Ford Prefect
02-09-2004, 08:00 AM
So I got to my gym this morning and the freakin thing wasn't open yet because of some shift screw-up with the employees. Finally after sitting in the parking lot for a 1/2 hour, somebody comes to open up. By this time, I'm thinking I have to rush through my workout to get to work on time. I do my warm-up and head to the free weight room.
I was only doing very light lifting to focus on form and because I was doing an intense kettlebell session afterward. When I get to my power clean & jerks, my mind is floating around because I'm impatient. It's hard to explain but in the squat rack where I unrack the weight, I either have to walk away and do them or stay tight to the rack because the ground is a little uneven right there. Because I'm hurrying I decide to stay tight to the rack which is hampering my form even more, not to mention it's a light weight, so I'm not respecting it.
For those not familiar with the jerk, it's more of a throw than a press. You explode up through your legs and throw the weight over your head. So I'm doing this trying to keep close to my body so I don't hit the rack. Stupid me having my mind floating around when !WHAP! I smashed the barbell directly into my chin. It felt like I had knocked some teeth out, so I run to the mirror and open my mouth. Luckily all my teeth are fine, but blood is pouring out of my mouth. I pull my lip down to see a huge gash in my gums which obviously got caught between my teeth as they smashed together.
So hear I am, lucky not to be knocked unconcious, bleeding profusely from my mouth in the middle of the gym. The cut wouldn't be any neater if I had sliced myself with a razor. I huddled over the water fountain for a few minutes rinsing and spitting and the bleeding eventually subsided. I ended up finishing my workout, but I can tell that I'll be in pain for a few days. All things considered, I think I got lucky.
The lesson that was reinforced is to always respect the weight. No matter how light or how easy it seems to lift. You can get distracted and twist a wrong way tearing muscles or knock yourself out through sheer stupidity. Bleh. I can still taste blood.
I was only doing very light lifting to focus on form and because I was doing an intense kettlebell session afterward. When I get to my power clean & jerks, my mind is floating around because I'm impatient. It's hard to explain but in the squat rack where I unrack the weight, I either have to walk away and do them or stay tight to the rack because the ground is a little uneven right there. Because I'm hurrying I decide to stay tight to the rack which is hampering my form even more, not to mention it's a light weight, so I'm not respecting it.
For those not familiar with the jerk, it's more of a throw than a press. You explode up through your legs and throw the weight over your head. So I'm doing this trying to keep close to my body so I don't hit the rack. Stupid me having my mind floating around when !WHAP! I smashed the barbell directly into my chin. It felt like I had knocked some teeth out, so I run to the mirror and open my mouth. Luckily all my teeth are fine, but blood is pouring out of my mouth. I pull my lip down to see a huge gash in my gums which obviously got caught between my teeth as they smashed together.
So hear I am, lucky not to be knocked unconcious, bleeding profusely from my mouth in the middle of the gym. The cut wouldn't be any neater if I had sliced myself with a razor. I huddled over the water fountain for a few minutes rinsing and spitting and the bleeding eventually subsided. I ended up finishing my workout, but I can tell that I'll be in pain for a few days. All things considered, I think I got lucky.
The lesson that was reinforced is to always respect the weight. No matter how light or how easy it seems to lift. You can get distracted and twist a wrong way tearing muscles or knock yourself out through sheer stupidity. Bleh. I can still taste blood.