Workout videos are good but...

People tend to go for workout videos with high-intensity training in a bid to achieve results faster but instead end up with serious injuries. STOCK PHOTO

What you need to know:

The Internet is flooded with all kinds of workout videos and they are packaged to attract subscribers with different fitness needs. They are easy to download and follow but should they replace physical visits to a local gym?

Digital migration is affecting every bit of life, even exercising. Gone are the days when one had to go to a gym for work out sessions. Now, one can download a workout tutorial from the Internet and follow along at their own convinience.

Julie Nakalanzi, a social worker wakes up early everyday to exercise with guidance from videos she downloaded from YouTube.

“I used to wake up early and run for about 10 kilometers but I got scared after a woman was murdered along the same route I used to take. I asked a friend how she manages to exercise but stay safe and that is when I was introduced to YouTube workout videos,” she says.

The beauty about the exercise videos is that you can workout at your convenience even at times when most gyms are closed, not to mention that you don’t have to pay to exercise as is the case at gyms.

Downside of workout videos
Digital fitness videos are convenient but as with many trends, there must be moderation.

Quraish Golooba, a physiotherapist at Case Hospital says YouTube videos are good but so is going to a gym and interacting with a local instructor.

“The instructors in those tutorials do not know your fitness needs. An instructor who you can talk to and communicate your fitness needs to is important.

There are several stages of exercise which include; beginners’, intermediate and advanced. The routines in these classifications vary in intensity and difficulty. One must know what kind of video to download.

“The problem is that people do not download these videos according to their level and objective of why they are exercising. In the end, they might find the exercises too strenuous,” Golooba says.

He adds that some exercises are prescribed by physiotherapists according to age and health condition. This is the reason you need to be assessed first before you start any exercise routine.

Self discipline
When one opts for these videos, they must have a high level of self discipline since there is no one to supervise them.

A subscriber may choose to do only routines that they find easy and skip the ones that demand a little more effort.

“They are not even sure of what they are doing because the tutorials are generic. They are not goal focused so one may fail to stick to them,” says Golooba. It takes motivation for one to be able to exercise without instruction but often times because there is no support from other individuals we may feel demotivated to exercise alone.

We always need motivation and company from friends thus the need to go to the gym.

People tend to go for high-intensity training in a bid to achieve results faster but instead end up with serious injuries such as extreme muscle strains because the exercises they are doing are not meant for them.

Golooba advises avoidance of high-intensity workouts for beginners.

“You need to see a physiotherapist first so that he can assess your body and recommend what type and intensity of exercise you need.

He advises that, “When you are a beginner, your level of resilience is still low and if you start doing the high intensity exercises because you saw them on the Internet, you are likely to injure yourself.”

High-intensity workouts. If you’re just starting out with exercise, it’s best to take it slow. If you’re running or cycling, for example, build up your endurance for at least a month before you get into anything more intense. That means going at a rate where you can easily talk without being out of breath. However, once you have that base of endurance, step up the intensity.

Compiled from www. zenhabits.net