Walking into any gym, you are guaranteed to see people lifting weights. Some lightweight, some heavy. What you are also almost guaranteed to see is someone lifting weights incorrectly.
Whether you’re a weekend warrior, full-time athlete, or someone who goes to the gym regularly, proper lifting technique is essential for avoiding injury.
Improper lifting technique leads to compensatory motions throughout the body leading to increased injury risk, especially with lifts that involve the entire body such as squat, clean, and deadlift. Different compensations lead to increased risk for back, knee, hip, and shoulder injuries that will hinder your performance and may even force you to stop exercising for a period of time.
In order to determine if you are ready to starting lifting weights, or increasing the amount of weight you are lifting, it is important to make sure you can properly perform each lift using your body weight first. It is very important to understand that if you can’t perform the movement properly without weight, you shouldn’t be performing it with weight.
So your next question may be, “how do I know if I am lifting correctly or ready to advance my exercises?” Great question! Going to see a physical therapist for a movement evaluation/assessment, especially one who is certified in strength and conditioning, is a perfect place to start! A physical therapist with evaluating you from head to toe, watch your lifting technique and design a program to help you lift appropriately so that you can avoid injury and stay in the gym.
If you or anyone you know has concerns about lifting technique or wants to start a lifting program, call one of our locations to set up and evaluation and treatment plan so that you can continue being the best you can be!
Content provided by Amanda Noll, PT, DPT, CSCS
