Avoiding Common Overuse Injuries in Weightlifting

Weightlifting builds more than muscle, it builds confidence, discipline, and long-term health. But like any high-intensity sport, lifting can take a toll on the body if training isn’t balanced. Overuse injuries are some of the most common issues I see among recreational and competitive lifters. The good news? Most of them are preventable.

This article breaks down why overuse injuries happen, what the science says about preventing them, and how smart training keeps you strong for years to come.

💥 What Are Overuse Injuries?

Overuse injuries develop when tissues (muscles, tendons, ligaments, or joints) are stressed faster than they can recover. They’re not caused by one bad lift; they build up gradually through repetitive strain.

Common examples include:

• Tendinopathies: patellar, rotator cuff, and Achilles tendons

• Low back strain from repetitive heavy squats or deadlifts

• Elbow or wrist pain from gripping or pressing volume

• Shoulder impingement from excessive overhead movements

In a systematic review of resistance training injuries, overuse accounted for nearly 70% of all lifting-related injuries.¹

⚖️ Why Overuse Injuries Happen

1. Poor Load Management
   Training too much, too soon, or not enough rest between sessions. Research shows that sudden spikes in training volume are the strongest predictor of overuse injuries.²

2. Faulty Technique
   Even small form errors repeated thousands of times (like rounding the spine or overextending the wrists) can irritate joints and tendons.³

3. Lack of Recovery
   Inadequate sleep and poor nutrition slow tissue repair.⁴

4. Muscle Imbalances & Mobility Restrictions
   Limited shoulder, hip, or ankle mobility forces compensations that stress joints elsewhere.⁵

5. Ignoring Early Warning Signs
   Pain that “comes and goes” or stiffness in the morning is your body’s early alarm system.

🧠 The Science Behind Prevention

1️⃣ Progressive Overload, Not Abrupt Jumps

Gradual, consistent loading strengthens muscles and tendons. According to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), increasing training volume by no more than 2–10% per week helps minimize overuse risk.²

2️⃣ Tendons Adapt Slowly

Tendons strengthen more slowly than muscles. A systematic review in Sports Medicine found that heavy slow resistance (HSR) training improves tendon structure and pain in conditions like patellar or Achilles tendinopathy.⁶

3️⃣ Quality Movement Matters

Biomechanical analysis shows that technique faults under fatigue increase shear and compressive stress on joints.³ This is why maintaining good form, especially during high-rep sets, is critical for injury prevention.

4️⃣ Resistance Training Improves Mobility

Contrary to old myths, lifting doesn’t make you stiff. A meta-analysis found that resistance training can increase joint range of motion just as much as stretching.⁷

5️⃣ Sleep, Stress, and Nutrition

Tendon and muscle recovery depend on deep sleep and proper protein intake (1.6–2.2 g/kg/day).⁴ Low energy availability, especially in competitive lifters, can impair healing and raise overuse injury risk with a condition known as Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S).⁸

🦵 Common Injury Zones & How to Protect Them

💪 Shoulders

• Focus on scapular stability (serratus anterior, lower trapezius, rotator cuff)

• Avoid excessive kipping or fatigue-based pressing without rest

• Incorporate rows, face pulls, and external rotations weekly⁹

🦵 Knees

• Balance quadriceps and glute strength

• Maintain proper alignment during squats and lunges (knees track over smaller toes)

• Use controlled descent phases to strengthen tendons safely⁶

🦶 Back

• Brace your core before every lift

• Avoid excessive lumbar movement underload

• Strengthen the hips and thoracic spine to share the load³

🤲 Wrists & Elbows

• Don’t over grip the bar; loosen grip during cleans and snatches

• Include forearm eccentric training for tendon resilience¹⁰

🔄 When to Modify vs. When to Rest

• Modify: If pain is mild (1–3/10) and decreases after warm-up

• Rest: If pain persists or worsens with use or affects form

• Research supports a “pain monitoring” model by continuing training within tolerable pain limits is safe and maintains progress¹¹

🩺 How Physical Therapy Helps Lifters

At Tualatin Valley Physical Therapy, we help lifters of all levels:
✅ Manage overuse pain through load adjustment and targeted exercise
✅ Improve mobility and joint control
✅ Identify weak links through movement analysis
✅ Rebuild confidence with graded exposure
✅ Learn pain science for long-term resilience

We offer 1:1 sessions with a DPT, same-day appointments, and free 15-minute consultations.

Serving Hillsboro, Cornelius, and Forest Grove, we help you train smarter, recover faster, and stay strong longer.

 Train smart. Lift well. Listen to your body.
We remove every barrier between you and the recovery you deserve.

🏁 The Bottom Line

Overuse injuries don’t happen overnight, and they don’t have to stop your training.
With proper load management, recovery, and technique, your body can handle impressive strength gains without breakdown.

References

1. Keogh JW, Winwood PW. The Epidemiology of Injuries Across the Weight-Training Sports. Sports Med. 2017;47(3):479–501.

2. Ratamess NA, Alvar BA, Evetoch TK, et al. Progression Models in Resistance Training for Healthy Adults. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2009;41(3):687–708.

3. Frost DM, Beach TA, Callaghan JP, McGill SM. The Influence of Load and Experience on Trunk Muscle Activation and Movement Patterns During the Deadlift. J Strength Cond Res. 2015;29(11):3110–3119.

4. Haack M, Simpson N, Sethna N, et al. Sleep Deficiency and Chronic Pain: Mechanisms and Clinical Implications. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2020;45(1):205–216.

5. Behm DG, Chaouachi A. A Review of the Acute Effects of Static and Dynamic Stretching on Performance. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2011;111(11):2633–2651.

6. Beyer R, Kongsgaard M, Hougs Kjær B, Øhlenschlæger T, Kjær M, Magnusson SP. Heavy Slow Resistance Versus Eccentric Training as Treatment for Achilles Tendinopathy. Am J Sports Med. 2015;43(7):1704–1711.

7. Afonso J, Ramirez-Campillo R, et al. Resistance Training vs. Static Stretching on Flexibility. Sports Med. 2021;51(4):767–777.

8. Mountjoy M, Sundgot-Borgen J, Burke L, et al. IOC Consensus Statement on Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S): 2018 Update. Br J Sports Med. 2018;52(11):687–697.

9. Hoppe MW, Baumgart C, Polglaze T, Freiwald J. Shoulder Injury Risk and Prevention Strategies in Overhead Sports. J Exp Orthop. 2022;9(1):78.

10. Merry K, Napier C, Waugh CM, Scott A. Foundational Principles and Adaptation of the Healthy and Pathological Achilles Tendon in Response to Resistance Exercise: A Narrative Review and Clinical Implications. J Clin Med. 2022;11(16):4722. Published 2022 Aug 12. doi:10.3390/jcm11164722

11. Silbernagel KG, Thomeé R, Eriksson BI, Karlsson J. Continued Sports Activity Using a Pain-Monitoring Model During Rehabilitation in Patients With Achilles Tendinopathy. Am J Sports Med. 2007;35(6):897–906.