How to Keep Your Calisthenic Workout Injury Free

Certain calisthenic exercises have been found to be particularly harmful to those areas of the body that are weaker than others such as the lower back, neck, and knee joints. However, calisthenics can be a great benefit if done correctly. They improve muscular endurance which is the ability of a muscle to contract repeatedly without fatigue. They're also great for toning specific muscle groups.

Keep in mind that this isn't spot reduction which is the idea that you can burn fat from a particular area on the body such as the stomach or hips by exercising that particular area. Unfortunately, spot reduction doesn't work like most people think it does. You can't determine where the fat will burn first. The way to lose weight is to combine a sensible diet with aerobic exercise.

However, improving muscle tone will help define your shape as you lose fat. In the process, you'll also improve muscular endurance. Muscular endurance benefits your aerobic performance since your muscles are able to contract longer without fatigue. Therefore, adding calisthenic exercises to expand and enhance your fitness program makes good sense, but remember that they can do more harm than good if they are not done properly. Before you jump into a calisthenic program, keep the following safety tips in mind:

* See your doctor. Before you do anything, ask your doctor if the exercises you plan to do are appropriate. If you have a particular health problem, it may be harmful for you to do some of these exercises. .

* Develop and maintain good posture at all times. When you do these exercises, make certain your body is in good alignment. Good posture helps you look better and move better. To develop good posture, practice standing up tall with abdominals in, shoulders back, hips over the knees, and your knees slightly bent. Poor alignment can happen when a person tries to lift too much weight or perform too many repetitions of a given exercise. If you catch yourself "breaking form," take a break or decrease the number of repetitions or the amount of weight you're lifting.

* Take it slow. Not only will this improve the safety of the exercise, it also allows the muscles to contract rather than just move through the range of motion. Muscular contraction will lead to tone and definition of the muscle, but rapidly flinging or bouncing an arm or leg will not.

* Properly support your upper body. Any activity that involves bending forward while standing without supporting the upper body can result in injury. The same muscles that contract to keep you from falling forward on your nose (low back muscles) are the same ones that need to be stretched to allow you to remain in that position. However, when you stretch these back muscles, you are in an unstable and unsafe condition.Add this to any extra weight in the stomach and you compound the stress to the lower back. Modify these types of exercises to provide support to the lower back and keep the head and chest upright. It's also important when doing these exercises to limit the time that your head is lower than your chest so that you don't get lightheaded.

* Keep your joints loose or slightly bent. Avoid locking your joints, such as your knees or elbows, particularly if you are using weights. Focus on contracting the muscle you're working and let that control your movement. If you are performing a bicep curl, for instance, think about resisting gravity on the way down rather than just letting the weight drop. Fight against the pull of the weight, and go into full, but controlled extension. If you're not working with weights, imagine you are working against a force to get more out of your workout.

* Breathe while your exercise. This might sound silly, but many people forget this important step! They hold their breath while exerting a force, especially when lifting a weight. When you hold your breath while exerting a force, pressure is developed within the chest cavity. This pressure can cause the large veins in the chest to clamp up and reduce the return of blood to the heart. This can cause you to be lightheaded, dizzy, or even to black out.

Proper breathing involves exhaling during the contraction (usually the "up" phase of the movement) and inhaling during the release (usually the "down" phase of the movement). For example, imagine doing a sit-up. When you curl up, exhale or breathe out. When you go back down, inhale. Some instructors will encourage you to count out loud because saying the numbers causes you to follow this breathing pattern naturally.

* Muscular fatigue versus muscular failure. Muscular failure is when you are unable to complete any more repetitions using a certain muscle group. In other words, you are totally exhausted and unable to lift your leg (or arm, or little finger) one more time. It's the result of the "go" for the burn; "no pain, no gain" attitude of training which leads to injury.

Getting in shape isn't easy, and it does take effort. However, you don't need to push it to the limit. Only go to the point of muscular fatigue which means stopping while you still can complete a few more repetitions. You can expect fatigue and possibly muscle soreness, but it should not be debilitating or keep you from continuing to exercise. If you are in pain during a workout, you'll probably be sore the next day. Listen to your body and use good judgment. It's best to gradually increase your level of conditioning with consistent workouts rather than occasional shock treatments.

* Use the overloading technique. Overloading is increasing either the number of repetitions you do or the amount of weight you lift to improve muscular endurance. You can improve muscle tone better by doing fewer repetitions against greater resistance or by slightly altering the exercise.

For example, think of doing a leg lift. You might start with three sets of 10 repetitions and that is all you can handle. Then you move up to five sets of 25 repetitions. Your muscles quickly adapt, but this approach might get boring. If so, try another approach. Add some resistance by putting a rubber exercise band around your calves while you do the leg lift or strap a weight above your knee joint to increase the weight you lift. When you do this, the muscles are being "overloaded" by something other than just the number of times they are lifted.

* Stretch properly after your workout. When you exercise, you muscles contract to allow you to work. It's a fact that muscles shorten in length when they contract. When you finish exercising, you need to stretch the muscles back to the length they are at rest. When you stretch, only go as far as is comfortable. If you feel pain, you are putting too much stress on your muscles.

* Avoid harmful exercises. There are some exercises you should not do because they cannot be modified to ensure safety. They include full head circles, full squats, deep knee bends, squat thrusts, or any exercise that involves forceful bouncing (remember jumping jacks?). These exercises put extreme pressure on the neck, back, and/or knee joints. Any benefits that you gain from these types of exercises can be lost through injuries.