10 Things You Should Never Do Before A Workout (Learn Why)

Ditching your warm-up regimen is a surefire way to injure yourself. Improper joint and muscle prepping is one of the renowned causes of severe muscle strains [2].

One way to avoid such sprains and further injury is to condition your body beforehand with warm-up exercises like static stretching.

Always include a few minutes of dynamic stretching warm-up before you start exercising for optimal performance.

Blood flow through the muscle fibers is often minimal and negligible during relaxation, causing them to tighten [3].

A light cardio or foam roller warm-ups help to increase blood circulation, which provides your muscles with oxygen.

To enhance your warm-up routine, incorporate weight dynamic stretching exercises into your pre-workout routine.

Weight dynamic stretching improves blood circulation and activates and prepares your muscles for the upcoming workout, reducing the risk of injury and enhancing overall performance.

3. Workout Without a Fitness Plan

Your training will have direction and purpose with the help of a workout plan, allowing you to concentrate on the activities that will bring you closer to your fitness goals.

It's a bad idea to exercise without a strategy, as you'll be wasting time hopping from one piece of equipment to the next.

This is why you might not gain the most out of your exercises due to this oversight.

Start by setting aside upper and lower body days, including leg day exercises. Then you can add specific pull, push, and stretching exercises for each workout.

Eating a heavy meal before exercise will force you to workout on a heavy stomach, which is frequently problematic, especially if you engage in intense workouts like running.

Doing so can cause gastrointestinal distress, a condition known as the "stitches” [4]. You may also feel sluggish, which can prevent you from exercising or shorten your workout.

Eating huge fatty and fiber meals can cause bloating because fat and fiber take way more time to metabolize and get absorbed in the digestive system.

A big meal can cause distress and abdominal discomfort if you do intense workouts or cardio [5].

Heavy pre-workout meals can also cause exercise-induced anaphylaxis (EIA). EIA is an allergic response to exercise, mainly if you have eaten an aggravating food beforehand [6].

“Your pre-workout habits can set you up for either an effective or ineffective workout."

- Dempsey Marks, Personal Trainer

What I do to perfectly balance between exercising on a properly-full stomach and fasting before a workout is grabbing a small but nutrient-dense pre-workout snack containing protein and carbohydrates.

For example, whole wheat bread rolls, fruits, veggies, or a protein shake can help you maintain a healthy gym session without making you sick.

If you have exercise-induced anaphylaxis, avoid foods that will cause a reaction and consult your doctor about prevention and treatment options.

Related: Should I Eat Before or After a Workout?

Drinking excess water before working out can make you feel queasy, create cramps, or want to end the session early.

You may also increase your risk of hypernatremia, an uncommon but severe illness, by attempting to chug down a gallon before hitting the gym [7].

Also, with excess body water, the kidneys cannot handle the fluids quickly enough, and this causes the body cells to imbibe the fluids and swell [8].

Make it a rule to drink just enough water throughout the day in small bits instead. Drink a few sips before your workout, especially if you're doing it in the morning.

Related Articles:

• Should I Drink Water While Working Out?
• What Not to Eat Before a Workout?

6. Drink Too Much Caffeine

Although there is evidence linking caffeine use to improved performance, there may also be severe adverse effects.

According to a study, caffeine use before or during exercise may raise the risk of blood clots.

During two high-intensity training sessions, the researchers monitored 48 men and discovered that caffeine boosted their coagulation factor.

The males who had caffeine-containing beverages before working out were more likely to get blood clots, associated with significant medical conditions like heart attack, stroke, deep vein thrombosis, and pulmonary embolism [9].

Working out with excess moisturizer on your skin can clog sweat glands and skin pores, making it difficult for your skin to breathe.

Because many lotions are soft and slippery, this might be dangerous when you're lifting weights.

Lotion limits your grip on the heavy metals, and they might slip and hurt you.

If you have dry skin, try using light moisturizers in fewer amounts before working out. Otherwise, it would be best to avoid it altogether.

8. Take Anti-Inflammatory Medication

Although taking over-the-counter pain meds when you feel achy or sore before exercising may be tempting, it's not the best choice.

These medications affect your whole body, not just the area of pain.

Research shows that using painkillers before working out may cause further injuries because your body won't get the pain signals that indicate you're straining your body beyond its capacity [10]. 

Additionally, most medications relax muscles, which can negatively impact your muscles and reduce your performance [11].

Ibuprofen may worsen exercise-related intestinal damage and impair the gut barrier in healthy gym goers and athletes [12].

Dr. Rainer Guiang, anesthesiologist, pain medicine specialist, and the founder of The Knowledge Guide, explains that taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) before exercise could potentially decrease blood flow to organs which may result in organ damage and possibly even a heart attack.

Add rest days to your training plan to help your body heal from intense activities that could be causing aches. It's wise to rest instead of popping a pill at the slightest muscle pain.

In the case of severe pains, seek medical help to treat if it's a chronic muscle and joint damage.

When you exercise back to back without giving yourself adequate time to recuperate between sessions, you may develop overtraining syndrome (OTS) [13].

After a certain point, exercising excessively might harm your health and inhibit your progress, particularly if your workouts are scheduled closely together.

OTS can impair your fitness level, negatively impact your performance, and result in injuries [14].

Back-to-back exercises like HIIT, aerobics, and weightlifting can also result in severe burnout.

You may prevent overtraining by exercising within your limits and giving yourself enough time to recover between exercises.

Take care of yourself after each training session and re-energize, so you have the energy to continue exercising.

10. Consume Alcoholic Drinks

It only takes a little alcohol to impair your ability to manage your body.

Additionally, it damages your coordination and focus, making it difficult for you to do the sets in the proper form, and this affects your performance in the long haul.

It's best to skip your next workout if you're enjoying a happy hour with your friends that day.