Link to part 1 High level summary of results: People who had pre-existing physical limitations were more likely to be injured over the course of the study. This is relatively unsurprising - a...
People who had pre-existing physical limitations were more likely to be injured over the course of the study. This is relatively unsurprising - a physical limitation often indicates a prior serious injury; in cases that it does not, it typically indicates an abnormal physiology which would likely require specific training goals and adaptations.
A lot of people indicated injuries - nearly 3/4 of participants. Given the very broad definition of an injury, I don't particularly find this surprising from my own experience in the gym. It is quite interesting to see an actual number on this, however, as most traditional injury studies have a much stricter definition of injury which I would consider more serious injuries.
Lower back and shoulder injuries are the most common. Interestingly to me, knee injuries were fairly low. From my own experience, I would have expected it to be the next most common, with numbers similar but slightly less than shoulder injuries.
Women are injured at slightly less rates, but not statistically significant. This tracks what other research typically finds and I think indicates a general difference in training style typically seen.
There was a saying around a gym I used to frequent "There are power lifters and bodybuilders, but no old power lifters." There are of course (old power lifters), it's just incredibly hard on the...
There was a saying around a gym I used to frequent "There are power lifters and bodybuilders, but no old power lifters."
There are of course (old power lifters), it's just incredibly hard on the body. I was diagnosed with arthritis in my lower back when I was 19 - either the result of power lifting or a car accident, not sure which.
There are powerlifters in their 50s still breaking records. Age isn't as much of a factor as people often think. What really matters is how long you've been in a sport. 20 years of beating your...
There are powerlifters in their 50s still breaking records. Age isn't as much of a factor as people often think. What really matters is how long you've been in a sport. 20 years of beating your body up multiple hours per day will take a toll, but some people don't really get into it until they are older.
The thing with powerlifting is that you're doing two spinal loading exercises - squats and deadlifts. The way we squat and deadlift is with a neutral spine and basically zero flexion. This is why lifters always always end up messing up their back doing something that isn't lifting; and when it is lifting, it's because they get a tiny bit of flexion when their back hasn't been trained for it (how many lifters do you know that do Jefferson curls?).
They only look scary because traditional lifting dogma really emphasizes ensuring your spine is in the correct position for deadlifts and squats, which makes sense when you consider it through the...
They only look scary because traditional lifting dogma really emphasizes ensuring your spine is in the correct position for deadlifts and squats, which makes sense when you consider it through the lens of "let's put 500+lbs on the bar and move it".
This is not a movement designed to be done with high weight as the goal is to increase the smaller muscles that support the spine. By training these muscles you will reduce the chance that them failing when they take on a bit of extra weight because your form is breaking down and you're getting a small amount of flexion.
I've read this guy's guides on the three major lifts and I've watched various videos demonstrating proper form, but I'm still concerned that I'm messing stuff up, especially as I move on to...
I've read this guy's guides on the three major lifts and I've watched various videos demonstrating proper form, but I'm still concerned that I'm messing stuff up, especially as I move on to difficult weights. I'd like to get some coaching, but I'm a bit wary of personal trainers. Though, the owner of my company used to be one and he's seen some of my lifts and has given good advice...
So far, the only injury I really fear is a lower back injury while dead-lifting. Oh, and putting a bit too much strain on my wrists.
Most of us are wired in such a way that we’re willing to train through pain, and we want to rush back into hard training as quickly as possible following an injury.
Definitely. It's as if taking a break when recovering from an injury will erase all of the progress you've made.
For lower back injuries my biggest suggestion would be to do functional training. Deadlifts and squats will build up your spinal erectors and train you to increase intra-abdominal pressure to...
So far, the only injury I really fear is a lower back injury while dead-lifting. Oh, and putting a bit too much strain on my wrists.
For lower back injuries my biggest suggestion would be to do functional training. Deadlifts and squats will build up your spinal erectors and train you to increase intra-abdominal pressure to prevent spinal flexion, but the damage probably isn't going to happen when everything is looking good.
The damage is going to happen when you do get a bit of spinal flexion because your form breaks down. What you should be doing, is supplementing your training with very light exercises for your back when it is under spinal flexion, for example, Jefferson curls.
As for your wrists, typically injuries are from extreme repetition (such as typing for multiple hours a day) more-so than from weight. If you're finding pain from lifting, the first step would be to figure out what kind of movement causes pain (flexion, extension, rotation, etc.) and then work on strengthening the muscles and connective tissue for that movement by doing lighter weight high rep sets.
