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Comment by graeme | Hacker News Reader

I hurt my back on a not so heavy deadlift. Had done them for two years prior, learned how to do them, etc

But all it took was one day where I was probably too tired/stressed. It wasn't a serious injury, but that spot in my back is still tight and I haven't really been able to unlock it despite physio, massage etc

May have had pre-existing tension which made it more likely. Dunno. But injury can happen more easily than you think.

(Though jogging is still more injury prone, I think. I'm just saying: treat the lifts with caution.)

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I fully agree with this, and wish to share an anecdote of my own:

I severely injured my back, bulged disk, cause? Poor computer posture and near-total lack of exercise.

I'm fairly convinced that lifting has left me substantially less injury prone: I started when I noticed that I was experiencing knee pain when bending down to pick something up off the floor. That's been gone since about two months after starting training.

Definitely respect yourself and respect the weight. Best of luck with your recovery, I know how it is and it's a journey for sure.

Thanks. I should also add, for context, that I plan to do lifting again, and would encourage others to do so. One of my favourite ever activities.

I'd just encourage the neophyte to be a bit cautious. Five minutes can lead to an injury that takes you out for a month, and leaves some persistent tension that will take work to get out.

And in particular I'd caution against going heavy if you're tired or stressed. I think my system in general became injury prone and tense during a period of stress. I've worked that out and feel better able to excercise compound lifts.

> …and respect the weight.

All it takes is a lapse in concentration. In my case, my grip started to fail mid set. So I switched (from overhand to mixed), next rep that wasn't enough and, well, surely I can save this rep if I just engage my bi… Oh, snap! Surgery and a year later, mostly recovered, but still.

You should definitely read The Divided Mind by Dr John Sarno. The book has a very high success rate at solving long term back injuries.

I did, years ago. Didn't do anything at the time. I'm not convinced that his thesis is the cause of my own pain.

Of note, I'm not really functionally impaired by this tension. Like, I never say "my back, my back, I can't lift today". I just have some tense spots that reduce flexibility a little.

Is there a specific thing you should do after reading the book?

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