Knee pain after weight training. Am I doing something wrong?!
Question: I just started doing deadlifts 2 weeks ago. I'm pretty sure i have the technique down but im thinking I may have done something wrong. I had pain in my knee the next day. Is this normal or should i be concerned? Should i rest an extra week before doing more? The pain isn't too bad but I want to make sure not to injure myself. Id be extremely disappointed if i had to stop training for an extended amount of time.
Answers: I just started doing deadlifts 2 weeks ago. I'm pretty sure i have the technique down but im thinking I may have done something wrong. I had pain in my knee the next day. Is this normal or should i be concerned? Should i rest an extra week before doing more? The pain isn't too bad but I want to make sure not to injure myself. Id be extremely disappointed if i had to stop training for an extended amount of time.
I would take a few days off just to be on the safe side. If the pain is not severe I would not worry about it too much, you could have just overworked it. But let it rest anyway. Pain is your body telling you something and if you continue to stress it, a small injury may lead to permanent damage.
I have been doing deadlifts for years and I cannot stress it enough that form is MOST important. Form outweighs how much you can lift by far. Start off at a lower weight and do slow, full range motions so your body adjusts to the movement. Remember to keep your feet about shoulder width apart and always keep your back straight. If your back curves at all bringing the bar up you need to drop the weight or you can severely damage your back. The website from my source gives a video of how to do deadlifts properly and what to look out for.
Another concern is how much are you doing deadlifts a week? Deadlifts are a great overall workout especially for your lower back, legs and forearms. However they put tremendous stress to your body. I would not recommend doing deadlifts more than twice a week with at least a days rest between them. You will notice tremendous gains in your lower back strength but this area is prone to injury with anyone, especially when aging.
The pain is in your knee correct? You may have the proper form down but pay close attention to how your legs are stabilizing you during the exercise. Your legs are the ones holding up you and the weight youre lifting so do not take leg placement for granted. It could be very well at the source of your problem.
Email me at joshy_boy7@hotmail.com if you have any questions regarding strength training, mass building or plyometrics (explosive exercise work) as well as proper nutrition and supplements.
One last thing, since this is knee pain (joint pain) it should be treated differently than muscle pain. Joints will not fully heal when damaged while you can always build more muscle. Try icing your knee if it swells. If it is not swelling you can put heat on it. Heat attracts more blood to the area which promotes healing. However if the area is swollen, ice should be applied to draw blood away from the source. DO NOT add heat to a swollen body part, ice it instead.
Hope this helps and good luck training!
I recommend taking a few days off and let your body recover, you don't want to make the injuries permanent.