May 04, 2017
Weight Training
Risks and Benefits Involved During Weight Lifting
Weight lifting is an exercise that is practiced all over the world today.. It is used by athletes, professional bodybuilders, and even the average person. The art of weightlifting has been used for as “long as humans have existed”[1] in one way or another, because it builds great strength and power in one’s body. Although the art of weightlifting might have been different in the past, Olympians and people alike, lift weights from time to time to maintain their body’s physical appearance and composition. However, with more and more people lifting weights today due to the immense athletic and physical competition, questions about the amount …show more content…
This means, that the lifter should instead pursue a high intensity-high rep training program. Many of the risks and dangerous involved arise from continuous and constant heavy lifting without proper training. A common danger associated with lifting weights is joint deterioration [1]. The opposing forces between the weight and the arm can cause wear and tear on the joints. For example, during a bench press, the lifter is flat on his back and lifting the bar up and down from his chest. The bar is resting in his hands which cause major stress on the wrists, and as the lifter moves the bar up and down, stress also builds in the elbows and shoulders. Over time this wears out the cartilage between the joints and causes major pain in those joint areas [3]. This aspect of weight lifting may occur often, but can easily be avoided with proper lifting form and technique. Although this injury is common, it is not the most frequent type of weightlifting injury. During a deadlift exercise, the weight is placed on the floor and …show more content…
According to research, parents do not let their children lift weights because they believe it will prohibit their child from growing. Not surprisingly, teenagers “are starting to lift weights from an early age in order to perform better in contact sports such as football and basketball” [2]. The stage of competition has greatly increased over the past few decades so coaches are enforcing that the students lift weights on a regular basis to ensure they perform at a high level. However, pediatric studies show that weight training is safe for young people; in many ways, it can also be beneficial and even essential (Reynolds). Researchers with the Institute of Training Science and Sports Informatics in Cologne, Germany, analyzed 60 years’ worth of studies of children between the ages of 6 and 8 and their relation to weight lifting [2,4]. They claim that it “ increases strength, but in a way slightly different than adults”.[3] “As children lift weights, they do not gain a great amount of muscle mass, therefore, they’re muscles are not tearing and regenerating in the way they do in adults, but rather solely contracting” [2]. Thus the common misconception that lifting weights from a young age prohibits growth is negated in most circumstances. Heavy lifting can still be detrimental to a child. The constant force of the weights opposing the joints and bones of the