Top ten reasons for bodybuilding injuries 2

In part I we looked at five of the most common reasons why bodybuilding injuries often occur. In Part II we are going to continue our discussion of this all-important topic. Remember, everyone is at risk for an injury. Weight lifting is inherently dangerous. The human body didn’t evolve to be subjected to hundreds of pounds of weight.

Jumping into advanced training too fast

One of the biggest mistakes that beginners make is to follow the training program of some top pro bodybuilder. They look at Joe Flex’s 22-inch arms and reason that if it worked for them, it will surely work for me. They fail to understand that Joe Flex didn’t start out by following such a training routine. He slowly built up to it. You must do the same. Don’t jump into a training program that your body is not ready for. 

Poor spotting technique

Sometimes the cause of an injury is someone else, not you. When you’re lying on your back with hundreds of pounds positioned above your chest, you want someone standing there who a) knows what he’s doing and b) is capable of hauling the weight off you if you get into trouble. Don’t just rely on any person in the gym to spot you. Choose your help wisely.

Too much too often

The human body has a set rate at which it can recover between workouts. If you fail to allow sufficient time between workouts, your body will never fully recover. Instead of stimulating new grow during each workout, you’ll be making one or two steps backward. Sooner or later the weakest link in the chain will give out, and in most cases this will be a muscle. One of your bodybuilding goals is to find the maximum amount of training that you can do without going overboard. It will take some experimenting with regards to the total numbers of sets during each workout, and the total number of workouts per week, but trust us, the results will be worth it.

A lack of flexibility

Put an elastic band in the freezer for an hour and then try pulling it apart. Now soak another elastic in warm water for a few minutes and do the same. Notice the difference. The cold elastic will snap after being stretched a few inches while the warm elastic may go a foot or more before breaking. Your muscles are the same. The more flexible they are the more they’ll stretch without risk of straining or tearing. Although it doesn’t have the same degree of excitement as hoisting iron, you must include stretching exercises in your workouts to reduce the risk of injury.

Failure to cycle

No matter how perfect your technique and eating habits, the human body can only sustain all-out intense training for so long. Few individuals can train at 100 percent intensity year round. One of the keys to injury prevention is to cycle your training. This means alternating periods of maximum intensity training with periods of lower intensity. All though it varies try following a 6 to 8 week maximum intensity period with 3 to 4 weeks of lower intensity – say 60 to 80 percent.