Common Bodybuilding Injuries - Causes and Corrective Measures

You are on your way to the gym but have just 20 minutes to finish your workout before its 7 pm, the time you promised your girlfriend you'll be picking her up at the bus stop. So what, you think, I'll skip the 'useless' warming up part. And that is where you have gone horribly wrong. As you try and lift those mighty looking dumbbells, you feel pain in your shoulders. If it is still not clear as a glass, then you are in for a shock. You have just done yourself some serious damage to your shoulder muscle that will require atleast a few weeks of rest and maybe some minor surgery if it turns out to be serious.

Although injuries can occur anywhere and as a result of an accident with little or no fault of your own, it is carelessness that most often responsible for these. Given below are a few common mistakes while working out that result in injuries.

Faulty Technique

Most bodybuilders perform exercises in an incorrect way, which can do serious damage to the muscles. Try and perform each exercise under the supervision of a trained coach. Even if there is no expert available, performing the exercise slowly, in a controlled manner and without any jerks can lessen the risk of injuries to a great extent.

Trying to lift more and more weight

Remember, each person has his or her own capacity to lift weights and you should never try to increase weight just because your friend has done so. Simply putting on more weight than your muscles can manage will result in performing the exercises incorrectly. The jerking and bouncing can result in serious injuries to the muscles.

A standard way to know how much weight your muscles can easily live with is to try and pull atleast 6-8 reps comfortably. If you are unable to do so, it means the weight is too heavy.

Diet Deficiency

A proper and healthy diet is probably the most essential ingredient of getting a healthy physique. Every part of the body suffers damage while working out and requires nutrition to correct that damage. Muscles, for example, require atleast half a gram protein per pound of body weight each day to repair the damage caused by working out. Most injuries occur because the body is not fed properly to recover in time before the next workout session.

Lack of Seriousness

Although your gymnasium can act as an ideal place for socializing, you should try and keep it to the minimum and concentrate maximum on the work at hand and that is working out. Try and talk as little as possible while working out to conserve your energy. Do not concentrate of the pretty girls around but on the bar which is loaded with 100 kgs of slid metal.

Overlooking the importance of warm up

Muscles have the least risk of sustaining injury when they are warm. Therefore, most injuries occur at the start of peoples' workout routine. Lifting heavy weights without proper warming up will surely lead to an injury. It is recommended that you start your workout with 10-15 minutes of brisk walk, followed by a proper stretching session.