the more common injuries people sustain in the course of exercising and offer some advice on what to do about them, and outline when they may be serious enough to require medical attention.

Note: The information provided herein is meant to be informative and help you to minimize the risk of injury. It should not, however, be construed as medical advice. Always consult with a medical professional prior to beginning a new exercise program.

Greg Rothman, M.S. P.T., is the owner of emPower Fitness Studios (emPowerFitnessNYC.com). He received his masters degree in physical therapy from Columbia University and has 15 years’ experience in the rehabilitation and fitness fields, most recently as the personal training manager and top-level trainer for Equinox Fitness Clubs in New York City. SEND YOUR QUESTIONS about nutrition, fitness and sports injuries/rehabilitation to Greg at emPowerFitness@aol.com.