Injuries. Whether it be a simple strain or a busted rotator cuff, it still causes a sudden stop in your regular routine that impedes your chances at building that massive mass that you have pictured yourself to be.

Be it a simple over twisting of your arm because of a wrong movement or a painful tendinitis at your knee, having injuries in bodybuilding is quite common whether you are a beginner still trying to grope for form or an experienced lifter who loves overloading. It would be interesting for us to take a look at what part of our bodies are normally susceptible to these and what are the most common injuries you'll see in bodybuilding.

INJURY TYPES

There is more than one type of injury that a bodybuilder could incur if he lacks the right knowledge and discipline in his everyday routine. This could include joint problems, muscle tears, strains or bone fractures. Let's try to take a look at their differences.

Tendinitis - have you experienced pains when you try to do that shoulder press or a striking pain in your knee when doing squats? That is what we normally refer to as tendinitis. It is the inflammation of your tendons which is normally caused by overwork, a high level of uric acid or sometimes, exercise-related stress.

Strain - how about that pain in the elbow after doing 6 grueling sets of barbell curls? That is known as a muscle strain which is frequently caused by overstretching or overusing a specific muscle in an isolation movement.

Avulsion - have you seen someone whose pecs turned bloody red after doing an overload chest movement such as a 500 lbs. bench press? We call it an avulsion which means a complete tear of the muscle in the affected region.

Fracture - I guess this type doesn't need much of an explanation. When we talk about fractures, we deal with partial or full bone breaks.

The above types are very common in bodybuilding.  It could happen to just about any muscle group of the body. Not convinced? Read on.

COMMON INJURIES

Have you ever experienced having that stiff neck type of pain when you turn your head in either direction after doing a heavy shrug or squat? That is called neck strain. Neck strain usually happens when you put too much stress on the shoulders when performing your movements be it a shoulder routine or a leg workout that requires you to use your shoulders as leverage like the squat and the donkey calf raise.

You don't play tennis but you were surprised when the doctor said you have a tennis elbow. A tennis elbow is a form of elbow injury that causes pain to the outer bone on the upper portion of the forearm. This is normally caused by unnecessary strain put onto the elbow joint or extreme overuse. A variation of this is the golf elbow wherein the pain is mostly felt on the inner bone on the upper portion of the forearm.

After a rigorous cable row, you feel a pain at the center of your lower back, along top of gluteal muscles, or along paraspinal muscles. This is what we call back strain. This is normally caused by either stacking up too much iron during the isolation movement or poor form when doing the exercise.

For heavy squat lifters, a common injury is knee strain. This is normally a pain along the joint line of the knee, behind the knee joint, or just below the knee cap along the patellar tendon.

And last but not the least is the most typical, muscle soreness. This happens to everyone that has worked on a specific muscle group and typically occurs within 24-48 hours and should be gone within 72 hours.        

WHAT TO DO

Now that we have already outlined the most common injuries that we could get in working out, it is equally important to know the things that you need to do when you experience such things.

The best action would always be to get an expert opinion when you experience pain. A doctor, chiropractor, reflexologist, or an orthopedic should be able to give you a proper diagnosis and the right medical attention on your way to a speedy recovery.

Now, if the injury needs immediate attention and the doctor is probably a couple of blocks away, it would be helpful to do the following:

Support the injured part with either a brace or a splint. This would ensure that the injured joint or muscle would be protected from more harm.

Ice the injured joint or muscle as this prevents swelling and internal blood clotting due to severe shock brought by the injury.

Elevating the injured body part above heart level would effectively prevent blood from rushing towards the injured area. This has been proven to lessen the swelling, or in the event of an open wound, blood loss.

And most importantly, always listen to what your body is saying. If you are doing a certain movement and you feel a striking pain, stop the routine immediately as pain is your body's way of telling you that it can't take the stress anymore. Better miss one exercise for the day rather than suffering a prolonged injury that would force you out of the gym for weeks, or worse, months.

PREVENTION

Okay. Now that you know the common injuries you might get, and the things to do when you had one, it would be beneficial if you also learn the things that would minimize, if not totally prevent, these injuries from happening.

Warming-up before doing any exercise is a MUST. Your body needs to get the feel of the movements using light weights, ideally, 20% of your intended lift, before you do the heavy grind. With this, you are giving your body the chance to adapt to the movements and feel your joints condition prior to hitting the big ones.

Stretching is an important part of your workout. You need to stretch your muscles and ligaments to their full range of motion and hold it for at least 30 seconds to prevent ligament or joint pains.

Focus on what you need to achieve for the day and on how to achieve those goals. Normally, those who gets injured are those lifters who lose focus on their body and energy.

Proper form saves the body and muscle from being overstressed. Having an incorrect form could be disastrous to the muscle group you are working out and may cause permanent injuries.

And most importantly, you need to have discipline when hitting the gym. Don't workout based on impulse. Plan in advance, and make sure that you lift based on the workout plan that you have prepared.

The above factors, if properly followed, could effectively lessen the chances of having injuries. And would be your key to having a healthy and stronger gym life.

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