REDUCING INJURY FROM WEIGHT-TRAINING.

Have you heard of somebody getting hurt in the gym from weight-training? Most of us know at least 1 person... but we also know at least one person who cut their finger with a knife, had a fender bender.. or slipped on ice.. so lets not eliminate weight-training because somebody you know got hurt.

I will say this... After traveling this country and spending time in many gyms.. from the most elite to the most primal... there is a "severe lack of education" out there on how to train properly.

Just last week... I saw a father teaching a son how to deadlift... or pull weight off the floor (250lbs) to be exact... with is back folded up, rounded, and ready to blow.. both the father and son had the same form. The father was cheering, hyping the sons performance as the son was one expiration away from a back injury.

This is classic-- most people learn how to weight-train from a parent, friend, youtube video, or infomercial. Unfortunately.. this just isn't the right way to do it. Weight training is a great way to improve your physique, release stress, boost testosterone, and tone the body....but... without proper form, instruction, and guidance you can get injured .. much like driving a car with no education.

Another reason... in addition to "form" why individuals get hurt from weight-training.... is that over time, their total body tension goes up as a result of weight training. Meaning, muscles get short and tendons get thicker.. so the body is holding a bit more muscular tension.. This theory was first introduced to me by future Hall of Fame Outfielder, Ichiro Suzuki-- who has been healthy his whole career as a result of a balanced menu of weight training, massage, cupping, and therapeutic stretching.

So.. as hard as we train.. we must recover. In order to stay healthy while weight training, focus on:

1. Form and alignment of the body- only positive angles, no rounding.

2. Don't swing or jerk the body to move the most weight possible.

3. Hire a qualified, educated trainer for a few sessions to make sure you are doing it right-- or dare I say video yourself for form analysis.

4. Increase weights over time, using 2.5-5lb increments to get over sticking points, for upper body add 5-10lbs at a time, and for lower body grow by 10-20lbs at a time until,l your reach your ceiling-- while using good form..

5. Stretch and hot bath after training- try to get a massage in at least 1x/ month to care for your tissue.

These are 5 tips that will help get you started-- but the old rule of FORM 1st is still in play.. a great rule that was passed along for many generations by the greats of Jack Lalanne, Vince Gironda, and the man of the hour, Arnold. #trainlikeapro

Dana Cavalea is the Former Director of Strength and Conditioning and Performance for the New York Yankees. He is currently a Speaker, Performance Consultant, and Private Coach to Professional Athletes, CEOs, Executives, Teams & Companies.

In addition, he is the founder of ML Strength Inc.- a performance training Company.

For more information check out: 

www.danacavalea.com/blog