In my 20 plus years of weight training I’ve never been injured. I credit staying injury free to always emphasizing safety in my workouts. Ego lifting, a type of lifting we see constantly in gyms worldwide, may eventually lead to injury.
Although ego lifting is predominantly done by men, there are many women who try to impress with the extra poundage as well.
As I stressed in one of my previous posts, ‘focus on health’, unless one is powerlifting or olympic weightlifting, or a sport that requires bursts/feats of strength, it may not make sense getting injured trying to determine what one’s one rep max is or trying to imitate the many reckless ‘Youtube stars’ who use terrible form when demonstrating weight training exercises.
Here are some tips for staying injury free:
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- Before training, warm up for ten minutes on an elliptical or treadmill.
- NO ego lifting!!!
- Do controlled movements, no jerky/fast movements.
- Do not slam the weights on the floor, especially when deadlifting.
- Gradually increase weight over a period of time.
- Take a couple of rest days weekly to allow the body to recover.
- Lift a reasonable amount of weight that gives good resistance.
- PAY NO ATTENTION to gym Broscience!!
- Proper supplementation is essential. Maximize Nutrition!
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Although I’m strong and I lift heavy weight, my form doesn’t suffer. If I can’t handle a certain amount of weight, I don’t lift it. Many times we see fellow gym goers using spotters.
Using a spotter for certain exercises may be necessary, however if the spotter has to help lift the weight then the weight being used is too heavy. If using a spotter then he or she should only be close by to supervise as a precaution!
Living a healthy lifestyle that includes proper supplementation and weight training should be about building and strengthening, not breaking down. Focus on health, improving one’s quality of life, and continue to stay injury free.
