Resistance training, the use of a resistance force to muscular contraction, is a very efficient method of improving an individual’s fitness level, but it is also a path that can lead to significant personal injury if not approached properly. The human body is a very complex machine, and one that requires significant resources for proper maintenance and overall good health. The three best ways to prevent the human machine from breaking down during a period of heavy usage, particularly during Resistance Training are hydration, rest, and self knowledge. With those three elements the chances of significant Resistance Training injury are greatly reduced.

Hydration is very important to a healthy body under any circumstances, but in the high extortion environment found in any exercise plan, the human body expels large amounts of fluids as sweat to cool and builds up acids and other compounds inside the body that need to be expelled. As a result, dehydration is a constant danger while exercising, and it can lead to further injuries as the symptom logy presents, including muscle cramps and stiffness. To avoid such a condition it is important to drink at least two gallons of water a day while on an exercise program supplemented by one to two 16 ounce bottles of an electrolyte boosting energy drink to maintain a healthy liquid intake.

Rest is likewise supremely important during a regime of Resistance Training due to the strain continuously placed on the human body’s musculoskeletal systems. With each training session, muscle tissues are torn, ligaments strained, and bones stressed and with each period of rest, the human body attempts to repair the damage and in the process builds the tissues and organs stronger.

If there is insufficient rest, then not all damage is repaired and the tissues and bone structures are weakened and then re-strained under another exercise session, and often the creation of an injury. Thus, rest is critical to injury prevention.

Finally, self knowledge is key. Each human body is a unique network of sensations and limitations. When one individual has a twinge in a shoulder, it is simply a muscle spasm and a sign of insufficient water consumption, while another would seek medical attention due to previous damage to the affected area. The individual need know the feelings of the normal body to be able to prevent a minor injury become a major condition or worse.

In conclusion, the smart individual who seeks self improvement via Resistance Training need do three things to prevent further injury. Hydration to replace the liquids and electrolytes expended during the exertions. Rest to repair the small damage caused by an exercise session and to allow bones, muscles, and ligaments rebuild stronger and able to increase the athletic ability of the human being trained.

Too little rest and the repairs are incomplete. Finally, self knowledge allows the individual to recognize the state of an individual body and separate the minor twinge of dehydration from the warning ache of a serious injury.