Prevent injuries in strength sports

The most common injuries

Before you learn how to prevent injuries during strength training , it's important to understand which injuries are most common. Strength training causes small tears in your muscles. These tears are repaired and filled by the body, making the muscles bigger and stronger. An injury occurs when the body is damaged by these tears, for example, when you perform an exercise incorrectly or train too hard.

Tendon injuries

The most common injuries are tendon injuries, also called muscle attachment problems. The muscle's attachment—the tendon—is much smaller than the muscle itself, meaning the attachment often bears more force than it can actually handle. When you overload the tendon or perform too many repetitions, the tendon can become irritated, causing a sharp pain where it attaches to the bone. Tendon injuries occur most frequently in the wrists and shoulders.

Muscle injuries

A second common type of injury is muscle strain. These are often difficult to recognize. Muscle pain is quite common after exercise. Therefore, many people find it difficult to distinguish between muscle pain and a muscle strain. A tip: if the symptoms persist for more than two to three days, there's a good chance a muscle has been torn or strained.

Prevent injuries

Now that we know more about recognizing injuries, it's important to know how to prevent them. These tips can help you prevent physical complaints in both the short and long term.

First, a good warm-up is essential to warm up the muscles and ensure they have good blood flow. This way, strength training isn't the first heavy load the muscles experience, allowing you to build up muscle load effectively. A good warm-up, for example, involves running for ten minutes or using the elliptical trainer before starting strength training. Stretching is also an essential part of warming up.

Another important factor in preventing injuries is building up gradually. Don't start training at full strength in the first week; start a little lighter and gradually increase your training. It's better to train too light than too heavy. This way, your muscles are less likely to become overloaded. By making small weekly increments in your weight, you allow your muscles to become accustomed to increasing loads and reduce the risk of injury.

Prevent injuries by training correctly

As you can see, performing strength training correctly and gradually building up your strength is essential for preventing injuries. If you don't know how to perform an exercise correctly to prevent injuries, you can always ask for advice at the gym or find an instructional video online. Always start with a weight that might be slightly too light for you and gradually increase your weight. Also, stop immediately if you notice any pain during an exercise.