How to Prevent Most Common Bodybuilding Injuries

When I was younger my dad would tell me that "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure". Now as I have had children and grandchildren I am often heard using this same phrase. I also find myself echoing that same statement to many of my clients, and the ones that listen and follow the rules of safe exercising have an extremely low incidence of accidents.

All athletes including bodybuilders are aware that they can be injured. While many of these injuries will not be severe, there is also the possibility of a career or even life ending injury.

I am not saying that we can prevent all injuries there will always be some but we can prevent a good many by following some simple rules and using some common sense.

I read recently where an apparently healthy High School football player died in his sleep. That is not the type of injury we can anticipate nor can we be sure that there is any way to completely prevent that type of incident.

Whether you are a professional bodybuilder or a weekend warrior here are some things you can do to prevent injury.

Warm up before exercising prepare your muscles by getting them warmed up, you can do this through stretching, riding a bike, walking or running on a treadmill or even some quick reps with a light weight. This will get the blood circulating through the muscles. Stretch the muscles to the fullest degree and hold for 30 seconds; do not bounce, to help increase flexibility. Pliability and flexibility are extremely important in preventing muscle injuries such as strains and it will improve the muscle's ability to respond to exercise.

Stretching after exercise helps to allow the muscles to cool off slowly, decreases recovery time and muscle soreness.

It may seem pretty obvious but one of the easiest things to do to keep from getting injured is to use proper form for the exercise. Bodybuilding can be safe and enjoyable and if you follow the law of good form you will have far less injuries than the person who just wants to see how much weight they can toss around.

You should avoid bouncing or jerking movements and make sure you use the proper grip for the exercise. If you are not sure if you are doing an exercise correctly then you may want to hire a trainer to help you with technique. A couple hundred dollars for some lessons with a professional trainer is not really a bad price to pay for their expertise in helping you with form and technique.

You may want to wear lifting gloves or wraps to help distribute the weight more evenly and help to prevent injury.

At some pint you will probably decide to use heavy weights, when you do get at least one spotter and depending on the exercise you may want two.

When you wear down or get fatigued, stop for awhile, rest. Distraction and fatigue are two of the most common reasons for accidental injuries in the gym. Lifting weights especially heavy weights requires concentration. Chatting with buddies, watching TV or watching other people in the gym can cause you to lose focus and drop weights on you or on anyone nearby and cause serious possibly long term injury.

Overtraining can also be a problem especially for those that do not workout regularly. Not eating, poor sleep habits, overtraining, using too much weight, not preparing properly, bad form and even sometimes just making sure the area around where you are exercising is free of possible obstacles. You would want to set a Personal Record, take a step back fall over a weight plate and break an arm or leg would you?

Follow the rules, use good sense and proper form and you should be just fine. If you do get an injury always remember the acronym RICE for the first aid for most muscle injuries. It stands for Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation and is pretty much the standard treatment for muscle strains and sprains.

Jerry Goodwin has been certified as a Medical Technologist since 1977. He is an avid Cyclist participating in Road racing, Mountain Biking and BMX Racing. He sponsored or been the event director in numerous cycling events for various charities including the Toys for Tots, The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, The South Georgia Foiod Bank, Carolines Ride, and the Soutwest Georgia Cyclefest-Making a difference in the lives of wounded warriors in Southwest Georgia.

Jerry was certified as a Personal Trainer for several years and still answers questions about weightlifting and exercise as well as cycling at allexperts.com

Jerry served in the US Navy during the VietNam era aboard the Jesse L. Brown DE1089. After release from Active Duty in the Navy Jerry served in the Ohio National Guard, the Kansas National Guard and the Georgia National Guard. Honors include the Ohio Award of Merit, The Ohio Special Services Ribbon and the Army Commendation Medal.

For more information on Jerry, cycling or weight training check out the blog at http://www.bodymindgoalsnews.info

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jerry_Goodwin

Solutions For Exercise - Induced Back Pain

Did you know that low back pain at some point in time will inflict over 80% of the population? Proper footwear can potentially prevent, reduce and treat biomechanical factors associated with low back pain in runners. Back pain can be a mysterious thing. Every time your feet hit the ground, the reacting shock is transferred up your legs to your hips and spine, and any biomechanical imbalance can ultimately cause lower back pain.

It could be that you have flat feet, and your over-pronation (rolling in of your feet) is causing your back ache. It could be that you have really high-arched, rigid feet and the lack of pronation is causing your back pain. It could be that one of your legs is ever-so-slightly shorter than the other, or that your pelvis is just a tiny bit uneven or tilted. You could have a curve in your spine. More seriously, one of the discs between the vertebrae of your spine could be degenerating or arthritis is setting in.

Back pain can be a tough mystery to solve, but with a little help from your friendly neighborhood sports medicine specialist you should be able to track down the cause. By far the most common diagnosis in patients with low back pain is the lumbar sprain/strain, which accounts for about 75% of all cases of low back pain. While muscle strain is the most common cause of back pain for runners, play it safe and visit a sports medicine orthopedist or a chiropractor to have your spine and vertebrae examined if you are experiencing severe pain.

