I was talking to a weightlifter I know, he recently had surgery on his shoulder to repair a weightlifting injury, and returned to weightlifting on recovery. I pray he is not injured again, and he knows and has known about "Isometric Weightlifting Exercise" for decades; but said he is not interested in that. His two young adult sons lift weights in a weightlifting room in the house and attend College. He complained about soreness from lifting. But will not be using Isometric Weightlifting! God bless that poor man. I am sure many of you have seen this before.
My Weightlifter buddy stopped weightlifting, and started Isometric Weightlifting on recovery after surgery, he uses a 5 foot red oak staff for a barbell and it helps him to hold something in his hands to focus and he loves lifting without injury!
It hit me that friend of mine is traveling a middle road, he is using machines with light weights and using dumbbells with light weights and "Isometric" resistance at the Gym! A blend of weightlifting and Isometric tension ie a form of Powerflexing! My other friend the former weightlifter uses a wooden red oak, five foot long fighting staff as a barbell and Reflexology wooden oak footrollers as dumbbells; another middle path mixing Isometric resistance and weightlifting. These guys and others doing the thing are using a blended method to help themselves.
That friend told me he uses the 20 lbs. setting on machine exercises and 3 lbs. dumbbells for shoulder exercises, he injured the shoulder (but not weightlifting). Plus he enjoys the Gym Social Scene.
One of my friend's uses light weights at his Gym and uses muscle tension to increase his results, and at home sometimes uses Isometric Weightlifting exercises. Combining both methods works for him and he has used this for several years. At the Gym he uses Machine Exercises set low and also barbell and dumbbells with light weights.
Bob you are 100% correct.
Weighlifting is a competitive type of training that is directly related to sport, and it encourages a trainee to compare own results with others or with own previous achievements. I think that easy estimation of weightlifting results measured in lbs or kg pushes some guys to use more and more weights to their physiological limits and that eventually evoke injuries when these guys become older.
Great comments guys.
The weightlifter who returned to lifting, had prior injuries before his last injury and operation. But my weightlifter buddy that switched to Isometric weightlifting had injuries also, I suspect his wife may have nagged him into switching; but loves his results now. Michael I agree some use logic in lifting and others pus to far. Bob you are right.
Self Resistance, Isometrics and Visualized Resistance can be a blessing for guys that are so badly injuried they can't do anything else. Nothing wrong with any type of training in my book. I think where a lot of people go wrong with weights is trying to lift as heavy as possible and pushing to failure. Weights don't do harm it's what you do with them that does the harm. Many people lift weights throughout their lives with no problem. If people would concentrate on form and the muscles being worked they wouldn't have a problem.
You can actually hurt Yourself with any type of training. You can get hurt by doing to much, not paying attention to form and yes to much tension.
Unfortunately, many people who practice weightlifting "think inside the box" and eventually destroy themselves.