As a strength personal trainer, I have lost count of the number of people who have said to me “I don’t want to lift heavy because I am afraid I will injure myself”.
But it’s perfectly possible to injure yourself with a warm up weight, lifting weights the right way with proper form is the key here!
Injuries can stem from poor form or a breakdown in form, potentially increasing the likelihood of injury. However, it’s important to recognize that injuries may also result from imbalances in the body. Thus, it’s not solely about maintaining proper form during a specific exercise; neglecting certain exercises altogether can also contribute to eventual injury.
Nearly 1 in 4 (23%) of people reported some weight lifting activity and 16% said they exercised with weights regularly between one and six times a week. But how many lifters use a proper technique?
We’ll explore why people let form break down when the load gets heavy and most importantly, how to lift heavy without injury! Let’s do this!
What are the most common weightlifting injuries?
Muscle strains from overuse or acute injuries are the most common injuries we find in weightlifters; the back, shoulder, and knee are the most frequently injured areas. It’s rare that you’ll see serious injuries caused by weight training, so don’t be put off!
The most common weightlifting injuries include:
- Back strain
- Rotator cuff strain
- Biceps strain
- Patellar tendonitis
And the most common reasons for injuries sustained during or after strength training exercises are:
- Doing too much over time (overuse injury)
- Doing too much at one time (acute injury)
- Using improper form while lifting (overuse and acute injuries)
Stress can result in injury when you apply excessive tension to a particular muscle or tendon, either all at once or repeatedly over time.
Incorrect application of tension might potentially result in an injury.
This can occur during any weightlifting activity, while some are more prone to cause injuries than others, especially the large power lifts like power cleans, deadlifts, and squats.
Why don’t you lift heavy the same as you lift light?
Why don’t you stop when you feel your form start to go?
For some people, it is ego. They want to successfully make the weight, even with bad form.
For others, it is an embarrassment. They don’t want to drop the bar or have other people see them fail.
Sometimes, it is simply a lack of awareness. Not being able to detect when form is deteriorating.
If you train on your own, you owe it to yourself to monitor your form and to develop a better understanding of when your form is not quite right.
No-one else is there to do it for you, and you don’t want to find out you have poor form by getting an injury.
A common trap to fall into is: you never go heavy because you are afraid of injury. But you also never attempt to improve your technique enough, so that you can go heavier without injury!
So you train with light weights and never make any progress.
Does any of this sound familiar?
Here’s an exercise to try, next time you train.
Video every one of your warm up sets.
Watch the video back after each set.
If they do not all look exactly alike, you need to fix what is going awry.
The only thing that should change as the weight gets heavier is the speed that the bar moves. Body position, technique and range of motion should remain the same for all warm up sets.
To help you detect whether each rep is the same, make sure you
- film from the correct angle – side on is usually best
- can see your whole body in the frame
- have a consistent indicator for range of motion
If you committed a month to making all of your warm up sets in all your big lifts look exactly the same, your strength would increase significantly.
Because instead of compensating for lack of strength by limiting range of motion (e.g. not going down as low in the squat), or compromising form (e.g. rounding your back in the deadlift), you will be attempting perfect form each and every time you lift.
You know what they say: you are only as strong as your weakest link.
What can you do to prevent weightlifting injuries?
Regardless of your experience level, Strength Ambassadors recommend the following four suggestions for preventing injury when weightlifting:
Leave your ego at the door
We’ve already touched on how our egos can go a bit crazy when we lift weights, but this is seriously important.
You run the danger of overloading and suffering an acute or overuse injury if you’re attempting to outdo the person next to you or impress others.
Instead of trying to break another person’s record, set your own. Every time you lift, aim to perform a little bit better.
Compete against yourself, not against others.
Learn proper form
It’s important to know what good form feels and looks like before attempting a new weightlifting exercise, especially if it’s a compound movement.
For example, a particular exercise like a squat requires using multiple joints and muscles simultaneously. You are ultimately endangering those joints or muscles if your bad form is making one or two of them work harder than they should.
One excellent method for learning how to lift weights safely and correctly is to work with a personal trainer. If you are unable to do this, seeing videos from reliable sources can be a useful alternative.
The first step in learning safe, correct technique for weightlifting is to practise an activity with very little weight, like squatting your body weight or beginning with an empty bar.
Increase the weight slowly
You run the danger of becoming injured even if you use proper form; this is especially true if you work too much at once or over time, especially without enough rest.
If you think you could do one more repetition without cheating, then go ahead and raise the weight.
If you typically complete 10 repetitions, and after reaching 10, you believe that you could do one more rep perfectly, then you’re probably ready to increase the load. You’re not ready if you’re still having trouble with the final rep.
You can determine when you’re actually ready for more by keeping a journal or note on your phone where you record your current workload and level of effort.
It’s crucial to allow all the muscles to recover between bouts of exercise. An overuse injury can occur if a muscle is worked too often, before it has fully recovered and is prepared to withstand strain once more.
Safety precautions
The fundamentals of weightlifting safety are essential for preventing serious injuries, particularly when utilising free weights. You ought to have a bench press spotter or safety bars at all times.
When using dumbbells – for example, to do chest press or shoulder press – ensure that you lower the dumbbells close to the body to prevent shoulder injuries.
When squatting with a barbell, use safety bars or ensure that you have been shown how to bail out of a squat.
Again, a personal trainer or weightlifting expert can help you perform the exercise correctly and advise you on how to maintain good form.
Looking for friendly and fun weightlifting classes?
While lifting weights at a strength gym is an excellent method to increase muscle mass and enhance general fitness, improper form can increase the chance of injury. Weight lifters are susceptible to a variety of injuries. While injuries can never be completely prevented, in a coaching environment you can minimise the risks by having an expert eye on your lifting and someone to give helpful advice.
At Strength Ambassadors, we provide strength training, Olympic lifting, one-on-one powerlifting coaching, and more. Whether you’re a novice lifter or an experienced one, our staff of knowledgeable instructors can assist you in achieving your strength objectives.
Book your first class today!
How to lift heavier without injury FAQs
How can I get stronger without getting injured?
To get stronger, you need to gradually add load every week or every few weeks. Only do this when form is good, rather than rigidly following a generic program or rule. This will allow you to minimise the chance of injury and doing more than your body is adapted to handle.
What should you always do before lifting weights?
Warm up with five to ten minutes of cardiovascular exercise before weight training or weight lifting to raise your muscle temperature and heart rate.
Then do a warm up that is specific to the lifts you are going to go heavy on. For example, if you are going to do heavy squats, do some squatting movements with bodyweight or the empty bar, to warm up the technique and get your muscles recruited.
Take your time and don’t rush your lifts. By moving in a deliberate and unhurried manner, you can concentrate on working the desired muscles and avoid using momentum as a means of lifting the weight.
Can a beginner lift heavy?
When you first start lifting weights, work your way up to larger weights as your body warms up. Your body needs to feel progressively heavier weights over the course of the workout, in order to recruit the muscle fibres to lift the weight. When beginning strength training, lifting too much weight too quickly is a typical mistake.