If you have ruled out all the worrisome spine issue, you may have an uneven pelvis or unequal leg lengths. These conditions are relatively common and can be ascertained with a good biomechanical exam. With either, the muscles on one side are being pulled. They're tense to begin with, and the added stress of running can put them into spasm. Relatively weak abdominal and lower back muscles might also contribute to the problem. Running generally tends to cause strength imbalances between these muscle groups. Add tight hamstrings, another common condition among runners, and you have a nifty recipe for back pain. Core strengthening exercises and a lot of stretching can help.

Finally, the root cause is often in your foot, the last place most people look! Back pain is a common injury associated with flat feet and over-pronation. Likewise, if your feet are rigid and high-arched, their lack of stress relief and under-pronation can cause stress imbalance resulting in back pain.

For immediate relief, cut back on the mileage, moist heating pads, anti-inflammatories like ibuprofen, and a good massage. If the problem is disc deterioration or spinal arthritis, surgery may be necessary, and an adjustment in training is absolutely required. Take this condition seriously, and see a spinal specialist. If your spine is merely out of alignment, manipulation by a chiropractor or physical therapist may help ease your pain. This may also ease your muscle strain.

If your doctor confirms that you have an uneven pelvis or unequal leg lengths, the solution will likely be to try to correct the problem with a heel lift on the short side. This may be as simple as putting a piece of 1/4" foam or cork into the heel of your running shoe. If you don't get any relief at all within a week, go ahead and take the lift out. If it does no good, its better just not to wear one; your body may have adjusted to different leg lengths, and "fixing" it may cause more discomfort. Whatever the case, make sure that the remedy matches the problem; do not use a heel lift if your doctor does not confirm that you have an uneven pelvis or unequal leg lengths, or you may only make your problems worse.

If your problem is in the structure of your foot, your solution may be as simple as wearing different running shoes or adding orthotics to the mix. Shoes have been shown to lose almost 75% of their shock absorption after approximately 500 miles. This appears to be the critical point in which injuries tend to develop as a result of shoe wear. Thus it is important to have a rough idea how many miles are on your shoes and to replace them before soreness begins. If your shoes are not worn out, see your podiatrist for recommendations of shoe types and to see if an orthotic will help decrease the biomechanical strain causing your back pain. . In most cases of lower back pain, you will benefit from exercises to strengthen your back and abdominal muscles.

Back pain can be an indicator of a serious problem and can lead to a cascading injury that slows your running to a complete halt! Muscular back pain is the most common and can be annoying and complicated to treat due to the myriad of causes. If you have severe pain, seek medical attention immediately. If your pain is mild and seems to be directly related to your running, look to your feet as a possible contributor to you pain.

Dr Marybeth Crane is a board certified foot and ankle surgeon and a vetran marathon running podiatrist. For a copy of her FREE BOOK or more information on running injuries, she can be reached at her website or peruse her musing on her blog! She also offer doctor-approved foot care products for your health!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dr_Marybeth_Crane

Cable Upright Row

1. Grasp a straight bar cable attachment that is attached to a low pulley with a pronated (palms facing your thighs) grip that is slightly less than shoulder width. The bar should be resting on top of your thighs. Your arms should be extended with a slight bend at the elbows and your back should be straight. This will be your starting position.


2. Use your side shoulders to lift the cable bar as you exhale. The bar should be close to the body as you move it up. Continue to lift it until it nearly touches your chin. Tip: Your elbows should drive the motion. As you lift the bar, your elbows should always be higher than your forearms. Also, keep your torso stationary and pause for a second at the top of the movement.


3. Lower the bar back down slowly to the starting position. Inhale as you perform this portion of the movement.


4. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

Caution: Be very careful with how much weight you use in this exercise. Too much weight leads to bad form, which in turn can cause shoulder injury. I've seen this too many times so please no jerking, swinging and cheating. Also, if you suffer from shoulder problems, you may want to stay away from upright rows and substitute by some form of lateral raises.

Variations: This exercise can also be performed using a straight or e-z bar. Another variation is to use dumbbells, though this later exercise should be reserved by the most advanced people that are well familiarized with correct execution.

Cable Shrugs

1. Grasp a cable bar attachment that is attached to a low pulley with a shoulder width or slightly wider overhand (palms facing down) grip.


2. Stand erect close to the pulley with your arms extended in front of you holding the bar. This will be your starting position.


3. Lift the bar by elevating the shoulders as high as possible as you exhale. Hold the contraction at the top for a second. Tip: The arms should remain extended at all times. Refrain from using the biceps to help lift the bar. Only the shoulders should be moving up and down.


4. Lower the bar back to the original position.


5. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

Variations: You can perform this exercise with bands, barbells or dumbbell. You can also use a single handle and work one side at a time.