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Back injuries and its associated symptoms of pain occur
frequently in athletes who perform weight lifting. There is a higher risk of
injury when using heavy weights during exercise, especially with dead lifts and
squats, but cutting the amount of weight individuals use in their work-out
routines can help ultimately avoid injury.
The first step to prevent back injury and pain is to begin cutting
the weight an individual is normally capable of doing by 3. For example, if you’re
capable of doing squats in a Smith cage with 100lbs, you can cut the weight to
30lbs. Then, using that weight, you can follow the same routine of squats but
this time, only using one-legged squats. It might appear easy to do because of
the decrease in weight but by changing the method of the exercise, the muscles
are still challenged.
When it comes to dead lifts, the same system can be used. An
individual who normally dead lifts using 60lbs can cut the weight to 15lbs and only
use one-legged dead lifts. Balance while performing these can be a challenge
but after the body begins to accommodate to the altered exercise, the muscles
can benefit greatly. Placing a roll mat under one foot to give yourself an
unstable surface to balance on can also fire muscles that regularly wouldn’t
function, giving you a greater burn from the exercise.
In order to prevent back pain on the long run when weight
lifting, it’s important to pay close attention to the way an individual’s abs
function during a regular exercise set. The abs need to be engaging with every
movement of the body. If a person powers through their work-out routine while
using an improper form, injury can occur. Also, if a weight is heavy to the
point where you lose form by the last set, that can cause you to get hurt as
well. Decreasing or not using weight or decreasing the amount of repetitions a
person uses during their set can help avoid injury. Not using good form means
the correct muscles are probably not being worked properly but changing these
bad habits or altering work-out routines can be the best option for preventing
back pain when weight lifting.
By Dr. Alex Jimenez
@dralexjimenez
@dralexjimenez