5 common gym injuries and how to avoid them: Jabbar’s prevention guide

Coached by Jabbar
MG crew · Strength & Fitness · Lifting, conditioning and the gym floor.
Updated October 2026 · 7 min read

“My knee clicks on squats and my lower back is sore after deadlifts. Is that normal?”

Most gym injuries don’t come from one bad rep. They build up from too much, too fast, from tired form and from skipped warm-ups. I’ve seen all five below on the gym floor, and almost all of them are avoidable. Here’s what causes each one, what I do to prevent it, and when to stop and see a doctor.

Before you start

Soreness the day after a hard session is normal. Pain is different: a sharp, pinching or burning feeling, pain that gets worse as you train, or pain that is still there days later. If you feel that, stop the exercise. The tips below are general information to help you train smarter. They don’t replace advice from a doctor or physiotherapist.

1. Shin splints

Shin splints are pain along the front or inner edge of your shin bone, between your knee and your ankle. They show up in people who run and jump a lot, such as football, basketball, hockey, sprinting and conditioning circuits. They usually come from doing too much too soon, hard surfaces like asphalt and concrete, worn-out shoes, tired legs and not enough recovery.

What I do about it

• Warm up and stretch before every session, with calf and ankle mobility.
• Build your running and jumping volume gradually instead of adding a lot in one week.
• Train on grass, a track or a gym floor instead of concrete and asphalt where you can.
• Replace shoes that are worn out, and wear shoes that suit the activity.
• Take rest days between hard sessions. Pain along the shin that keeps coming back is a sign to rest and get it checked.

2. Knee pain

A clicking, crunching or aching feeling around the kneecap is often called runner’s knee (patellofemoral pain). It’s common in squatters and runners. Typical causes are tired muscles, weak hips and glutes, poor squat form and too much volume. Ignoring it can lead to other aches, including in the lower back.

What I do about it

• Add hip and glute mobility to your warm-up, such as leg swings and glute bridges.
• Build your glutes. Strong glutes take load off your knees and lower back on big lifts.
• Use a few minutes of easy cycling to warm up your legs without pounding them.
• Start new or heavy lifts with light weight and add load slowly.
• Keep your knees tracking over your toes on squats and lunges.

3. Wrist strain

Your wrists carry a lot more than people think. They take compression on push days (chest, shoulders and triceps), pull stress on back and biceps days, and they hold the bar in place on squats. Straight-bar curls and wrong grip positions add even more stress.

What I do about it

• Add light wrist curls and wrist rotations to your warm-up.
• Use an EZ bar or neutral-grip handles for curls and triceps work if a straight bar bothers your wrists.
• Keep your wrists stacked straight over your elbows on presses.
• Use wrist wraps on heavy pressing and overhead sets for extra support, and lifting straps on heavy pulls so your hands aren’t the limit.

4. Shoulder pain

Your shoulder has three parts (front, side and rear) held in place by the rotator cuff. In many gyms the front and side shoulders are overdeveloped and the rear is neglected. That imbalance, plus heavy lifting with poor form, is a common cause of shoulder pain.

What I do about it

• Warm up your rotator cuff with bands or light cable work before shoulder and chest days.
• Train your rear shoulders as often as your front shoulders: face pulls, reverse flies and rows.
• Take your time on overhead presses. Don’t over-arch your back or swing the weights.
• Use full range of motion with lighter weight and slow lowering. Five controlled reps beat five sloppy heavy ones.

5. Lower back pain

This is the one that keeps people out of the gym for weeks. It often comes from lifting heavy with poor form: rounding your back on deadlifts, over-arching on presses or loading the bar for a photo. Heavy loads with bad form put stress on the discs and the nerves around the spine.

What I do about it

• Warm up for 15 to 20 minutes with easy cardio and mobility before you load a barbell.
• Add weight slowly and drop the weight the moment your form breaks.
• Brace your core and keep your back neutral on every deadlift, row and squat.
• Wear flat, stable shoes for heavy lifts, and a lifting belt on your heaviest sets if you know how to brace into it.
• Don’t ego lift. It’s about how well you work the muscle, not how many plates are on the bar.

Warm up like you mean it

1. 5 to 10 minutes of easy cardio. Bike, rower or brisk walk to raise your heart rate and warm your muscles.
2. Mobility for what you’re about to train. Hips and ankles for legs, shoulders and upper back for pressing and pulling.
3. Two or three light build-up sets. Start with an empty bar or light dumbbells and add weight each set.

Four mistakes to avoid

1. Skipping the warm-up. Cold muscles and joints are easier to strain. Fix: give yourself 10 minutes before the first working set.

2. Adding weight too fast. Your muscles grow faster than your tendons and joints can adapt. Fix: add small amounts and repeat the weight until it feels easy.

3. Training through pain. Small problems turn into weeks off. Fix: stop the exercise, swap it for something that doesn’t hurt and get it checked if it lasts.

4. Skipping recovery. Tired muscles lose form. Fix: sleep 7 to 9 hours, eat enough protein and take rest days.

The gear I use to train smart

Shop weightlifting accessories →

Free UAE delivery over AED 350. Gear helps support good training; it doesn’t replace warm-ups, good form or rest.

Questions people ask me

What are the most common gym injuries?
Shin splints, knee pain, wrist strain, shoulder pain and lower back pain are among the most common. Most come from doing too much too soon, poor form and skipping the warm-up.

How do I prevent gym injuries?
Warm up, add weight slowly, keep your form clean, include rest days and get enough sleep. Stop an exercise that causes sharp pain.

Is it OK to train through pain?
No. Muscle soreness is normal, but sharp, pinching or worsening pain is not. Stop that exercise and see a doctor or physio if it doesn’t settle.

Do wrist wraps and knee sleeves prevent injuries?
They support the joint and can make heavy training feel more comfortable, but they don’t fix poor form or overtraining. Think of them as support, not protection from everything.

How long should I rest after an injury?
It depends on the injury. A doctor or physio can tell you. Don’t return to heavy training until the pain has gone and you can move freely.

Keep going

• Arif’s deadlift guide
• Bella’s squat guide
• Bella’s wraps guide
• Everything for everyday training: the Strength & Fitness hub