We all know lifting weights is the primary way to build muscle, improve bone density, enhance metabolic health, and increase overall physical fitness. However, like any type of physical activity, weightlifting can come with a risk of injury if exercises are not performed correctly or if the body isn’t adequately prepared. To avoid a heightened risk of injury during a weightlifting session, it is important to not only understand the common types of injuries, but also learn steps to prevent injuries from occurring unexpectedly.
While weightlifting is considered relatively safe compared to many contact sports, injuries from weightlifting can be common among athletes and gym-goers alike. In fact, it is estimated that the rate of injury ranges from 2 to 4 injuries per 1,000 hours of weightlifting. Additionally, a study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that 36.2% of weightlifters have reported injuries during their training. Typically, beginners and older adults have higher injury rates compared to seasoned lifters and are more likely to require physical therapy for weightlifting-related injuries. Luckily, there are several general tips that can help prevent injuries from a weight lifting session.
General Tips for Injury Prevention
Prioritize mobility: Dedicate time to mobility work to ensure you can move through a full range of motion without compensation.
Warm up properly: Always start your workout with a warm-up, including dynamic stretching and activation exercises to prepare your muscles and joints for a specific exercise.
Listen to your body: Pain does NOT equal gain when it comes to injuries. If something feels off or painful, rather than push through it, see pain is a warning sign. Take time to rest and address any underlying issues before they get worse.
Prioritize rest and recovery: Give your muscles time to recover between sets and workouts. Adequate rest, sleep, hydration, and nutrition are critical for avoiding overuse injuries and allowing tissues to heal.
Measure and track possible muscle imbalances: Understanding your unique body composition, especially where possible muscle imbalances are lurking, is a proactive way to prevent injuries from any exercise program. Accurate technology like a DEXA Scan can offer in-depth overviews of lean muscle mass and fat mass proportions across all regions of the body, providing crucial data that can keep you informed about any differences in muscle composition. For instance, a DEXA Scan can reveal a higher percentage of muscle mass across the right lower extremity compared to the left, which can give clues into possible overcompensation of one area of the body due to an overuse pattern which can lead to injury. Measuring and tracking these proportions can help determine alterations to a weightlifting program to help rebalance the body’s musculature system and prevent future injuries.
Common Injuries and How to Avoid Them
Lower Back Strains
Out of all possible injuries, the lower back seems to be one of the most vulnerable areas during exercises like squats, deadlifts, and overhead presses. Poor posture, overloading, or lack of core engagement can result in strains or sprains in the lumbar region of the spine.
Like any exercise, warming up properly is crucial for preventing injury. To safeguard lower back health, try dynamic warm-ups like hip bridges or “cat-cow” yoga stretches to activate the muscles around the lower back. Maintaining proper form as you perform a movement is also important. For instance, keep your spine neutral and avoid excessive arching or rounding of the back. In deadlifts and squats, focus on hinging at the hips rather than bending at the waist. Strengthening your core can also be instrumental in preventing lower back issues, as a weak core can cause your lower back to take on more strain. Finally, starting with lighter weights and gradually progressing to heavier weights as you build strength can avoid unwanted lower back strain.
Knee Pain
Knee pain is also one of the most commonly reported issues in strength training, particularly with exercises like squats and lunges. This can be due to improper alignment, muscle imbalances, or overuse, leading to issues like patellar tendinitis or ligament strains.
To prevent pain and possible injury, focus on alignment while squatting or lunging by keeping your knees tracking over your toes and do not cave your legs in. Proper foot and ankle positioning can also greatly reduce knee pain in these positions. Strengthening supporting muscles around the knees like the quads, hamstrings, and glutes can help further stabilize the knee joint. Wearing supportive shoes with good arch support can also help maintain alignment and reduce the impact on the knees. Again, avoid increasing weight or volume too quickly, which can put too much pressure on the knee joint. Like all weightlifting protocols, you should gradually progress weight increases to allow the muscles and tendons around your knee joints to adapt.
Rotator Cuff Injuries
The shoulder girdle is another area of the body that can be vulnerable to weightlifting injuries. Rotator cuff injuries are common in exercises like bench presses, shoulder presses, and rows. This can range from inflammation to tears in the shoulder’s stabilizing muscles. They often occur due to poor technique, muscle imbalance, or overuse.
To avoid shoulder injuries, mobility is key. Incorporate stretches and mobility drills to ensure full range of motion in your shoulders. Exercises like wall slides or shoulder pass-throughs with a resistance band can improve mobility and warm up the shoulder joint ahead of weightlifting. Adding exercises that specifically target the small muscles around the shoulder joint, such as internal and external rotations with a resistance band, can keep the rotator cuff more stabilized during larger movements or movements with heavier weights. Avoid overloading the bar on exercises like overhead presses or bench presses, as too much weight can also easily compromise shoulder stability.
Wrist Strains
Wrist injuries, such as sprains or tendinitis, can occur during exercises that involve gripping heavy weights or machinery, and even frequent high plank positions. Again, warming the wrists up with wrist circles or light resistance band stretches can help improve their mobility before lifting. And like any other movement, position and posture are key. Improper wrist positioning or a weak grip can lead to prolonged pain or injury. The best way to help avoid wrist pain or injury is to maintain a neutral wrist position, keeping them straight and aligned with the bones of the forearm when pressing or curling weights. Avoid bending or over-extending wrists, or placing too much pressure on the joint. Improving grip strength can also help build wrist and forearm stability to prevent strains or pain from overuse. If you know your wrists are weak or if you commonly experience pain while weightlifting, you can consider using wrist wraps for added support.
Elbow Tendinitis
Repetitive use of the forearm muscles, especially during bicep curls, tricep extensions, or gripping exercises, can lead to elbow tendinitis, or commonly referred to as “tennis elbow.” This involves inflammation of the tendons connecting the forearm muscles to the elbow which can cause pain and lead to injury of the joint itself.
To prevent elbow joint injury, try to avoid over-relying on a single grip position during exercises. Using different grips (overhand, underhand, neutral) can distribute weight more evenly across the tendons in your forearms. Also, strengthening the forearm through movements like reverse curls, wrist curls, or wrist rotations can help with stabilization of the elbow joint. Slow and controlled movements can help prevent strain. Most notably, tendinitis in any joint is often caused by overuse. Make sure you are giving your arms enough recovery time between sets and workouts or consider alternating “push” and “pull” days to minimize overuse of the elbow joints.
Pulled Hamstring
While the quadricep (quad) is larger than its opposing force, the hamstring is typically tighter and more prone to injury. In weightlifting, hamstring injuries often occur during explosive movements like deadlifts or power cleans. A pulled hamstring can range from a minor strain to a full tear which comes with immense pain and a lengthy recovery time.
To avoid a hamstring pull during heavier lower body lifts, warm up the muscle before lifting by focus on dynamic stretching and activation exercises, such as leg swings or glute bridges. Incorporate regular hamstring and hip flexor stretches to improve flexibility and reduce the risk of pulls or strains. Strengthen the posterior chain with exercises like Romanian deadlifts, hamstring curls, and glute bridges to help balance the muscles in the back of the legs and glutes. Finally, avoid sudden increases in intensity by gradually progressing your weight and repetitions over time to allow the hamstrings to adapt to higher loads.
Strength training is an excellent way to enhance fitness and build a strong, healthy body, but injuries – both acute and from overuse – can hinder progress in the long-run. By focusing on proper form, incorporating mobility and flexibility work, and ensuring gradual progression in intensity, you can avoid common injuries associated with weightlifting and enjoy a long and injury-free fitness journey.
