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What You Don’t Know Might Hurt You
December 5, 2009
A couple of months ago I had a conversation with an orthopedic doctor at the Vanderbilt Sports Medicine clinic. This doctor is one of the doctors that treats and helps to train the football players for the Vanderbilt Commodores football team. There were several questions about weightlifting that I was curious to get her thoughts on.
First, I asked whether or not it is possible for a person to lift weights vigorously for life without suffering debilitating joint injuries. I asked the question because I and many of my weightlifting friends that are long-time lifters over the age of 40 have experienced either shoulder issues, or knee issues, or both.
She said that it was possible to exercise without causing joint problems and that, in fact, weight lifting can help joints and bones to remain strong as we age.
Second, I was curious about any exercises she would recommend avoiding. Her answer was, “Any exercise that hurts.” In other words, if you have an injury that is aggravated by an exercise, or if an exercise causes you unusual pain, don’t do that exercise while it causes you pain. Simple enough. Common sense.
Lastly, I showed her the bench pressing and squatting techniques I had learned over the last couple of years. She commended me on my form and said that I was performing the exercises as she would recommend.
My trips to orthopedic doctors and physical therapists, along with reading about exercise technique, knee injuries and shoulder injuries, as well as having experienced and overcome my own shoulder and knee injuries, have convinced me that these types of injuries as a result of resistance training are treatable AND avoidable. Also, having learned more about how these types of injuries can be caused by exercise, it has become apparent that one of the primary problems us recreational exercisers have is a lack of knowledge about how to exercise correctly. The price of this knowledge deficit is suffering via the injuries we inflict on ourselves.
Here are 3 areas of knowledge we should be aware of if we are to exercise safely:
1. Exercise technique (how to correctly perform exercises)
2. Knowledge of exercises that are inherently harmful, useless, or that should be avoided
3. How to conduct a workout from start to finish (warm-up, workout, cool down)
This post is the first in a series that will focus on those 3 topics.
Darryl
12 Responses to “What You Don’t Know Might Hurt You”
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Darryl,
It’s good to know what & how to do effective exercise to keep fit and healthy.
Just watched a short video on the trainer who looked after “The Body” ( Australian supermodel Elle McPherson) for his advice on simple exercise.
John Ho
Numerology Expert Helps Understanding Personality for Better Influence & Persuasion
Darryl,
It’s good to know what & how to do effective exercise to keep fit and healthy.
Just watched a short video on the trainer who looked after “The Body” ( Australian supermodel Elle McPherson) for his advice on simple exercise.
http://purenumerology.net
Hi Darryl
I’m a great believer in ‘listening to the body’. I would recommend this as a first line of defence against exercise related injuries. For me there is a distinct difference in feel between exercising at my limit and pushing it too far.
Martin Wright
Impact, Poise, Presenting
I’ve been told that a lot of physical problems are down to how people move and stand, not just when exercising, but doing everyday activities.
I look forward to learning more about what we should be doing.
Philip Graves
Consumer Behaviour Expert
author of “The Secret of Selling: How to Sell to Your Customer’s Unconscious Mind”
Yes, I’m sure many people skip the warm up and cool down…
Greg Dougall, Beach Runner
Darryl,
I know so many people that start out strong only to get hurt and injured. That puts a stop to any momentum they had and a stop to any fitness goals.
Always have great post. Thanks.
Lynn Lane
Success Strategies For Life
It is really great that you can confirm your knowledge of weight training and exercise with doctors or physical therapists so that you are sure you are teaching proper techniques.
Lisa McLellan, Child Care Expert
Babysitting Services, Babysitting Tips, Babysitters, Nannies
Amazing I didn’t know exercise actually helps the joints. Really cool.
Jose Escalante
Business Marketing Small
Thanks for all the articles pertaining to proper technique. It’s so important!
Happy holidays Darryl!
Lisa McLellan, Child Care Expert
Babysitting Services, Babysitting Tips, Babysitters, Nannies
Hi Darryl,
excellent reminders about the essentials so we are avoiding inadvertently injuring ourselves during workouts for fitness.
I’m sure this will be a big issue in January when everyone tries to rush to implement their New Years Resolutions to get into shape and lose those holiday pounds.
Happy Dating and Relationships,
April Braswell
Hey Darryl
good article. i have many injuries and sore joints, non of which occured during my time in the gym. That being said, a good knowledge of form and what excercises to avoid are always things i look for to help keep me going.
It’s always good to get a doctor’s opinion. Thanks for the advice. I’m going to try to integrate more weight training into my workpout routine next year.
Steve