On learning to deal with injury

The past few weeks have been tough for me. Well, mentally tough-not so much physically. The simple reason being too injured to train.

Injury is a massive part of Weightlifting. The majority of that part of course being the avoidance of the aforementioned. Despite that, injury at some point is inevitable. They say that if you aren't getting injured, you aren't doing something right. I do agree with this sentiment.

I've read a few articles claiming that Weightlifting is one of the safest sports, statistically speaking. I'm not really sure what to make of these though, personally I've always thought that Weightlifting is a sport that happens in the training hall, not the competition platform. Too little time is spent on the platform to be an accurate representation of how common injuries are in the sport. At the same time, I feel like the two weightlifting movements (when performed correctly) are inherently safer than a lot of other sports. Luge and Horseback Riding both being examples. Even in football (soccer), I feel like injuries would be more common.

But the fact of the matter is that heaving a heavy weight over your head continuously is bound to have some sort of consequences for the body.

I must throw this bar weighing 3 times myself over my head, the Supreme Leader will protect me from injury!

Most common in Weightlifting would probably be soft tissue injures. So things like a strained back or pulled Hamstring. These are combined with overuse injuries. After years and years of lifting, I'm sure that the stresses on your joints would cause some issues. The more rare case would be something like a dislocated elbow or shoulder. Worst is probably a spinal injury...

Injuries seem to correspond directly to own muscular weaknesses, disproportion or tightness. They are pretty individualized, and everyone seems to suffer from their own personal set. Yet a lot of things can be better fixed by improving positioning and technique. Inherently, when performed correctly, the two lifts are safe. They use the body in an efficient and ergonomic way, and with the proper activation of musculature many injuries can be avoided. 

Well, that's an issue isn't it! Activation of musculature! Why do all my friends complain to me about shoulder pain when they bench press? The kind of thing that could be avoided through proper activation of supporting musculature so that the shoulders themselves are not too stressed. 

The thing with our bodies in modern times is that we seemed to have forgotten how to use them. Our stabilizing back musculature slumbers in these cursed seats, and our powerful bum is long forgotten by being sat on all day. The body is forced to use muscles that are in a far worse position to the job of the ones that it doesn't remember how to use. How is this not bound to lead to injury?

Of course, I'm one to speak. Personally, activation of proper musculature has always been high on my priority list. Unfortunately, its also been one of my many, continuous struggles with weightlifting. 

And the thing that makes it worse is getting injured. A soft tissues injury can pretty easily disrupt the way a certain part of your body is activating. For example, take my personal injury to the left side of my mid traps. 

This injury occurred mainly due to a not too smart method of fixing a problem I was having with Front Squats. The result was that suddenly the Overhead Squat position became exceptionally painful- not to my back, but my shoulders. It was a familiar pain, the same pain I had when starting to lift. 

It was painful because the left side of my back refused to activate, technically, I can't say much more than that. My shoulder was forced to compensate, and that is never a good thing. Of course, I've been doing lots of Facepulls, and back activation work and things are starting to look up. However, this is the major issue with injuries. 

You see, the interesting thing with a Weightlifter, is that the fear of injury doesn't really stem from pain. It's more related to the fact that there will be an inability to train, as well as the knowledge that recovery from the injury is going to take more than just time and will require changes in training. Progress will be severely hindered, and many of these injuries will continue to plague you for the duration of your training career and further.

But, I believe that injuries are a critical part of the journey. They are another of the huge hurdles that test ones fortitude. You leave an injury with better awareness and understanding of your own body, and you leave it with great conviction (or you just give up, but thats no fun!) to train harder than ever before.  

It's like the father of some great super hero in a city called Gotham once said; we fall so that we can learn how to pick ourselves back up. Injuries (strangely) make us stronger. 

They give us an opportunity to learn from and a challenge to surpass. 

And the ability to rise above the challenge, to keep going strong when all things look bleak. That I believe is a defining attribute of a good weightlifter.

Or at least, that's what I have to keep reminding myself.

My victory was assured by the will of the Supreme Leader