5 Most Dangerous Bodybuilding Practices!

Bodybuilding can be a dangerous sport if you don’t know what you’re doing.  With all the promises there are for rapid muscle gains once you start using a certain supplement, or follow a particular workout routine, you should realize there are no shortcuts and you won’t get anywhere if you don’t put in the hard work.  The following are five (5) of the most dangerous things you can do when trying to build muscle.

1)      Taking Steroids – In an attempt to build muscle quickly some persons resort to taking steroids resulting in disastrous health consequences; the worst case scenario being death.  Steroids are harmful to the body and some of the negative changes are irreversible.  The damage done to your body by taking steroids far outweigh any possible benefits.

2)      Bench pressing Heavy Weights Without a Spotter – The bench press can be a very dangerous exercise if you are doing it alone.  You should not be attempting to set a personal record when performing this exercise by yourself, lest you get trapped under the weights.  Quite a few persons die each year from this exercise so it’s best to get someone to spot for you in the event that you overestimate your own strength.

3)      Lifting Heavy Weights Without Gloves – When your hands get sweaty it is very easy to drop the weight which could result in serious injury.  Always wear gloves so that you can get a better grip on the weights especially if you are lifting heavy.  Weightlifting can be very hard on your bare hands so if you don’t want bruises and calluses you need to invest in some quality weight training gloves.

4)      Not Warming Up Before Or Cooling Down After A Workout – It’s important that you prepare your body for an intensive workout.  Jumping right into a workout without gradually getting your heart rate up can result in heart attack for those who are not physically fit.  Your body is also more susceptible to injury if you do not take the time to warm up ahead of a workout.

Cooling down after a workout is important to help your body get rid of the waste accumulated during your workout.  If you stop exercising suddenly blood pooling results in the exercised muscle as there is no force acting to return the blood to your heart.  As a result your muscle begins to swell and become painful due to the waste backed up from the sudden cessation of your workout.  Cooling down exercises are great to keep the blood circulating as your body returns to a pre workout state.

5)      Lifting Weights That Are Too Heavy – If you have to use momentum to lift the weight then you need to lift lighter weights.  Your movements should always be slow and controlled; fast, swinging movements only serve to damage tendons and ligaments and won’t help you to build muscle.

It’s important to educate yourself on proper technique in weightlifting or else you run the risk of injuring yourself.  If you are not sure of anything you should seek the advice of an expert.  It is worth the extra money to hire a personal trainer if you are just starting out.

About the Author

• Chris is a 25-year-old fitness enthusiast who blogs regularly at Gain Build Muscle.
• Engage with him on twitter.