Weight training is the ideal way to build lean body mass and preserve bone health. On the other hand, you can injure yourself if you lift improperly. Unfortunately, some of these injuries can become chronic, forcing you to change the way you train or be out of commission entirely for a while. When you think of weight training injuries you probably think of muscle strains and soreness, but you can also end up with more serious injuries like a dislocated shoulder, a cartilage tear to the knee, a herniated disc or chronic lower back pain.
Women and Weight Training Injuries
Women who weight train are predisposed to certain types of injuries, especially knee injuries. That’s because anatomically women have wider hips than knees. This causes their legs to angle inwards, pulling their kneecap laterally and placing added stress on it. This causes the knee to track improperly when doing lower body exercises like squats. Over time, this can cause extra wear and tear on the cartilage in the knee and lead to a chronic condition called chondromalacia. As the cartilage is repeatedly damaged, inflammation sets in leading to chronic knee pain. Weight training may help to prevent this condition to some degree by strengthening the quadriceps muscles, but the key is to use proper form and not overdo it.
Here are some of the most common causes of weight training injuries and how to prevent them.
Using Too Much Weight and Not Enough Attention to Form
It feels good to challenge yourself, but it’s easy to let your form fall apart if you’re lifting too heavy. Only lift as much as you can using good form. Watch yourself in the mirror as you’re doing an exercise and make sure you’re not rounding your back when you’re doing rows. This is a good way to develop a strained back or even a herniated disc. Another common mistake is to jerk the weights around during exercises, using momentum to propel the weight. Sure, it makes it easier but it also makes it less effective and increases the risk of injury. Another common “no-no” is letting your knees fall forward when doing squats.
Master the squat. It’s one of the toughest exercises to do correctly and doing it wrong stresses your knees and back. Concentrate on form first. You’ll get more benefits using a lighter weight and doing the exercise correctly than using sloppy form with a heavier weight. You can always advance the weight – but not if you’re injured.
Increasing the Intensity or Volume Too Rapidly
To build strength and lean body mass, you have to subject your muscles to progressive overload, but that doesn’t mean increasing the volume too quickly. Gradually increase the number of sets you do, particularly for exercises like squats and lunges where the risk for injury is higher – same with the amount of resistance. Concentrate first on improving your form and increasing range of motion for each exercise before increasing the weight, number of sets or number of reps.
Remember, progressive overload is more than just lifting heavier. If you add an additional repetition or two to a set, you’re progressively overloading the muscle even if you’re using the same weight. Once you can do a few extra reps with good form – then modestly increase the weight. Don’t try to speed up the process too much and risk injury.
Overtraining
Limit heavy strength-training to usually no more than three to four sessions a week, and avoid training the same body parts within a 48-hour period. If you overtrain, you’ll end up training in a weaker state and increase your risk for injury. Overtraining occurs when you increase the volume or intensity of a weight training program beyond your body’s ability to recover. Not only does overtraining increase the risk for injury, but it can also reduce your strength gains since muscles need sufficient recovery time to adapt to the stress you put on it. It can also impact other areas of your life, leading to fatigue, poor sleep, and mood changes. Don’t try to reach your goal TOO quickly. Make a long-term commitment to getting stronger and more defined and don’t jeopardize it by getting injured early on.
Insufficient Warm-Up
Warm-ups increase core body temperature and boost blood flow to your muscles. Why is this important? Warm muscles are more flexible and less prone to injury. Spend at least five minutes doing some form of light cardio to get your muscles prepared for training. Then do a series of lunges, body weight squats without weights, leg swings and arms swings to prepare your muscles for more intense work. Avoid doing static stretching since it can overextend your muscles and reduce strength and power. Never go into a strength workout “cold.”
Lack of Focus and Distractions
When you’re lifting, focus on lifting and don’t be distracted. Distractions increase the risk of injury by taking focus off of your form. Turn off your cell phone and don’t let your mind wander during a workout. Remember you’re working with weights that are heavy enough to do some damage. You’ll get more benefits if you concentrate during the full range of the movement and reduce your risk for injury.
The Bottom Line?
Don’t let weight training injuries take you out of commission. Focus on form and don’t try to do too much too quickly. It takes time to build strength and lean body mass. You won’t speed it up by pushing yourself too hard. Think of resistance training as a long term investment that’ll slowly pay off over time.
References:
Sports Med. 1993 Jul;16(1):57-63.
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