Worst weightlifting accidents

bubbasmith99

Senior member
Mar 24, 2003
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What are the most embarassing/dangerous weightlifting accidents you've ever witnessed or been the prime mover in?

I've had a few doozies

I first started benchpressing on one of those mini-benches you can buy at Sports Authority for 100 bucks. One time I was removing about 50 pounds off one side of the bar and I removed it (two 25 lb plates) all at once and the bar whipped up off the bench and snapped through the air and came about two inches from permanently obliterating my chin. Close call :)

Another time I was lifting (without a spotter as I am wont to do) and couldn't push the weight back up and so I had to rest it on my stomach and slloooowwwlllyyy roll it off my body. What agony. To this day, I have a discernible red scar across my belly where I let the bar lie for too long.

The only time I've really embarassed myself in public was when I was using a leg press and thought there were only four 45 lb plates when in fact there were like 12 (I thought the other 8 were racked, didn't realize they were ON the leg press) and I wanted to work in with this dude and I almost got twisted into a pretzel. Four guys had to help me out. So ashamed....
 

Mutilator

Diamond Member
Aug 22, 2000
3,513
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A year or 2 ago I was pulling some 45s off the bar that was about shoulder height to me... apparently I had my right knee locked since I had my shin touching a weight bench that was off to the side of the rack. My knee went out causing my leg to bend to the right instead of forward IE my leg was facing straight ahead like normal... but was folded over like this >
I kinda sat down confused for a sec... and figured it'd probably be smart to straighten my leg back out so I did. Didn't hurt too terribly bad, put some icy hot on it and drove home. It still kinda seems weak sometimes but I havn't really had any major trouble with it since. I think I'm pretty lucky that I didn't do some serious damage that day.
 

beer

Lifer
Jun 27, 2000
11,169
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I have seen a video of a dude breaking his leg on a squat.

At USAPL nationals, one of the guys on our team sh!t himself when he was squatting, on his third attempt. buahahha
 

Spac3d

Banned
Jul 3, 2001
6,651
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My brothers friend was doing incline bench and it dropped on his face. Thank god he was a soccer player ... he blamed his scars on being kicked in the face.

It was not a pretty site... but after a couple surgeries, his nose looked "okay."
 

TallBill

Lifer
Apr 29, 2001
46,017
62
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hahahaha, sick.. thats one hell of a squat! i've just seen a kid in gym class drop a 20 pounder on his toe and break it.

Also... my uncle was in a similar situation of having weights on his chest. He slowly tipped the weights to one side and as soon as they fell off the bar whipped to the other side, creating two very loud falls
 

Dacalo

Diamond Member
Mar 31, 2000
8,778
4
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Originally posted by: Elemental007
I have seen a video of a dude breaking his leg on a squat.

At USAPL nationals, one of the guys on our team sh!t himself when he was squatting, on his third attempt. buahahha

LOL
 

dskaplan

Banned
Dec 31, 2002
79
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Rule of thumb... when using a bar, get a spotter. Otherwise, stick with dumbbells.

I hate the bar personally, doesn't work as well as a set of dumbbells (you build stabilizer muscles much better with dumbbells).
 

CPA

Elite Member
Nov 19, 2001
30,322
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Originally posted by: TallBill
hahahaha, sick.. thats one hell of a squat! i've just seen a kid in gym class drop a 20 pounder on his toe and break it.

Also... my uncle was in a similar situation of having weights on his chest. He slowly tipped the weights to one side and as soon as they fell off the bar whipped to the other side, creating two very loud falls

That is the preferred method of removing a stuck bar. Rolling it off will only cause pain. Now of course, if you are using weight collars, tipping won't help.

 

Looney

Lifer
Jun 13, 2000
21,938
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I use to go to a gym that was outside... and well, it snows up here in Canada, so the weights rusted a bit. Anyways, this hungarian guy (pretty sure he was this) was being your typical hero, and uses these huge dumbbell weights on a flat bench and pressing them... banging them together. Well, one of them chipped, and a big rust flake came off and fell in his eye. He dropped the weight and immediately rubbed his eye, which caused more damage. Needless to say, when i saw him next (a few days later), he was missing an eye.

 

TheNinja

Lifer
Jan 22, 2003
12,207
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Funny:
I've been pinned under the bench press once or twice, not the smartest thing to do, especially working out at home alone. I always get a kick out of seeing people who don't put clips on the side and can't push the bar up straight, and then all of a sudden...BAM, one of the weights falls off one side and then immediately the bar tips the other way and BANG the other weight falls off leaving a guy laying on the bench holding only the bar and a VERY red face. (I don't use the clips either but I at least can push it straight up).

