Although body-building has been around for decades and isn’t exactly a new fitness trend, it is hard to deny that the popularity of weight-lifting as a sport and fitness tool has increased significantly over the past several years. After all, we have a lot more information to hand that tells us how beneficial it is as opposed to cardiovascular exercise. Read on as we go over some common mistakes that weight lifters make that could lead to a serious injury…
Lifting Too Heavy
Exercise is a gradual process which means that you should always take a new activity slowly and avoid the temptation to overload the body. This is particularly important when it comes to weight lifting because many new lifters will often try to withstand heavier loads than they can safely bear. This can be dangerous because it can cause muscle and joint damage and will ultimately cause you to sacrifice perfect form in order to sustain the lift.
Skipping Rest Days
When you lift weights, small micro tears are made and the muscle fibres effectively break down. It is important to take rest days as this allows the muscles to heal and repair so that you can get stronger and increase your muscle mass. A lot of weight lifters incorrectly believe that training every single day of the week will help them achieve their goals faster, however a lack of rest days only prevents the body from being able to safely lift the next day.
Incorrect Form
A vast majority of weight lifting relies on form as this dictates which muscles will be worked during each exercise. In addition to this, perfect form also makes a lift much more specific and will help you obtain better results over time. A key example of neglecting form during weight lifting includes not straightening your back during a deadlift, which engages the core, as this will put a dangerous and unnecessary strain on your spine and may lead to a disc herniation.
Here at The Healthy Living and Fitness, we want to ensure that our readers can get the most out of their workouts without putting their general wellbeing at risk. After all, weight lifting is a sport just like any other that requires consistency so pushing your body too far can have disastrous consequences on your progress! Remember, you are only ever in competition with yourself.