LONDON April 16 (Reuters Life!) - One in 10 Britons injure themselves trying to get in shape for their summer holidays.

A survey by British health and fitness firm David Lloyd Leisure showed this week that men were twice as likely to injure themselves as women, with their most common injuries resulting from a failure to properly warm up.

Women most often came unstuck on complicated home gym machines or by exercising in limited space.

June and July were shown to be the most dangerous months as Brits turn to their exercise machines in a desperate bid to build a body beautiful in time for cruising the beach.

"It's not surprising that people want to look their best whilst on holiday, especially as it's not very easy to hide behind a tiny two-piece or Lycra swimming trunks," David Lloyd Leading Trainer Peter Hood said.

The most popular fitness aids were those which worked abdominal muscles for men and exercise DVD's for women.

Britons spend over 2.9 billion pounds ($5.78 billion) a year on exercise equipment. One-in-five admit they use the equipment once or not at all.

Common alternative uses for unwanted gym goods include clotheshorses and doorstops. Some people even admitted to using treadmills to walk their dogs.

To avoid injury, Hood recommends a careful warm-up to ensure improved blood flow to the muscles and stretching thoroughly to improve overall flexibility. He said a long-term fitness plan devised by a professional is likely to produce the best results.

"It's also considerably less painful than the possible injuries gained from trying to master confusing contraptions at home."

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