Bandit’s Blog

….that a month and a half would have made a difference.  Not I.  Top comparison pix are Jul 10 and bottom are Aug 26.

Read on…
 

Every once and a while you come across, or hear about an injury directly related to the sport that you are pursuing. And, although you hadn’t experienced the injury yourself, you can certainly share in “somewhat” equal agony.   Well, that’s what’s been happening to me.  Over the past two months several of my friends and my son’s (he’s a Personal Trainer out of state) clients have sustained injuries while Bodybuilding that I’d like to share with you.  Right off the bat, let me inject a disclaimer that I don’t have an exercise physiology degree, any medical degrees, nor am I a Personal Trainer.   Even though I have only been Bodybuilding for six months (six days a week, often with an aggressive personal trainer), I believe I have developed a sense of caution and respect for the sport, though.  Enough for me to be inclined to “blog” some perspective. 
 

Here we go:
 

Bicep tears.  A nasty injury that has occurred to two friends.  One severe enough to require surgery to reattach “parts” and the other the doctor says to “wait it out” to heal.  Both admittedly over reached their limits by doing that “last curl” with too much weight.  They’ll recover in two to four months, yes, but have been told that they probably will never do “positive stressed curls for the girls” again.  In the meantime…arm workouts are off their schedule.
 

Rotator Cuff .   I tell whoever I can, that shoulder injuries suck big time.  If it involves surgery, your upper body will be negatively impacted for Bodybuilding initiatives for a long time – and maybe even “longer”.  The shoulders interplay with so many other muscle groups that you’d be surprised as to what an injured one will limit you from “working out”.  One friend just came out of the hospital from surgery that was a result of an overweight “overhead barbell press”.   A dangerous enough exercise for many to deal with using “light weights”, never mind anything overly ambitious.
 

Knee injury – Patella ligament tears (Such as PCL) (knee cap stuff).  Full, standard Squats are a great exercise, but you’d be advised to have healthy knees, shoulders, and back to successfully attack this routine.  44 year old “blew out” (for lack of any technical term) his patella by tearing the PCL ligaments associated with it..  He was on the “upward” motion of the squat.  Surgery required.  No more squats OR any leg routines for a long time.
 

Crushed larynx – Barbell bench press.  Yup, it dropped onto his throat.. the entire 220 lbs -16 years old.  The kid died of suffocation.  This one was in the national news about a month ago.  Neither I or my son had any acquaintance with him, but I thought that it was significant enough to bring up here.  The kid was at his home gym, home all alone…..no spotter.  Father came home and found him draped over the flat bench. Everything was NOT in this kid’s favor.
 

That’s probably about enough…I think you get my point, so let me summarize.
 

Bodybuilding is an exciting sport, a great journey for us all to embark on.  What’s wonderful about it is that It doesn’t take a special person to make significant gains in posture, muscle development and “mind feeling”.   NO IT’S NOT INHERENTLY DANGEROUS.  But, believe me, it is terribly unforgiving of neglect, over indulgence, lack of attention and, yea…. lack of common sense.  I tell everyone I see who either asks me or I happen to be discussing the sport with, that it is so important to recognize your own limitations - temporary OR permanent.  I always emphasize that there are three MAJOR body areas to always keep in prime shape:  Shoulders, back, and knees.  They’ll thank you forever if you guard them “with your life” while bodybuilding!  Injure any one of them and you’re behind the “8 ball” for an unexpected while – it’ll negatively impact everything else you exercise, and it’ll even mess with your….. MIND!    Also, never be shy about asking questions and to seek help or guidance from a reliable source.  For example, there are many variations of the Basic Squat that you can do that achieves the same result, but perhaps in a safer, more comfortable form for YOUR body.   Spotters….man, you gotta have ‘em!!…..Shoulders and knees…warm up those joints with low weight routines prior to “stepping it up a notch”, seek alternative exercises if you have recurring pain or cartilage issues….PEC muscles…do chest presses before you do chest flies so the muscles warm up first.
 

Believe me, I’m not so naïve to think that all Bodybuilding injuries are preventable – some just happen, I know.  But it’s the “others” that I draw your attention to.
 

No need to be scared of the sport,  there’s no valid reason to be.  But be cautious and safe - - you owe it to yourself.  You only have one body, and I think both you and I want to see you make it last….a lifetime.