Faux Pas

Lately, I've been riding on a weight loss high. I've been getting a lot of compliments from friends and family. They tell me how good I look and ask me my secret. "Well," I begin. "I go to the gym at least three times a week," I proudly boast. "I eat healthy and limit my sweet intake," I continue. I even found a social fitness website-- www.fitocracy.com. It's like Facebook for the fitness fanatics. You just enter in your workouts and activities and boom, strangers are giving you props (similar to likes) and cheering you on. It's all good stuff, but a little too much went to my head. So today my girlfriends, Michelle, Becca and I are lifting weights at the gym. Michelle and Becca do a free-standing 90-lb squat. I watch them doing it, and I'm thinking no problem, piece of cake. I do those all the time on the squat rack. So, I saunter over to the rack of weights and lift the 90-lb barbel over my shoulders, get into position, go down for the squat and then back up. Then it hits me. I'm about to fall over. "Help!" I call over to Michelle. She comes over and tries to get the weight off my back, but I'm stuck. I scan the weight room in a panic. Where's the big guys when I need them? I spot a guy from behind, and he sees the fear in my eyes and rushes over to help me. He easily hoists the barbell off my back and frees me. I'm saved. Then I scan the room again, I feel like every eye is on me. It's like a direct hit to my ego and embarrassment washes over me. Needless to say, I'm going to be more careful and use better judgement when it comes to my lifting abilities. I may not be able to do a 90-lb squat today, but I can start smaller and work my way up tomorrow.

So in the spirit of learning from my faux pas. Here are the top 5 weight lifting safety tips from Bodybuilding.com. Be sure to visit the link to get the reasoning for each tip.

1. Wear appropriate work out clothing
2. When in doubt, ask for help
3. Ensure That Before You Execute A Lift, All Of The Weight Plates Are Properly Secured.
4.Warm-up before you move onto heavier weights
5.Leave The Ego Aside & Practice Perfect Form.