GRIPAD ® Blog

Enthusiasm, high energy, and a willingness to push past your limits can be great attributes to bring to an effective workout session. But careless mistakes and sloppy technique can lead to slower results, and can sometimes cause injuries that can send us to the sidelines. A few core weightlifting tips and guidelines can help you find ways to safely channel your energy and get the strength-building impact you’re looking for.

Weightlifting Tips for a Safe and Effective Workout

1. Protect Your Rotator Cuffs

   The rotator cuffs are the small muscles that curve around the joint between our collarbone and upper arm. These muscles allow the shoulder to rotate in every direction, but they can easily become damaged, and the ligaments and nerves connected to them can be pinched by our bones as we move, which can lead to pain and other problems. For an effective healthy workout of the shoulder area, keep your arms in front of the level of your ears during flies and overhead lifts. Keep your arms from moving too high or too far back behind you, and stop doing any move if you feel tingling or numbness in the shoulder area.

2. Protect Your Lower Back

   As with your shoulders, don’t place your lower back in any high stress position that feels unnatural or causes pinching, tingling, pain or numbness. Stop immediately if you feel any of these things. Don’t twist or jerk your lower back, and try to build a strong core to protect this sensitive area and provide 24 hour support to the spine.

3. Protect Your Knees

   As our legs get stronger and our bodies become heavier, our knee joints stay the same size. So large heavy bodies have more power to tax, strain and injure the sensitive ligaments and tendons that allow our knees to function. For a safe, healthy workout that includes squats or lunges, don’t allow your knees to move further forward than your toes.