Maintaining abdominal pressure is much more difficult for me while doing squats (starts to get hard holding my breath after some reps), though for some reason I feel in less danger of lower back...
Maintaining abdominal pressure is much more difficult for me while doing squats (starts to get hard holding my breath after some reps), though for some reason I feel in less danger of lower back injury when compared to doing deadlifts. A key cue that my boss clued me into is lat engagement, which helps put the back in a neutral position, and then really squeezing glutes/quads once the bar is past the knees. I'm still pretty new to this, so hopefully I can get a bit quicker with the setup since I feel like I have to clear a checklist after each rep which kinda prevents me from getting in a decent groove.
As for my wrists, I've relied on holding the bar wider when doing squats (which is where most of my wrist strain is coming from). I probably need to do some work on my arm flexibility for sure, though. Nuckols gets into this problem in his squatting guide, which I should try to adhere to better. This is where a coach would come in handy!
Are you breathing between squat reps? In my experience most novice lifters just simply don't breathe enough and that's the big issue with intra-abdominal pressure. You may also want to give paused...
Are you breathing between squat reps? In my experience most novice lifters just simply don't breathe enough and that's the big issue with intra-abdominal pressure. You may also want to give paused breathing squats a go where basically you just put a light amount on the bar (or even just the bar, or no weight, depending on where you are), sit down into the hole, and stay there and breathe for a while. Pay attention to how your body shifts to accommodate the weight while still allowing for breath - these movements help to align your spine correctly.
As for my wrists, I've relied on holding the bar wider when doing squats (which is where most of my wrist strain is coming from). I probably need to do some work on my arm flexibility for sure, though.
Shoulder flexibility is typically the issue if the grip width is causing wrist pain. You should be driving your elbows back as far as possible and rotating your scapula to help provide something for the bar to sit on.
This is where a coach would come in handy!
I mean honestly if you have the money to spare, even just a few sessions per year with someone who actually knows what they are doing will increase the speed at which you progress and reduce your risk of injury or imbalance.
So, most of the breathing trouble is when I'm working on a high rep day. The first 3 or 4 reps go fairly smooth and I'll take a breath at the top of the rep. After the 5th and 6th I may have to...
So, most of the breathing trouble is when I'm working on a high rep day. The first 3 or 4 reps go fairly smooth and I'll take a breath at the top of the rep. After the 5th and 6th I may have to take a couple of breaths before I'm ready to go. The 7th, a few breaths. And I'll breath as long as necessary before I do the 8th rep. But I still might have trouble holding my breath at the bottom of the rep on those later reps, which can compromise my form. I'm thinking a belt may help reinforce the notion of maintaining pressure. I'll give that breathing exercise a go!
Yea, I wouldn't mind spending a bit of money on a bit of coaching to further solidify the mind-body connection. Once I know what good form feels like I'll be much more comfortable lifting alone. As it stands, I'm just reviewing video and trying to fix errors that way.
I'm still making progress, though, and I don't think my form is too poor. At least, I haven't experienced any injuries that I can attribute to bad form....yet.
I mean if you're able to knock out 8 reps, the weight probably isn't high enough that you're likely to injure yourself, even with slightly compromised form due to being tired. If you decide to get...
I mean if you're able to knock out 8 reps, the weight probably isn't high enough that you're likely to injure yourself, even with slightly compromised form due to being tired.
If you decide to get a trainer, make sure to look into what kinds of certifications they have. I'd say it's worth paying a little extra to get someone who truly knows what they are doing.
Link to part 1
High level summary of results:
There was a saying around a gym I used to frequent "There are power lifters and bodybuilders, but no old power lifters."
There are of course (old power lifters), it's just incredibly hard on the body. I was diagnosed with arthritis in my lower back when I was 19 - either the result of power lifting or a car accident, not sure which.
There are powerlifters in their 50s still breaking records. Age isn't as much of a factor as people often think. What really matters is how long you've been in a sport. 20 years of beating your body up multiple hours per day will take a toll, but some people don't really get into it until they are older.
The thing with powerlifting is that you're doing two spinal loading exercises - squats and deadlifts. The way we squat and deadlift is with a neutral spine and basically zero flexion. This is why lifters always always end up messing up their back doing something that isn't lifting; and when it is lifting, it's because they get a tiny bit of flexion when their back hasn't been trained for it (how many lifters do you know that do Jefferson curls?).
