The following exercises may put your participants at risk for injury. Follow safety guidelines when designing movement blocks for your BOOM MOVE class.
- Uncontrolled momentum and speed of movement – members should be able to execute movements with control. Adjust music speed or modify movement to avoid stress on joints.
- Inversions – avoid any sustained position with head below heart level. Inversions are especially dangerous immediately following cardiovascular work.
- Overuse of a joint or muscle group – limit repetitive movements or sustained positions that can cause unnecessary joint or muscle pain. Design movement blocks with muscle balance in mind.
- Repetitive forward or backward bending at the waist – limit repetitions or modify lever length for movements requiring repetitive extension or flexion of the spine to decrease stress on the lumbar spine.
- Repetitive and/or sustained knee flexion – avoid repetitive or sustained flexion of the knee past 90 degrees. (Avoid exercises such as grand pliés, quick turns, and deep squats which can cause undue stress on the knees.)
- High-impact movements – exercises that require both feet to leave the ground simultaneously are effective in improving bone density and preventing osteoporosis, but they can also increase the risk for stress fractures, tendinitis and overuse syndromes. Low-impact movements, where one foot is in contact with the ground at all times, are safer and are not necessarily a “low-intensity” option. Modify the range of motion or lever length during movement to make these exercises challenging.