Avoiding Unnecessary Muscle and Joint Strain in Powerlifting

 

Possessing an extensive background in construction, Michael “Mike” Lelasher has held leadership responsibilities with companies in Columbus, Ohio, such as Cardinal Builders. Also focused on fitness, Michael Lelasher enjoys powerlifting when he has the opportunity.

Powerlifting is a sport that involves lifting heavy weights. It is a safe pursuit, as long as it is conducted in a planned and controlled manner. This begins with listening to the body and not training when feeling overly fatigued. Avoid lifting maximum loads too often and schedule recovery days into the week. Use these days to focus on other areas of fitness, such as aerobic exercise, or simply to rest.

At the same time, be aware of which joints have limited mobility and interferes with healthy, safe lifting. This has to do with another joint or muscle playing a compensatory role when the primary lifting muscle or joint cannot perform its original function. Unfortunately, the compensating structure isn’t usually designed to bear such a load and taking on too much weight can cause a cascading series of injuries.

As an example, when a squat is performed with limited ankle mobility, the knees are not going to have as much travel forward. To reach “competition depth” on the squat, the hips need to be involved. However, this flattens the torso to a more horizontal angle that can cause rounding of the spine. When heavy loads and repetition are involved, the spinal column and hip can experience the type of strain that causes unnecessary injury. The key is to have patience and wait for a full ankle recovery before performing squats with maximum loading.