Training with weights can improve athletic performance and overall health. Different regimens can lead to different results. Some people worry that using heavy weights will cause injury. A distinction should be made between weightlifting and weight training. Weightlifting is a sport that consists of the snatch and clean and jerk lifts, while weight training is just using weights for exercises.
Weightlifting Safety
Weightlifting is perhaps the safest sport. In 1994, Brian Hamill conducted a study that appeared in the "Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research" in which he set out to determine the injury rates among different sports. Team sports, such as football, soccer, rugby, baseball, basketball and others were included. Individual sports, such as track and field, gymnastics and tennis, were also included. The response rate to his survey was 90 percent. The results of his survey revealed that weight training-related activities had fewer injuries than other sports. Specifically, weightlifting had the fewest injuries. Weightlifting had 0.0013 injuries per 100 participant hours. The most dangerous sport was rugby, with an injury rate of 0.8 injuries per 100 participant hours.
Weight Training Safety
Hamill's study also investigated the injury rates of weight training. Weight trainers are often athletes, but they might not be as comfortable performing exercises with weights as weightlifters. Nonetheless, weight training was the second-safest activity surveyed. The injury rate for weight training was 0.012 injuries per 100 participant hours. This is nearly 10 times the rate for weightlifting, but it is still less than the 0.014 injury rate per 100 participant hours for soccer.
Youth Weight Training
A review study by Kelly Wallace published in the "Physical and Health Education Journal" in 2008 suggests the traditional school of thought that youth weight training is unsafe is founded on the belief that the epithelial plates are not yet fused in children, which could result in fractures and possibly stunted growth. Also, is is believed that a child's ligaments, tendons and skeleton are not mature enough to handle the forces placed on them with a strength-training program. She states epithelial injuries are more likely in older children. She also reports that nearly all the injuries in children are from improper supervision, unqualified instructors, children lifting too much weight or poor technique.
Technique
The most important thing to monitor while lifting weights is your technique. If your technique is not ideal for each exercise you perform, you increase your risk of injury. For example, if during the back squat you let your knees buckle inward, you are probably using too much weight. You should never use more weight than you can fully control in any lift. If you are unsure of what proper technique is during an exercise, exrx.net has a comprehensive list of exercises and descriptions.
Skill
You should not try to perform lifts that you are not prepared for. As one example, it is not uncommon for high school freshmen to perform power cleans as part of their training for football. Power cleans are a complicated lift that should only be performed if a trainee has mastered front squats and clean pulls first. You should also not perform maximum testing unless you are fully competent in the exercise. If you are unsure if your skill level is appropriate to try a particular lift, consult a qualified professional for advice.
References
- "Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research;" Relative Safety of Weightlifting and Weight Training; Brian Hamill, 1994
- "Physical and Health Education Journal;" Raising the Bar; Kelly Wallace; 2008
- "Exrx.net": Exercise and Muscle Directory
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