Gym technique: Quality, not quantity
As a physiotherapist and a regular gym goer, it is one of my huge "pet peeves" when I see people's techniques when they are performing their exercises. There are 2 conditions they are likely to get; 1 more so than another. The first and most likely, and I see this as a physiotherapist, second only to low back pain: A rotator cuff injury (the deep muscles of the shoulder). Many years ago, I remember when I was going to the gym and instructors would tell me to "not make a tight fist" on the dumb bells or the resistance machines that you are using, for fear of causing an injury to the wrist. As our knowledge improves around the pathomechanics of the shoulder, we are learning as healthcare professionals that throughout all of this time, we have not been recruiting our rotator cuff muscles. The job of the rotator cuff muscles of the shoulder are to allow the smooth and seamless movements of the shoulder complex in all of the movements we take for granted every day. If the rotator cuff muscles are not working to their full potential, we lose this seamless movement and people report an excruciating pain that limits this movement, because we begin to "pinch" the structures within the shoulder. What this means for people suffering with this, is a drastic effect of their daily quality of life. Physiotherapists now understand that by making a fist and placing small resistance through the shoulder, we can reactivate the rotator cuff and begin to increase our range of motion in the shoulder. So when I see clients with shoulder pain, I always try to establish whether they go to the gym, if they answer yes, I always ensure I spend a length of time talking to my clients about their technique. My advice is simple:
1. Reduce your weight you are trying to lift
2. Make a fist
3. Work in a pain free range
4. DON'T put your back into it - only move the muscles you are trying to work.
NOT putting your back into it, leads onto the 2nd condition likely to derive from poor gym technique. I must stress at this point that this is rare but one cannot say it is not a risk. All too often, I see people in the gym, trying to lift increased amounts of weight, particularly bench press, shoulder press and dead lifts and they take the strain and arch their backs and strain to lift an obscene amount of weight.
By doing this to their backs, with added weight, they are at an increased risk of a wedge fracture (See image above). This is extremely painful for the client suffering and this part of the body does not heal very well naturally, therefore it is likely that surgical intervention is needed! Again, my advice is simple:
1. Reduce your weight you are trying to lift
2. Make a fist
3. If laying on a bench, put your feet onto the bench. This reduces the temptation to arch your back
4. DON'T put your back into it - keep all of your back in contact with the pad of the bench
5. Only move the muscles you are trying to work. Going to the gym should be improving your health, not risking making it worse. Be sensible, follow the simple advice above and reduce that risk of injuring yourself!
