Injuries in Powerlifting generally require a long rehabilitation period and happen to even the most seasoned athletes. Cillian Duffy and Vito Boronenko talked to The College View on their experiences.
In Boronenko’s case, the injury that has been holding him back has been recurring. His lower back has been the issue on two occasions. The main cause of it came from lifting too much and playing basketball on top of his training.
Boronenko said his coaches instructions would have helped him avoid the fatigue that led to his injury.
“On the days I felt good and strong in the gym, I was going heavier than what was written on the program and with basketball adding extra fatigue my body I wasn’t able to keep up and I ended up injuring my lower back while squatting.
“It was 100% my fault for not following my coaches instructions.”
Boronenko had his chance for a comeback and started preparing for the Junior Nationals ten weeks out. Once his lower back started to feel better he followed his coaches instructions and began beating his own personal bests.
“It was definitely my fault for being so arrogant, thinking I knew better than a coach who has been coaching powerlifting for over ten years.”
He remained open about his mistakes and explained the rationale he had at the time.
“I kept lifting heavier than what he had set out for me. As an inexperienced lifter I believed that is what would make me stronger, which is definitely not the case.
Vito wasn’t alone in this as Duffy also admitted that his injuries were his own fault.
“In my case it’s entirely down to being stupid, not focusing on prehabilitation and pushing myself too hard.”
He also said that injuries “are a vicious cycle because they prevent you from training or playing sport and if you rush your recovery you end up delaying your return to the sport. My knee issue is from over-training and lack of stretching. If you train correctly you shouldn’t have any issues.”
Duffy explained that the issues don’t usually arise from lifting too heavy on a random occasion saying that injuries generally appear after prolonged periods of poor training habits. He warned against the idea of training with weights that are too heavy and said that technique and weaknesses need to be examined first.
“Build the weight back up with good form and you’ll be stronger in the long run.”
Hugh Farrell
Image Credit: Neil Campbell