Basic HTML Version
TOUCHLINE
ISSUE 19 | NOV 2014 |
22
While not all of us will be attempting a 300kg clean and jerk this week at the gym,
anyone prone to throwing weight around needs to take precautions against injury.
In this edition of Touchline,
Timothy Mottram
talks to fitness expert Christian Finn
about risk management when lifting.
Christian’s background in sports fitness and his awareness of the latest science makes
his insights compulsory reading for anyone who wants to keep lifting safely.
CHRISTIAN
FINN
ON RISK AND WEIGHTS
RISK MANAGEMENT FOCUS
@CHRISTIAN_FINN
F
irst up, how would you compare resistance
training with other fitness methods in terms of the
risks of injury?
The research on the subject shows that the risk of injury
is no higher with resistance training compared with
endurance-type training such as running. The overall rate of
injury with resistance training is somewhere between 0.24 –
5.5 injuries per 1,000 hours of training, compared with 2.5 –
12.1 injuries per 1,000 hours for long-distance running.
Once you are on the floor doing your work out, what
factors can influence the risk of injury?
In the short-term, poor exercise technique is probably the
main one. Using more weight than you can handle safely,
as well as inadequate warm-up and preparation, are also
common culprits.
Many injuries are also the result of damage accumulated
over time. And the single event that appeared to cause the
injury was simply the straw that broke the camel’s back.
This damage can be caused by a lot of things – a faulty
training programme and inappropriate exercise selection are
the most common. But sometimes it’s just bad luck. Train
hard enough and long enough, and chances are you’ll pick up
some kind of injury.
What are the most common types of injuries for weight
lifters and body-builders?
It’s usually some kind of injury to the shoulders and lower
back. The knees and elbows are also problem areas. Often,
the injury isn’t bad enough to stop them training, but it
causes enough pain to stop them going “all out” in the gym.
Are there any commonly executed exercises that are
potentially dangerous? If so, could you suggest an
alternative move that would get the same job done while
reducing the risk?
The seated “torso twisting” machine in the gym is one of
22
|
TOUCHLINE
ISSUE 20 | MARCH 2015