There are literally millions of strength trainees around the world that are carrying one injury or another that has been caused by training. The sad fact is that the majority of these injuries could have been prevented and more time could have been spent in the gym getting stronger and bigger. Injuries can set back a training program by months and sometimes years, and some injuries are serious enough to prevent a trainee from reaching their strength and size potential.

In this article, I will outline some tips to train in a injury free way.

1.    Following the wrong role models

The top body builders are exceptional people. They have exceptional genetics that not only allows them to build muscle easy and fast, but they also have the ability to withstand some serious abuse to their bodies. The fact is that elite body builders are not the best role models for the 95 percent of trainees.

2.    Listen to your body

Your body knows when what you are doing is potentially damaging. Any pain that is sudden, sharp or ‘not quite right’ is a signal that you should stop what you are doing. If you push through the pain you are only causing damage to your joints and muscles that will eventually catch up with you.

3.    Choose the right exercises and learn them correctly

Choose conservative exercises that don’t damage the body and learn how to do them with the correct form. This way you will train safely and avoid injuries while you lose fat and build muscle. The wrong exercise or the right one done incorrectly will put strain and stress on parts of your body which are not design to cope with excessive trauma. Stuart McRobert has written an excellent book called Build Muscle, Lose Fat and Look Great that provides detailed information on how to exercise correctly.