Most Common Gym Injuries

Most common gym injuries don't happen on purpose, of course. None of us actually want to get injured.

Injuries happen from simply being unaware of what causes them.

There are a lot of misconceptions about strength training going around - especially in corporate gym settings. 

And I want to set a couple of those misconceptions straight here. Why?

So YOU don't get injured working out!

Most Common Gym Injuries #1

#1 of these most common gym injuries comes from moving WAY too fast during strength training. This causes most joint injuries and tendon (connective tissue) injuries.

I think most of us were taught that it's ok to do 1 second repetitions when we are using weights or resistance. Almost everyone does this, it's the "norm". 

One of the best favors (for your future body) you could possibly do is slow down.

The faster we move during repetitions, the more we tear our tendons from the bone, which will lead to a lot of pain, but even worse can lead to completely disconnecting our muscles from the bone. 

The solution: eliminate momentum.

Move at a slower pace. 8-10 seconds is ideal for maximum safety.

Coincidently enough, this also allows the muscles to get to a deeper fatigue and it is more beneficial for building even more muscles mass. 

People may look at you strange for moving so slow, but you will instantly feel the difference, no more elbow or knee pain, and your muscles will be worked better than anyone else (who are still practicing dangerous gym habits).

Most Common Gym Injuries #2

#2 of the most common gym injuries is from having improper form during weight training. 

We all tend to hold ourselves in tense postures when we go about our daily lives.

When we lift anything heavy our first reaction is to "throw our neck into it". 

Unfortunately this could easily strain our neck muscles and even strain other muscles also. 

But when we lift weights or practice resistance training we want to purposefully relax every muscle in the body except the core and the target muscle groups we are using.

The solution: keep good form.

Good form is different for each exercise or machine that we use. But as a rule of thumb, for all exercises: 

1) Relax the neck

2) Keep the shoulders down an neutral

3) Maintain good posture

4) Engage the core (stomach muscles)

5) Never grip handles when doing lower body exercises

There are some important principles of strength training that may help also.

I'll have a more detailed list of proper form for each exercise soon!

Most Common Gym Injuries #3

#3 of the most common gym injuries comes from performing a lot of fast paced "ballistic" movements every day. 

In modern society it isn't very common for people to think of running or jogging as something that can easily cause injury.

But, just like most traditional aerobic classes, crossfit, or ballistic cross training classes, these fast movements (especially while holding weights or wearing ankle weights) can leave us open to common injury.

Anywhere from 40 - 60 percent of runners are injured every year.

A good portion of these come from sprains, twists, and strains. 

Now, I'm not going to tell you not to run if it's something you enjoy doing, but simply keeping in mind that you need to remain safe may help you overcome these kind of injuries. 

BUT, if you are going to do higher risk ballistic exercise please understand that you MUST stretch each muscle group before hand.

The solution: stretch before ballistic movements (running, crossfit, aerobics)

When we move very quickly and pound our feet against the cement in movement, it causes the muscles and tendons to react MUCH faster than we would in our daily lives.

I prefer to stick to mostly slow motion strength training for my fitness needs, which doesn't need any stretching before hand.

But I do practice martial arts, and just like other ballistic types of movement we need to stretch before!

Do what you enjoy, just stay as safe as you can!

Most Common Gym Injuries #4

 #4 of the most common gym injuries happen when we OVER train. This can effect, muscles, joints, tendons, and even other organs.

Athletes will often get overly zealous and won't leave enough time for rest in between sessions. 

I had a buddy of mine tell me he wanted some advice on how to get his shoulder from hurting, so I asked him a series of questions about his machine settings, how many reps he was doing, and what exercises he was performing. 

The last question hit the nail on the head. He said he was in the gym doing heavy strength training on machines 6 days a week. 

This causes the muscles to over exert themselves without any chance to rebuild, and it honestly does more harm than good. 

The solution: rest between sessions

Depending on the fitness method you're utilizing, everyone has a different amount of rest they need. 

At least one day of rest between strength training sessions for a specific muscle group in important. 

For example, if you are utilizing the body by science, super slow strength training method like I am, you'll be fatiguing all of the muscles to full muscle fatigue. After a workout like that you'll want to rest 1 - 3 days between sessions.

For anyone doing running, at least 2 days of rest is important, but 3 days of rest per week is better.

I endorse the super slow method of strength training because it is the most efficient, effective, and safest strength training method I've found. 

My upcoming videos will give a better outline on how to successfully incorporate this into your routine, and as always the best company in the business of strength training is The Perfect Workout. Hire a fitness trainer and feel the results!