How to preserve joints during strength training

Author: Maxim Kosenkov - gym trainer.
2015-02-17

Improper exercise technique, excessive weights, and the use of exercises that are inherently unnatural and dangerous for our joints can lead to various injuries as well as gradual wear and tear on the joints. In this article, based on my experience and knowledge, I will discuss how to minimize the risk of injury while performing exercises. I will also outline which exercises should be completely excluded and which can be modified to make them more effective for the muscles and safer for the joints.

Squats with a Barbell on Shoulders

The first exercise that I consider the most important for muscle mass development, as well as the most dangerous when performed incorrectly, is:

Various variations and analogs of this exercise. The knee joints are particularly at risk during squats. These joints are very complex in structure and highly vulnerable to injuries.

Let me start by saying that when performing this exercise, the knees should not move forward past the toes. During the movement, you should imagine a chair behind you that you are about to sit on. This approach will allow you to squat with the correct technique without pushing the knees forward past the toes.

Additionally, during the ascent from the squat, your knees should remain slightly bent at the endpoint of the range of motion. Failing to adhere to these two rules will gradually wear down the cartilage tissue in the knee joints. From excessive compression and friction, you may experience clicking and pain during movement. Ultimately, this can lead to complete cartilage wear and loss of joint mobility, requiring surgical intervention to replace the joint with an artificial one, as cartilage tissue cannot recover by itself.

It is also important to note the depth of the squat. You should lower yourself until your back remains straight. This means squatting to a level where the thigh bone is just below parallel to the floor. Various squats in a Smith machine, as well as similar squat machines where the movement trajectory remains unchanged, should be completely avoided. Such a trajectory is physiologically unnatural for our joints.

Pulling to the Chin, Overhead Presses, and French Press

The next exercises will be various presses and pulls with the barbell. When you hold the bar, the distance between your hands remains unchanged during the execution of the exercises, so your shoulder and elbow joints are forced to move along a fixed trajectory, which is also physiologically unnatural. The most dangerous exercises with the barbell are:

Next, I will suggest my variations of performing these exercises to reduce the risks of injury. Chin-ups with a barbell are a fundamental and irreplaceable exercise for the middle deltoid fibers. Therefore, to increase its effectiveness and reduce stress on the joints, you should perform it with dumbbells, raising and spreading your elbows to the sides. However, do not lift your elbows above shoulder level.

Overhead presses should be completely avoided. This exercise has no advantages over:

However, it is much more dangerous for the shoulder joints.

Regarding the French press, I recommend performing it either with dumbbells or only with a curved bar. The reason being that a straight bar can overload the wrists and place additional strain on the elbow joint.

Exercises on Machines

Now let’s talk about exercises on machines. All machines are designed for beginners or for people with existing injuries. They can also be used at the end of a workout to increase the volume of work done. Therefore, it is crucial not to use heavy weights on machines. And with exercises such as:

You need to be particularly careful and only perform them during high-repetition training sessions with light weights.

Warm-up and Stretching

Also, before performing any exercise, a warm-up of the joints that will be working during the exercise is essential. A warm-up involves simple joint rotations. This is necessary to increase the flow of synovial fluid to the joint, which serves as lubrication when the cartilages of two different bones that form the joint rub against each other. This fluid is only delivered during movement.

After the rotational movements, perform several warm-up sets with light weights before proceeding to working sets.

You should end your workout with stretches of the muscles that were worked during the session. During training, muscles shorten, and it takes about 5-6 hours for them to return to their original state. This can negatively affect the stability of the joints to which these muscles are attached. Additionally, with strength training, the ligaments surrounding the joint can thicken, which over time reduces their mobility and blood supply. Regular stretching after workouts helps avoid all this. It allows the muscles to immediately return to their original length, preventing the ligaments from thickening and maintaining their elasticity.

Beneficial for the joints would be the use of supplements such as:

• Flaxseed oil,
• Fish oil,
• Gelatin.