During my career I have injured myself on numerous occasions and all of the times the problem was avoidable if only I have been more careful. I know a lot of you suffer from chronic or acute injuries, which cause pain and do not allow you to train optimally. We all learn and making mistakes is the most common way people gain experience. However, I want you as my friends, fans and clients NOT to repeat the mistakes that I’ve made.
Consequently, I formulated a list of the most prevalent mistakes that trainees do, which lead them to injury. I truly hope to help you with being more careful and learning from my experience. Here are the top injuries triggering factors:
1. Lifting weights that you cannot handle
One of the most widespread problems is that people try to lift weights that they cannot handle. This is an absolute cause for injuries. Be careful with the weights that you choose and always strive for quality rather than quantity. Working in the 6-8 rep range is much safer than lifting for 1-3 reps max, so try focusing on longer sets, where the weight is easier to control and you can put more emphasis on the working muscle, rather than on the joints and ligaments. Make sure you have someone to spot you while doing squats or bench presses, as this may limit the risk of injury considerably.
2. Not warming up properly
I would recommend warming up properly before training. By warming up I don’t mean spending time on the treadmill or bike, but rather warming up with weights. This causes muscle activation and increased blood flow to the working muscles. I suggest always starting up with lighter weight and performing 15-20 repetitions to get the blood and heart pumping. Do no overstretch at the beginning of the training sessions, as you are still cold and can cause injury this way. You may also do the bike or treadmill, but no more than 5 minutes.
3. Bad lifting technique
Bad lifting technique is often characterized by ncontrolled and explosive motion, which causes extreme dynamic stress on the joints and muscles and can cause injury. Performing an exercise in a fast and chaotic manner can seriously disturb your natural moving patterns and can cause joints and tendons to do out of place. I strongly suggest you learn the correct technique of all the exercises that you perform and this will limit the chances of looking stupid at the gym or worst – getting injured.
Source : Fail Army
4. Practicing other sports
Out of all the cases I know, most of the people injure themselves outside the gym or in the gym, doing other sport-specific exercises. I can bet all of you have friend who regularly goes to the gym, but unfortunately gets injured at a football game, basketball or while skiing. Training in the gym makes muscles big and strong, but joint and ligaments do not grow in the same manner, so doing sports where you have dynamic change of motion can seriously injury you.
Be careful and think of your health in the long run. I can guarantee you, that if you follow all these tips and be watchful the risk of injury is close to none. Bodybuilding and fitness are one of those sports, which you can practice safely until you get very old. Hit the gym hard and smart!
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