Oh god, those look scary.
They only look scary because traditional lifting dogma really emphasizes ensuring your spine is in the correct position for deadlifts and squats, which makes sense when you consider it through the lens of "let's put 500+lbs on the bar and move it".
This is not a movement designed to be done with high weight as the goal is to increase the smaller muscles that support the spine. By training these muscles you will reduce the chance that them failing when they take on a bit of extra weight because your form is breaking down and you're getting a small amount of flexion.
I've read this guy's guides on the three major lifts and I've watched various videos demonstrating proper form, but I'm still concerned that I'm messing stuff up, especially as I move on to difficult weights. I'd like to get some coaching, but I'm a bit wary of personal trainers. Though, the owner of my company used to be one and he's seen some of my lifts and has given good advice...
So far, the only injury I really fear is a lower back injury while dead-lifting. Oh, and putting a bit too much strain on my wrists.
Definitely. It's as if taking a break when recovering from an injury will erase all of the progress you've made.
For lower back injuries my biggest suggestion would be to do functional training. Deadlifts and squats will build up your spinal erectors and train you to increase intra-abdominal pressure to prevent spinal flexion, but the damage probably isn't going to happen when everything is looking good.
The damage is going to happen when you do get a bit of spinal flexion because your form breaks down. What you should be doing, is supplementing your training with very light exercises for your back when it is under spinal flexion, for example, Jefferson curls.
As for your wrists, typically injuries are from extreme repetition (such as typing for multiple hours a day) more-so than from weight. If you're finding pain from lifting, the first step would be to figure out what kind of movement causes pain (flexion, extension, rotation, etc.) and then work on strengthening the muscles and connective tissue for that movement by doing lighter weight high rep sets.
Maintaining abdominal pressure is much more difficult for me while doing squats (starts to get hard holding my breath after some reps), though for some reason I feel in less danger of lower back injury when compared to doing deadlifts. A key cue that my boss clued me into is lat engagement, which helps put the back in a neutral position, and then really squeezing glutes/quads once the bar is past the knees. I'm still pretty new to this, so hopefully I can get a bit quicker with the setup since I feel like I have to clear a checklist after each rep which kinda prevents me from getting in a decent groove.
As for my wrists, I've relied on holding the bar wider when doing squats (which is where most of my wrist strain is coming from). I probably need to do some work on my arm flexibility for sure, though. Nuckols gets into this problem in his squatting guide, which I should try to adhere to better. This is where a coach would come in handy!
Are you breathing between squat reps? In my experience most novice lifters just simply don't breathe enough and that's the big issue with intra-abdominal pressure. You may also want to give paused breathing squats a go where basically you just put a light amount on the bar (or even just the bar, or no weight, depending on where you are), sit down into the hole, and stay there and breathe for a while. Pay attention to how your body shifts to accommodate the weight while still allowing for breath - these movements help to align your spine correctly.
Shoulder flexibility is typically the issue if the grip width is causing wrist pain. You should be driving your elbows back as far as possible and rotating your scapula to help provide something for the bar to sit on.
I mean honestly if you have the money to spare, even just a few sessions per year with someone who actually knows what they are doing will increase the speed at which you progress and reduce your risk of injury or imbalance.
So, most of the breathing trouble is when I'm working on a high rep day. The first 3 or 4 reps go fairly smooth and I'll take a breath at the top of the rep. After the 5th and 6th I may have to take a couple of breaths before I'm ready to go. The 7th, a few breaths. And I'll breath as long as necessary before I do the 8th rep. But I still might have trouble holding my breath at the bottom of the rep on those later reps, which can compromise my form. I'm thinking a belt may help reinforce the notion of maintaining pressure. I'll give that breathing exercise a go!
Yea, I wouldn't mind spending a bit of money on a bit of coaching to further solidify the mind-body connection. Once I know what good form feels like I'll be much more comfortable lifting alone. As it stands, I'm just reviewing video and trying to fix errors that way.
I'm still making progress, though, and I don't think my form is too poor. At least, I haven't experienced any injuries that I can attribute to bad form....yet.
I mean if you're able to knock out 8 reps, the weight probably isn't high enough that you're likely to injure yourself, even with slightly compromised form due to being tired.
If you decide to get a trainer, make sure to look into what kinds of certifications they have. I'd say it's worth paying a little extra to get someone who truly knows what they are doing.