Common Mistakes in Fitness: What You Need to Know

Fitness has gained increasing popularity in recent years, but many still lack knowledge about proper precautions. What are the common wrong fitness methods? Let’s explore these common mistakes.

1. Walking Backwards

Walking or running backwards can stimulate unused muscles and improve balance, making it a popular morning exercise for many elderly people. However, due to their reduced cardiovascular reserve, retrograde movement overburdens the heart and blood vessels. Meanwhile, turning the neck compresses the carotid artery, narrowing the lumen and reducing blood flow, leading to brain hypoxia or even sudden fainting during neck rotation. Occasional backward walking is harmless, but it’s not suitable for regular practice.

2. Deep Breathing

Recent scientific research and clinical observations show that excessive deep breathing in hypertension and coronary heart disease patients can trigger cardiovascular constriction, posing a fatal risk. Myocardial infarction, cerebral hemorrhage, and other accidents are directly or indirectly linked to deep breathing. Experts advise against deep breathing exercises for those with arteriosclerosis, especially hypertension or cardiovascular diseases.

3. Drinking Salt Water

Physiological studies indicate that the body continues to breathe, sweat, and consume water during sleep. Upon waking, blood is in a concentrated state. Drinking salt water aggravates hypertonic dehydration, causing dry mouth. Moreover, early morning is the first peak of rising blood pressure, and salt water elevates it further, harming health.

4. Leg Press with Heavy Weights

This is a common gym exercise (also found in some community fitness equipment). The movement involves lying down, pushing a heavy machine upward, and retracting it. The biggest mistake: retracting legs at an angle less than 90 degrees damages knee joints. To safely train leg muscles with this exercise, adjust the backrest to a gentler angle.

5. Back Stretching

A common gym practice, back stretching suits only those with flexible shoulder joints and professional fitness knowledge. Improper stretching by amateurs can strain shoulder muscles, injure the cervical spine (as the bar frequently hits the neck), and even deform the entire spine over time.

6. Back Weightlifting

Similar to back stretching, back weightlifting requires professional expertise or flexible shoulders. Prolonged practice by ordinary people risks shoulder strains, back trauma, and spinal disorders.