Weightlifting Safety: How Do I Avoid Injuries?

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1. Do a 5-10 minute cardio warmup first. If you will be strengthening the legs, warm up on the treadmill, bike, stairclimber, elliptical machine, etc. For upper body warmups, try the arm bike, row machine or elliptical (using both arms and legs).

2. Warm up strength exercises with light weights.

3. Exercise muscles in their full range of motion and at a slow-moderate pace.

4. If performing a new exercise, start with lighter resistance and higher repetitions.

5. Do not lift through joint pain. Either decrease your resistance or select a different exercise to strengthen that muscle group.

6. Prepare appropriately for high-level or maximal lifts. Do not perform without adequate training and strictly proper technique.

7. Use ice after a challenging workout (for example: knees or shoulders).

8. Strengthen opposite muscle groups to maintain balance between front/back/sides of each body part. Use various exercises to strengthen each muscle.

9. Beware of risk for knee injury if squats are performed incorrectly. Do not let your knees go forward past your toes (imagine a vertical line coming up from your toes).

10. Beware of risk for back injury with squats and dead lifts. Do not perform unless you know proper technique.

11. Avoid using wraps and braces for stability. If you train without them, you can slowly increase your weight without needing external supports.

12. Lifting belts are not necessary for back safety if you learn the proper techniques and train without using them. However, if you have trained with a belt, do not attempt a heavy lift without it.

13. Do not neglect strengthening of the rotator cuff, back extensors, hip abductors/adductors.


Source: Baechle TR, Earle RW, editors. Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning, 2nd ed. 2000: National Strength and Conditioning Association. Pages 48-52.

How To Strengthen Opposite Muscle Groups

Let's begin with an easy example: biceps vs triceps. When you strengthen the biceps, you are stretching the triceps. These two muscle groups work together but in opposite directions. A biceps curl puts the biceps in a shortened position while the triceps muscle is lengthened. For maximum strength, mechanics and balance, both muscle groups need to be strengthened equally. This is especially important for male weightlifters because you may prefer to strengthen the front of your body (biceps, chest, abs, etc).

Here are a few more examples of opposite muscle groups: abs vs. back extensors, quads vs hamstrings, hip abductors vs hip adductors, hip flexors vs hip extensors, pecs vs upper back. No matter what muscle group you are working on, there is an opposite group that needs equal attention. The easiest way to do so is to do the same number of exercises for the opposing groups. If you are doing 3 sets of 10 biceps curls, you also should do 3 sets of 10 triceps extensions.

The opposite muscle groups do not have to be strengthened on the same day, but I would recommend it for simplicity or if you have trouble remembering which muscles you worked each day. Typically, you will divide up your weight training into body parts for a weekly schedule, so here is an example of how to train opposite muscle groups on the same days.

Monday: chest and upper back
Tuesday: legs (all groups)
Wednesday: shoulders and arms (front and back)
Thursday: abs and low back

If you have more time per session and want to work each muscle group several times/week, try this:

Monday: chest, upper back, shoulders, arms
Tuesday: legs, abs, low back
Wednesday: chest, upper back, shoulders, arms
Thursday: legs, abs, low back

Health/Fitness Review: Gold's Gym

My review of Gold's Gym (Village at Sandhill in Columbia, SC)

The facility is a good size, with 3 main workout areas. The largest one has around 15 treadmills, 15 elliptical machines, 8 stationary bikes, 3 stair climbers, 1 upper body bike and a lot of machine weights. 

The second area has around 8 treadmills, 8 elliptical machines, machine weights, small dumbbells (2-15 lbs), exercise balls, medicine balls and mats.

The third area has all the free weights plus some machine weights. Very few women exercise in that area of the gym. Next to the free weights area is a basketball court.

There is a 3-lane pool, which is a comfortable temperature for swimming laps or doing water aerobics. When the water classes are in session, there is only 1 lane for lap swimming.

There is 1 large room for classes, including Zumba, body pump, aerobics, yoga, etc. The Zumba class (at least in the evenings) is always jam-packed! Classes are offered various times of the day and appear to be sufficient for the demand.

Another workout space is the cinema room, which plays movies and stays very dark. So bring your flashlight so you can see the buttons to start the treadmills. This room includes around 5 treadmills, 5 ellipticals and 5 recumbent bikes.

There is a small spinning room, which I have not yet used. It does not appear to get over-filled though.

For the more athletic type, there are 2 raquetball courts, which stay booked every evening and frequently at lunchtimes also. They can be booked ahead, if you call first! Good luck beating the veterans to the calendar!

The non-exercise areas include tanning, water massage table, whirlpool, steam room, sauna room, locker rooms, and the huge Kids Care room. I have been 100% pleased with the childcare providers there! The childcare hours are reasonable.

The staff are friendly and helpful. And there is a large staff of personal trainers available for an added cost.

The location of the gym is good, with easy access from Two Notch Rd, Clemson Rd or North Springs Rd. It is located in the Village at Sandhill mall, which makes it close to shopping and eating venues.

So...do I recommend Gold's Gym? Yes! The membership price is comparable to the other gyms and if you pay up-front for 1-2 year memberships you get quite a good rate. The price may even be lower than other gyms, depending on which specials you catch.

Is there a down side? Yes. The gym is very full in the early evening hours, making it difficult to find your cardio machine of choice. But that is expected, and you can always vary your workout by using a different machine until a treadmill opens up.