9 Most Common Strength Training Injuries and How to Avoid Them

Strength training is undoubtedly an excellent way to improve muscle strength, endurance, and overall fitness. While you plan to exercise more this year, you need to understand one crucial fact about exercise – it comes with the risk of injury when done inappropriately. So, understanding the most common strength training injuries that happen during exercises and knowing how to prevent them is essential. After experiencing some sprains and injuries from exercising and learning to apply good body mechanics when working out, I’ll be sharing the nine most common strength training injuries and how you can prevent them.

What are the 9 Most Common Strength Training Injuries?

1. Muscle Strains

Muscle strains happen when your muscles are stretched beyond their limits, leading to tears in the muscle fibers. Muscle strains can occur in any part of your body: arms, thighs, or legs. To prevent muscle strains, always warm up before exercising, gradually increase the intensity of your workouts, and use proper form and technique. If muscle sprains happen during your workout, placing an ice pack on the swollen or affected area will help.

2. Tendonitis

 Tendonitis is the inflammation of the tendons; it is most common around the shoulders, wrists, heels, and knees. It is often caused by overuse or repetitive movements. To avoid tendonitis, ensure that you observe rest days. While exercises are great, you should ensure you don’t jeopardize your safety. Also, use proper equipment and techniques. Persistent pain in the tendon can cause inflammation, which can lead to a tear.

3. Shoulder Injuries

Shoulder injuries are also prevalent in strength training due to the repetitive overhead movements involved in exercises like overhead presses or pull-ups. To prevent shoulder injuries, warm up before exercising, focus on strengthening the muscles surrounding the shoulder joint, and avoid overloading the shoulders with excessive weight.

4. Lower Back Pain

Anyone can experience back pain, but it is more common for strength trainers. In case you are wondering what causes lower back pain, it often occurs due to weak muscles in the waist region, improper lifting technique, or poor posture. To prevent lower back pain, maintain a neutral posture during exercises, engage your core muscles to support your lower back, and avoid lifting heavy weights with a rounded back.

5. Knee Injuries 

Knee injuries, including ligament tears, can occur during exercises involving squats, lunges, or some bending. To prevent knee injuries, always warm up before exercising and avoid overloading your knees with your weight or any form of weighing object. Consider seeking advice from your gym instructor to learn the best position for exercises involving the knee.

6. Shin Splints

Shin splints are common, not only with strength trainers but also with athletes or anyone who engages in any form of jumping and running. It typically occurs because of the overuse of the lower front bone in the lower leg. It happens during high-intensity exercises and can damage the knee. To prevent shin splints, gradually increase the intensity of your workouts, wear supportive footwear, and incorporate low-impact exercises into your routine

7. Elbow Tendonitis 

Elbow tendonitis, also known as tennis elbow or golfer’s elbow, is inflammation of the tendons in the elbow, usually caused by repetitive arm movements. To prevent elbow tendonitis, always move your elbow gently during exercise. You can get relief from a minor elbow sprain with a cold-water massage. If it worsens, you should take a break from exercises involving the elbow and consult your sports provider.

8. Wrist Injuries

Wrist injuries are one of the most common strength training injuries, and they mainly occur during exercises that involve lifting weights or gripping biceps. I encountered Wrist injuries severally until I learned how to use proper wrist support, maintain a neutral wrist position during exercises, and avoid excessive wrist extension or flexion.

9. Ankle Sprains 

Ankle sprains are common, especially during exercises involving jumping or sudden direction changes. If it’s mild, applying an ice pack can help; however, ankle sprains can get worse, be very painful, and sometimes take a long time to heal.

Let’s Dive Deep into the Five Ways to Avoid Injuries During Strength Training Exercises 

Tip #1. Warm-up Properly: Before starting your exercise, ensure that you begin by preparing your muscles and joints. These forms of exercises are called warm-up sessions. You can also spend some minutes dancing. Warm-up increases blood flow into your muscles and reduces the risk of injury. Examples of warm-up exercises include leg swings, jumping jacks/ropes, light cardio, or some light push-ups.

Tip #2. Use proper technique: The correct body mechanic is necessary during strength training. Instead of attempting what others are doing, focus on maintaining technique throughout your strength training exercises. Imbalance posture can stress your muscles and joints. I recommend starting with lighter weights to master the correct movements before increasing the intensity.

Tip #3. Start at your level: You’re not competing with anyone, avoid the temptation to carry heavy weights to build stronger muscles– It doesn’t work that way! Focus on gradually progressing by intensifying your workouts over time. Lifting heavy weights without proper preparation can lead to some severe injuries or even lead to more health complications.

Tip #4. Include recovery days: Allow your body to rest and recover between your strength training sessions. Liaise with your training instructor to schedule the best resting time according to your training schedule. You can relax at least once or twice weekly to allow your muscles to rebuild and heal in case of any form of tear (I prefer to do strength training exercises every other day). During rest days, you can incorporate active recovery activities like yoga, swimming, or gentle stretching to promote flexibility.

Tip #5. Listen to your body: Pay attention to warning signs of pain, discomfort, and fatigue from your body. If you feel a sharp and persistent pain during our exercise, stop the exercises and seek Professional care. Ignoring those signs may lead to more serious health issues.

Finally 

Understanding how these common training injuries occur will help you minimize the risk of injury. The essence of this blog post is to help you maximize high-level strength training without getting injured or sprained muscles while enjoying your workouts. If you are new to high-intensity training, always get instructions from your gym instructor. Put on the right gears. Always listen to your body. Discontinue any form of activity if you feel persistent pain during your workouts.