As a young woman, I made the mistake of assuming that weightlifting would make me more masculine. With time, I realized how wrong I was and ultimately incorporated weightlifting into my daily workout routine. When I started, I didn’t think it was worth it to invest in buying any proper equipment such as dumbbells. Instead, I carried full water bottles as I did my aerobics dance workout. This may be acceptable for smaller weights up to 3 or 4 pounds, but as you use more weights, you need to invest in serious equipment. This article explores the importance of such equipment.
Helping You Avoid Mishaps
If you’re doing it right, you should be incrementally pushing yourself harder and harder. This means carrying slightly more weight than you are normally comfortable with. If you are doing squats, then you will need either a spotter or the best squat rack you can find as a backup in case you can’t carry the bar anymore. Even at the smallest possible weight, a dropped barbell can cause serious injury. Many people assume that it would fall with the bar itself parallel to the ground, meaning that if it fell on their foot nothing bad would happen. The bar could easily roll onto your foot, and it may even cause more failure.
Free Weights Vs. Weight Machines
There’s always a debate among weightlifters that revolves around the advantages of free weights in comparison to weight machines. To clarify, free weights are things like kettlebells, dumbbells etc. that you are meant to use for strength training. Weight machines are those machines with weights hanging from cables in an elaborate way. The problem with weight machines is that they only offer a limited range of motion. On the other hand, lifting free weights allows you to work on the entire possible range of motion for each joint. This is ultimately better for you because range of motion is important for quality of life, and can help improve your balance and stability.
Learning To Use Equipment Correctly
Not only should you be using appropriate equipment, it is all the more important to learn the proper methods of using it. Too many weightlifting injuries are a direct result of improperly handling weightlifting equipment. For example, while there are varying opinions about the effectiveness of wearing a powerlifting belt, all experts agree that without learning the proper method to put it on. Otherwise, a weightlifter could seriously injure themselves if the weight slips from their grasp.
Summary
Using proper equipment during weightlifting is essential for protection against potential injury that may even be serious. Not only that, but safety equipment also serves another purpose and that is to enhance your performance and comfort level. Remember that if you do not feel comfortable lifting something then you are pushing yourself but also risking the potential for injury. So make sure that you are using the appropriate equipment for your workout, and don’t forget to take the time to learn how to operate the equipment.
