Weight lifting or resistance training has both a good and bad rep. If you talk to anyone you will hear how beneficial it is. You look better, get stronger and your risk of injury is reduced when playing sport. However, you can also talk to many people who will tell you to be careful when weightlifting as it can be dangerous and lead to injuries. However, like most sports, there is always a risk of injury no matter what you do!
So what are the common mistakes that lead to injury? Here are a list of 5 things many people do that can increase the risk of injury when weight lifting!
1 - Lifting too heavy too soon!
This is usually the number 1 reason people in the gym get injured. For many people, it is not technique that causes the injury. It's loading up too heavy too soon. By going too heavy we expose our body to loads it cannot handle and pushing through this can often lead to injury. It is always best to start with lighter weights initially and slowly work your way up. A good rule to stick to is only increasing your weight by 5-10% when you want to go heavier.
2 - Insufficient Recovery Time
Many new lifters won't give themselves enough time to recover. Generally, after a weight or resistance training session you will want to give the selected body parts a rest of 24-48 hours. Exposing the same tissue to weights again in a short time frame can impact recovery and increase the risk of injury. Social media influencers will often show their workout routines which many beginners will adapt, however these are likely for more advanced lifters
3 - Pushing through painful lifts
For some people, certain lifts can be painful, particularly with overhead motions. Many people will just push through this with the 'no pain, no gain,' attitude. However, technique can be adjusted to make the lifts not painful. Often this pain can be attributed to load going through a particular area and creating an unnecessary strain that can increase the risk of injury.
Modifications
Nearly all of these situations can be prevented if identified early. A good rule to stick to is only increasing your training load by 5-10% if you're wanting to go heavier. There is also no reason for any of your weight lifting to be painful. If it is painful ask a personal trainer to assess your technique and see if there are ways to improve it or tweak it a little bit to make it more efficient.