Avoid Lifting Injuries: The Heavier You Lift, The More Attention You Have To Pay
Taylor Ryan
3 Must Know Weight Training Course
Lesson 2 Since you probably were never taught the proper forms of weight lifting in your high school PE, it's vital to know this information to prevent you from any chances of an injury. Check it out: Avoiding Lifting Injuries
I have a really bad habit of being a people watcher at the gym. During my rest times or walking from exercise to exercise I am always looking to see what everyone else is doing. I guess I kind of study them. But that studying ends when I am in position and getting ready to lift. Remember, the goal to getting ripped is to lift real weight. And to do that safely you need to concentrate on view things:
- Form. Do not get sloppy. If you can do a curl at 15 lbs, but then at 20 lbs have to arch your back and throw the weight up to actually perform the curt, then it is not time to move up to 20 yet. Keeping good form is the number one rule to making gains and avoiding injuries. If you are not sure if you are doing something right, ask someone. That is why there are trainers available.
- Paying attention. Stop watching the TV or reading a magazine during your exercise time. Many gyms have tvs set up in the weight training zone. This is just ridiculous. How can you really push yourself if Ellen, ESPN or Seinfeld are on the screen? Listen to music instead. Studies show that up-beat songs lead to more intense workouts.
- More weight means even more more attention to detail. This ties in the top two reasons. It only makes sense that as you add on weight you need to concentrate on your form, body position and the environment around you. By environment I mean making sure that if you have to drop your weights because of the strain, make sure you have room to do so. Do not place yourself or anyone around you in harms way. Heavier weight puts more tension on muscles, joints, tendons, etc and it is important to keep perfect form. Do not break from focus to check out the new guy beside you. This is your time, and yours only. Forget about everyone on you.
"Keep Your Focus On The Target" Some things to keep a watch out for:
- Back: Always keep the back straight, curving it can add stress and so can over extending in.
- Legs: knees are not locked and they are shoulder width a part with feet pointed straight ahead
- Shoulders: no hunching, keep shoulders back and down to avoid stress to neck, back and shoulders
- Breathing: breath with every rep! Never hold your breath. You don't want to get dizzy from forgetting to breath!
- Spotters rock. Are you wanting to increase your bench press? Ask a friend to come along. No only can they spot you but you have a workout buddy to push you to actually be able to lift the new weight. Spotters should stand behind your head with their hands following the bar up and down waiting for the moment you need their help. While, I am not a fan of asking other lifters around you for spotting, since they are there for their own workouts, it is ok to ask a staff member for help. This way if the weight is too much you have an extra pair of hands to help you handle the problem.
Basically, if you want results your weight lifting program you have to be safe. If you carry out exercises the correct way the gains will be much greater. So remember, pay attention, keep form, and ask for help! It is the best feeling when your weights increase. Keep up the good work. So with all this new found strength training, you may have a curiosity into the world of program design. Up next see the 3 fundamentals for program design. Get more information about exercises to lose weight and make sure you check out our fitness courses podcast where we talk about current fitness events and give you help to get great results.
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