Avoiding Weight Training Over-Use Injuries
Posted in: Muscle Building Workouts
With just about any physical activity where repetitive movements are common place, weight training is a very common source of injury if adequate rest is not given. Weight training does not produce the type of injuries we see from sports such as soccer, hockey or football, which often include physical damage by the high impact speeds of the sport.
Although it is possible to see injuries like this from weight training, they more often than not are caused by the techniques in which one performs the exercises, and over-use exercises due to a lack of correct exercise form.
You can easily avoid injury by using a knowledgeable approach when it comes to weight lifting. The amount of weight you lift, the technique you use for the exercise, and the amount of repetitions are all factors you can control. These controlled factors are variables that can stop repetitive injuries.
One of the most important things that gets over-looked by many who wish to bulk up, or weight train to gain strength for a sport is sleep and rest. Without adequate sleep and rest the body cannot sufficiently repair torn or tired muscle tissue. Training with a tired body that has not fully recovered from the last workout you have done, is a sure fire way to get injured.
As boring as it is, safety must be one your biggest considerations when you exercise. Over the term of exercising the body will build size, flexibility, muscles, and even the ligaments and tendons will increase their strength capacity. Over training, not paying attention the form of your lifts, or the load can easily over stress all of these body tissues. The longer the stress occurs the more likely-hood of a serious, or repetitive stress injury to occur. Many individuals who go to a gym wind up with a list of injuries that stop them from performing certain movements, and almost all of these were completely avoidable.
With weight training it is best to leave your ego at the door, even if you have a sound knowledge of what you are doing. Using the assistance of a qualified personal trainer, or the services of physical therapy, such as a Physical Therapy Assistant can help you develop a workout plan that is both effective, safe, and minimizes risks of repetitive injuries. After all, repetitive stress injuries will keep you out of the gym, and unable to obtain the goals you intend to reach. Even if you are on a Budget, it is wise to find even the guidance of a qualified professional even if it be for only a single training session, as this may save you from missing countless time from training in the future.
Whether you are a beginner or as experienced weight trainer, performing exercises properly will depend on the structure of your existing muscle and bone. The amount of flexibility you currently have also will effect how exercises can be performed.
The best advice is that less is sometimes more, do not push weights heavier than what you can keep good form doing. Once you lose your form, you are getting closer to developing tendinitis, or often times a worse type of injury. Do full range of motion, good form exercises, challenge yourself, but use common sense when doing heavier lifts.
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