4 ms·
This is a complicated question. First of all, your statement is absolutely accurate. The weights involved can cause injury and can possibly be dangerous or eve
by nwiswell 3y ago
This is a complicated question.
First of all, your statement is absolutely accurate. The weights involved can cause injury and can possibly be dangerous or even fatal when not handled correctly. On the other hand, exactly what is meant by "injury" can vary widely, so we have to be precise in our language.
Acute, serious injuries typically come about due to poor form, carelessness, failure to use safety mechanisms, or irresponsible selection of load. They are the most easily preventable type of injury, and unsurprisingly they are most common among novice lifters.
I address these risks by being deliberate about my form, consistent about my use of safety devices, and reasonable about loads and progression in my training. I also use a belt with proper abdominal bracing technique.
Chronic injuries, on the other hand, are much less preventable and much more common among experienced lifters. I've worked through several, including a soft tissue injury in my hips and a nagging tendonitis in my left elbow. Managing these types of injuries comes down almost entirely to sensible training.
Powerlifting in general is associated with a lower injury rate than other sports[1]. That's not to imply that injuries aren't a reality of powerlifting -- they are -- but more that I do not believe they constitute a good reason to forego the benefits of lifting.
[1] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0765159720302069 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S07651...
- thrway63245 3y ago[dead]
- bjorglo 3y agoI have been into powerlifting since the 90s. I think it is a convenient myth that form prevents injury. "Form" is just something that everyone thinks they do well and everyone else does poorly. It is ultimately a trade off. I don't know any long term powerlifter who doesn't have a ton of injury. Ultimately, it isn't a good idea to load your spine with 400lbs+ over long periods of time. There is no mystery what is going to happen here regardless of "form".
- nwiswell 3y agoJust a couple of weeks ago I saw a video of a guy who got internally decapitated by the barbell during a high bar squat because he leaned forward and came up onto his toes rather than sitting back. That's a freak accident, and it's certainly turned out that stuff like deadlift hyperextension is not nearly as dangerous as originally thought, but "form" also means "keeping the bar path under control and in a safe range". Just because most people have figured that out before they graduate to handling potentially dangerous weights doesn't mean it's not still a critical piece of the safety equation.
- cagmz 3y ago> Chronic injuries, on the other hand, are much less preventable and much more common among experienced lifters. I've worked through several, including a soft tissue injury in my hips and a nagging tendonitis in my left elbow. Can you describe your hip injury a bit more?
- nwiswell 3y agoHonestly -- not really! Several people encouraged me to go to a specialist or PT but I was stubborn so I never got a diagnosis (my GP was clueless). My self-diagnosis was some kind of muscle and/or tendon strain in my psoas / hip flexors. I squat very wide and deep so it wasn't a huge shock. Net result was I couldn't squat properly for 4-6 weeks. I've added "prehab" stretches and it's mostly managed now, although if I go too crazy with volume I can feel it flare up.