Avoiding Injuries when Strength Training
Whatever your reasons for strength training, it is crucial
to perform your lifts with the right form and technique or else risk
injury.
The warm up
First, it is important to warm up properly. When you warm
up, your muscles become looser, ready for action. You lose any stiffness
from your resting limbs and you are less likely to suffer any pain or
soreness after the exercise.
A good way to warm up is to go for a gentle run. Depending
on how fit you are, you should run or jog until you are feeling warm and a little
out of breath. Maybe 5 - 10 minutes. As you are preparing for a strength
workout, your run will most likely be on a treadmill at the gym. Other
effective warm ups could be using a rowing machine or stepper. Whatever gets
your heart rate up and muscles warm.
Stretching
It is crucial to stretch after your warm up. Do not try
stretching before your warm up, as not only will this not be very effective
as your muscles will not be warm enough to be receptive to the stretch, you
could also pull a muscle or create soreness.
Try to stretch all the main muscle groups. Pay particular
attention to muscles you will be specifically targeting in your strength
workout. For example, always stretch your thighs, front, back and side
(quads and hamstrings), buttocks (glutes), achilles tendons and calves for
workouts which involve your legs, which includes both the
squat and the the deadlift.
The Back
The back is especially vulnerable when weight lifting. This
is why many serious weight lifters use back supports. The supports aren’t
necessary for regular lifting and can even be a bad idea as they get your
back used to using an artificial aid to help it, rather than letting it
become stronger on its own.
When performing lifts, it is always advisable to keep your
back straight. Maintain muscle tension in your abs throughout the lift to
support your back and never slouch or hunch up. Be careful with your lower back when bending
down and standing up from a bend. This is particularly important with the
deadlift.
The Knees
The knees are also vulnerable. When performing lifts, it is
advisable never to bend the knees much lower than 90 degrees to the ground.
It is also important to keep the knees behind the toes when bending and to
push hard through the heels when raising up, not the front of the foot. This
is all good advice to keep in mind for performing the
squat.
Keeping
a relatively wide stance and having your feet slightly turned out while
performing a lift can also help to support the knees. Certainly do not point
the feet inward or try a very narrow stance when lifting as this puts undue
pressure on the knees.
Diet and Sleep
Of course, if you are not feeling at your best when working
out, this will impact on your performance and could even lead to injury.
Make sure you are well rested before
attempting a strength training session so that you can use your full energy
and concentration. It is also important to eat well so
that your body has all the nutrients it needs to perform to its best
ability.
If you feel weaker than normal due to poor
sleeping or eating habits, you may not be able to
lift as much as your potential. If you try to make full use of your usual
strength, you could also cause an injury to yourself from not
realising your new limitations.