AboutDavid Dickeson, A.S. Expertise I am a 56-year-old man who has been 'strength training' for 24 years. I have been giving free advice on weightlifting in AllExperts; since July, 2005. I am also in AllExperts under "How To Get What You Want in Life" and under "Aging."
Experience I let people who have written to me "show you my experience." Read their questions, my answers, and especially their comments! You will learn a LOT!
Question QUESTION: Increasing the weight you lift will someday become an incredibly heavy weight. In your experience, what do you do to prevent hernias? Do you use a lifting belt? How do I know if I'm wearing the belt correctly because today I was squating very heavy with a proper form and I still felt a very little pain in the right side of the abdominals. I wrapped the belt lower pressing on the little discomfort and the exercise disappeared for the rest of the leg routine. This was the first time I experienced a discomfort while lifting but it was a little one. I'm getting afraid of hernias, I checked the area where the microscopic discomfort is and there's nothing apparent that might seem like a hernia. Any recommendations for the future?
ANSWER: Hello David
Yes, in theory, you can reach a point in lifting where you are lifting an incredibly heavy weight. But there WILL be a limit that you will reach. Because even with proper lifting and training, your body will reach a point where you just cannot pick up any heavier weight! I reached my point of "no-return" when I got to around 587 pounds of weights. I just could not lift any more weight!!
I have never used a weightlifting belt. Hate them. The belt is doing work for you. Your body should be trained PROPERLY to lift heavy weights so a hernia will never be a problem.
You achieve this four ways; 1. Lift what you can lift without pain. If you feel pain, then you are lifting too heavy. Cut back on the weight so your body can recover. 2. Lift heavy once a week. It takes a whole week for your body to completely recover when lifting heavy. Especially squats!. 3. Increase the weight you are lifting SLOWLY. No more than 1 pound of added weight per week. If you do 5 pound increases, this is too heavy, and will eventually damage your body. 4. Know when to stop increasing the weight. One day I looked in the mirror and was satisfied with the size and mass I had achieved. I then began to 'cut-back' on the weights I was lifting because I did not want to get any bigger in size. I cut back 4 times down to my present lift of 415 pounds. It has been 5 years now and I am still lifting 415 pounds. I do not loose, or gain, mass size and strength, even 5 years later and much older. I am now age 57.
PS If you do heavy deadlifts, or better - shoulder presses with a power rack, you will not need to do squats. I started out doing squats with my power rack, which gave the muscles in my thighs a painful FIT!, I noticed that the rest of my body was also growing bigger and stronger. That was the beginning of trying different techniques and eventually developing REYOMETRICS. Now I lift heavy with no pain and no injuries.
And PPS, even after 5 years, 415 pounds still feels HEAVY!!
Thanks for the question. Hope this helps.
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: The gym where I exercise has a power rack but tha smallest plates that they have are of 5 pounds. The bar is really thick so I don't know how to add 1 pound of weight every week.
Answer Hello Again!
Sounds like they are using a olympic bar. I believe the diamater is 1-1/2". Put a paper on the end and draw around the diameter of the bar.
Take this paper to local hardware stores and ask for unpainted steel washers with the same diameter opening as the weight bar. Boat suppliers also sell such washers with a large opening. If none, try the internet under washers for sale, retail.
I use what they call a "standard" weight bar. Which is 1" in diameter.\
I bought my washers at a hardware store 60 miles from my house. Sometimes you have to really search for what you need in life...
I took the washers to the post office and used their weight scale. I found that 3 washers weighed 1/2 pound.
I then got some adhesive called liquid nails. I glued 3 washers together, painted them flat black when the glue dried; and there was my 1/2 pound weight plates...
Every week I would put on 1 pound of weight. 1/2 pound on each side. I had 15 washers. 10 sets of three. When I got to 5 pounds, I took the washers off, and replaced them with a pair of 2-1/2 pound plates. Then I started putting the washers back on, got to 10 pounds, took the washers and the 2-1/2 pound plates off and replaced them with a pair of 5 pound plates. And so on, and so on. My bar got heavier, but my body barely felt the increase in weight. Eventually I reached 100 lbs, then 200 lbs, and so on.
Another source you can search for is "fractional weight plates" There is at least ONE company I have seen that sells custom-made washers small as I am talking about, but they are not cheap.
Be sure to keep your washer-weights close. Once people find out about them, they will "borrow" them from you and you will be buying more and more washers. Let them buy, and make their own.
