Weights Dangerous?

Is lifting weights dangerous? Sure. Not as dangerous as becoming a couch potato. Inactivity will hurt you much worse than any resistance training, but lifting weights does come with the risk of injury. The number one culprit? The Ego.

The most important parts of lifting weights: proper warm-up and good form. Never sacrifice form for weight! That is a recipe for injury.

I start every lift with Just the Olympic bar or a very light dumbbell if I am using those. My first set is just focused on good form. My second set I also use an embarrassing light weight. In fact, that’s a great rule of thumb: if you do not feel a little silly with how light your second warm-up set is than you are using too much weight. On the third warm-up set (yes, I do a minimum of three), I use a decent amount of weight, but still slightly less than anything I might struggle with lifting. Now I am ready to begin my “heavy” sets.

Note that I put the word heavy in quotes? Why you ask? Because heavy is still not my primary objective when I finish my warm-ups. I still prioritize good form over weight. Does it hurt my ego sometimes? Sure. Not as much as an injury though.