Maxime van den bergh

[ Home ] [ Up ]

March 16, 2005

From: Maxime van den bergh

Email: katrol3@hotmail.com

Hi
On your website: http://www.lift-4-life.com/Articles/Article6/Article6.htm There is a part:" deformation that bodybuilders suffer from, crippling injuries that powerlifters incur, short longevity that weightlifter complacently accept, and unsatisfactory accomplishments that general weight
training leads to. "

Can you give some additional info please. I am a recreational weightlifter (snatch/c&j) and wonder what you are saying is that weightlifting shortens your life?!

Other than that my friends practice split-schemes (recreational bodybuilding), will they get deformed? I thought bodybuilding was all about symmetry etc. besides mass and low body-fat.

Also, what crippling injuries do powerlifters incur?

I am pretty new to lifting, I entered a club for O. Weightlifting 4 months ago after a year of solo training consisting of little more than deadlifts, back- and front squats.

Most sincerely, Maxime Van den Bergh

Response

The exact quotation is

"deformation that bodybuilders suffer from, crippling injuries that powerlifters incur, short longevity that weightlifter complacently accept, and unsatisfactory accomplishments that general weight training leads to."

The short longevity is attributed to complacency with merely strengthening and stiffening of muscles and overloading of joints. The wise approach is complementing strengthening with flexibility exercises that ensure that major joints are balanced in all possible directions. Please, see http://www.todaysgym.com/Streching/Stretching.htm for some hints on stretching.

Powerlifters are at highest risk of these three crippling injuries:

1- Osteoarthritis of the knee and hip. This happens prematurely in comparison to the general public, due to overuse of the two joints.

2- Torn long head tendon of the Biceps brachialis. I witnessed this injury 5 times in my life. It occurs when a spotter fails to catch up with a bencher who tries to meddle with extremely heavy weight and on lousy rack support.

3- Spinal injury is the most common and career ending. It is either due to the arthrosis of the facet joints of the spine or muscular shut off during kyphotic loading (rounding of the back).

Mohamed F. El-Hewie