Workouts shouldn't have to hurt

The benefits of proper exercise outweigh the risks

June 9, 1996
Web posted at: 7:55 p.m. EDT

From Correspondent Dan Rutz

ATLANTA (CNN) -- Close to three out of four men in a recent CNN/Men's Health magazine poll say they're in good shape. But national statistics indicate that a third of U.S. men are overweight. And many quit exercising when they get hurt.

Dr. Thomas Branch of Emory University makes a living on the downside of physical fitness. But like most medical experts, he firmly believes that the benefits of exercise far outweigh the risk of getting hurt.

A healthy workout, the doctor says, should begin with stretching.

"The interesting part of stretching is that 80 percent of your stretch occurs in the first minute," he explains.

Proper warm-ups, and not over-doing it, can prevent what the doctor calls the "itises" -- tendonitis and ligamentitis."

"An inflammation of a tight tendon can cause pain when you do your exercise activity and it can become a recurrent pain that is difficult to get rid of," Branch says.

Richard Krebs has a different reason for staying fit. He enjoys an active lifestyle, even though he's just coming back from an injury that required surgery to repair.

"These things happen," Krebs says. "There are other kinds of risks out there in the world, too, and I don't believe in just sitting home and playing it safe."

Sport-specific rehabilitation helps reduce the chance of reinjury. But to possibly avoid trouble in the first place, doctors urge getting to know the body better, especially when things don't feel right.

"Once you learn about your body, the next time those symptoms appear you don't have to go to the doctor," Branch says.

And, Branch says, careful exercise -- the right amount, and incorporating cross-training -- could "in fact be prolonging your life and reducing arthritis."

Cross-training means mixing up the fitness routine with different activities. That way, instead of wearing out part of the body, all of it will stay fit.

According to the experts, we can either use it, or lose it.

Related sites:

• The Endurance Training Journal
• Balance Fitness On The Net

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