Top ten reasons for bodybuilding injuries – Part 1

There you are, flat on your back hoisting some serious iron on the bench press. Normally you’d put 275 on the bar and force out 8 to 10 solid reps. But today is different. Today you spot two hot young babes doing dumbell curls just a few feet away. In all your years bodybuilding you’ve never had this much femininity this close and you intend to take advantage of the situation. Your testosterone levels begin to skyrocket and you want to demonstrate to these two beautiful creatures that you’re a powerhouse – not some pencil-neck. Off comes the 25lb plates and on go the 35’s and 2.5’s. You’ve now got 300 pounds on the bar. Intelligence has gone out the window. Good-bye to gradual progressive overload. You take the bar off the rack, lower it down and give an almighty push to start the bar on its upward journey. Half way up you feel and hear a snap between where your chest joins your upper arm in the armpit region. Congratulations and well done. In your quest to demonstrate your manliness, you’ve incurred a serious injury that at the least will require a couple of months of rest and rehab. If the damage is severe enough (i.e. the pectoral tendon is actually torn clear of the humerus), you’ll require surgery. Not a pleasant picture. And now those two hotties think that you’re an idiot.

While occasionally injuries occur through no fault of your own, in most cases the underlying cause is easy to spot. The following are ten of the most common reasons why injuries occur. They are just as important to your bodybuilding success as creatine, sleep, and advanced training techniques.

Poor Technique

Poor technique is the number one reason why bodybuilders sooner or later rip, tear, or strain something. While the occasional “loose” rep at the end of your set is fine, the bulk of your training should be performed in a slow and controlled style. This means no bouncing or jerking the weight up.

Too much weight

In many cases the previous is the result of using too much weight. Remember that pec tear you suffered earlier while trying to impress those two babes? That’s what happens when you put more weight on the bar than your muscles can currently handle. Instead of lifting the weight with good biomechanical style, you’ll start bouncing and jerking the bar just to keep it moving. It’s these sudden and explosive movements that put tremendous pressure on the ligaments, tendon, and cartilage. Sooner or later something will tear.

If you can’t get at least 6 to 8 reps in good style, the weight is too heavy. Reduce it and concentrate on improving your technique.

Poor Nutrition

Intense bodybuilding training places increased nutrient demands on the body. For example you’ll need at least .75 to 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight to rebuild exercised muscle tissue. And it’s not just muscle tissue either. Tendons, ligaments and cartilage, all require nutrients to strengthen and repair. If you don’t consume adequate amounts of these necessary nutrients, your body will never fully recover between workouts and it won’t be long before an injury occurs.

Lack of concentration

The only thing that should be on your mind when you’re under 200+ pounds of iron is the bar. Yes that 20-year-old in the tight body suit is distracting, but she can wait. You must have total focus on what you’re doing. You should be concentrating on one thing and one thing alone – lifting that bar in good style. If you want to check out that sweet ass of hers, so be it. Put the bar back on the rack and do so. 

Failing to warm up

The human body is like a mechanical engine – it works much more efficiently when it’s warmed up. Muscles are like elastic bands in that they’ll stretch much easier when warm. Throwing a couple of hundred pounds on a bar without first warming up is almost guaranteed to lead to an injury. A good warm up should consist of 5 to 10 minutes of light cardio followed by a couple of light sets of the exercise you intend to go heavy on.