Now you’ve done it. That extra 5 lbs you placed on the bar was just enough to cause something in your shoulder to give out, and you’re suffering an excruciating pain that only gets worse every time you raise your arm. Congratulations and welcome to injury-land, the place where all bodybuilders visit sooner or later. Desire and ambition are super characteristics for bodybuilding, but they can also lead you down the road to injury.

Once you’ve become injured, you are faced with three intelligent objectives:

1. Reduce the damage.

2. Initiate speedy recovery.

3. Reduce the risk of future injuries.

The next step is to have the damage assessed by a medical doctor. Don’t self- diagnose or have one of your gym buddies “clear you” for further training. Unless it feels minor and you’ve experienced something similar before, have a medical professional look at your injury. In the case of such high-risk areas as the knees, shoulders, or lower back, get a medical check-up no matter how seemingly insignificant the injury feels. In many cases, you can promote speedier healing by using ice and taping. Although it depends on the type of injury, taping for support can be a good idea if you're not badly injured and need to make it home on your own (although driving with a foot the size of a football can make things interesting!)

Initiate Speedy Recovery

Although there are numerous ways to decrease swelling, as a general rule the best is ice. As soon as the injury takes place, ice it. Most gyms and fitness centers have ice packs on hand for such emergencies. You're much more likely to come back much quicker if you kept the swelling at bay from the beginning.

Another thing that is easily underestimated is the rest period. You should always rest the injured muscle andor joint before getting back at light to moderate training. If you're two weeks away from full healing, sure, go ahead and do a couple of light sets to get the blood flowing. But don’t be a fool and resume bodybuilding training the day after an injury takes place. Only when you're feeling definite improvement should you even consider light training - and the key word here is light. There's a time and a place to push the limits, and this is not one of them!
That is not to say that you have to stay out of the gym altogether. With an elbow-injury, you can still do legs, abs, and lower back, and even shoulders if you use a suitable machine. Be smart and use this time to work on your weaknesses. How about giving those calves an extra beating, now that you have the extra time.

Reduce the risk of future Injuries

Always allow full and complete healing before even thinking about resuming heavy training. Bodybuilders and other athletes often tend to overestimate themselves. You might only be days away from complete healing, when you accidentally injury the same muscle again. This could set you back weeks if not months. Before you dive back into your Mr. Olympia-sized workout, take a minute and figure out what may have caused the injury in the first place. Did your ego override your common sense, causing you to lift too heavy, or did you just use sloppy technique that day? Perhaps you routinely workout with improper form and it has finally caught up with you? It's essential to learn what caused the injury before it reoccurs, or worse; tears the entire muscle. If you have trouble determining the cause, don’t be afraid to talk to a knowledgeable personal trainer.
In many cases it may have be something as simple as bad footwear (makes you unstable when squatting or leg pressing. The reasons are numerous, but you have to learn what it is and figure out a way to fix the problem. Otherwise you'll be a frequent visitor to injury-land! No bodybuilder wants this or has the time for this - so take care and keep your bodybuilding workouts injuty-free.

By Bob Howard

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