Bad:
I was on the pec deck/fly machine and had way to much weight on when I was younger probably 6 years ago. I put my shoulder in an ackward position and wham, I felt my left shoulder/pec go felt like it went out of place and then luckily right back into place. About 2 years ago I had finally built it up again and was on the fly machine, and wouldn't you know it, same crap. I threw my towel across the gym floor, grabbed my bag and walked out. To this day I cannot do the fly machine very well and I constantly have pain in that shoulder joint when I lift or do any sort of strenous exercise involving that area.
 

Spamela

Diamond Member
Oct 30, 2000
3,859
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Originally posted by: CPA
Originally posted by: TallBill
hahahaha, sick.. thats one hell of a squat! i've just seen a kid in gym class drop a 20 pounder on his toe and break it.

Also... my uncle was in a similar situation of having weights on his chest. He slowly tipped the weights to one side and as soon as they fell off the bar whipped to the other side, creating two very loud falls

That is the preferred method of removing a stuck bar. Rolling it off will only cause pain. Now of course, if you are using weight collars, tipping won't help.

if i get stuck & have no spotter, then i always roll it down to my waist, then stand up with it. there's no pain because i do my ab work.

at a powerlifting meet i saw a person vomit a blue drink when deadlifting (he made the lift, though).
i saw another person urinate when deadlifting (also made the lift).

my son's coach saw a guy cut off his finger benching.
 

Yossarian

Lifer
Dec 26, 2000
18,010
1
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Originally posted by: Spamela
my son's coach saw a guy cut off his finger benching.

how the hell do you do that?

the worst thing I ever had was a near miss--I was doing some cleans when I didn't notice some guy's toddler come walking up and get real close to the plates on one side. I came pretty close to taking his head off. I have no idea why the guy had such a young kid in the gym.
 

Spamela

Diamond Member
Oct 30, 2000
3,859
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76
Originally posted by: PipBoy
Originally posted by: Spamela
my son's coach saw a guy cut off his finger benching.

how the hell do you do that?

the worst thing I ever had was a near miss--I was doing some cleans when I didn't notice some guy's toddler come walking up and get real close to the plates on one side. I came pretty close to taking his head off. I have no idea why the guy had such a young kid in the gym.


easy. use a wide grip & throw the bar holding 500 lbs. back into the rack.
 

ATLien247

Diamond Member
Feb 1, 2000
4,597
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Originally posted by: Spamela

if i get stuck & have no spotter, then i always roll it down to my waist, then stand up with it. there's no pain because i do my ab work.

That's the way I do it too... much more dignified than dropping the plates.

I really haven't had any bad weightlifting accidents.

I did re-sprain my knee doing squats. I had sprained it a couple weeks prior during a football game, and didn't give it enough time to heal.
 

Kelemvor

Lifer
May 23, 2002
16,928
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What a disappointment. Was hoping to see some links of people screwing up weight lifting. THose are always fun. Gymnastics one are funnier though. heh.
 

royaldank

Diamond Member
Apr 19, 2001
5,440
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Couple years ago I saw the lifter from Russia step up in the All Steroids Olympics. He went to lift the bar and his arms came off.

Not sure how long ago, but I saw it late one Saturday night. Hmmmm....
 

LS20

Banned
Jan 22, 2002
5,858
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my friend dropped a bar on his mouth and chipped his teeth

now he does 80lb barbells only (because he doesnt use a spotter) ...quite a monster! (hes asian:eek:)
 

TheNinja

Lifer
Jan 22, 2003
12,207
1
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Here's a decent one:

Two skinny guys (probably high schoolers) are bench pressing, and they start with way too much weight on of course. So they count to three and take the bar off the rack, the kid benching tries to push it up, get's it a little ways up and then his arms start shaking and it begins to come back down. So the other kid starts yelling pretty loudly, "come on!, you can lift it!, push it, push it!" This goes on for about 10 seconds (must have seemed like forever for the guy under the bar). So now not only is the one kid stuck under the bar, his buddy is yelling at him and people are starting to look over out of the corner of their eye b/c they hear this jacka$$ and it's pretty obvious the kid isn't going to be pushing it up anytime this year. Finally the kid under the bar says something to the affect of, "shut the f*** up and just help me lift this f***ing thing".
 

fatkorean

Senior member
Dec 17, 2001
793
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I have one, also. I was doing inclines @ 205 and was taking the weights off when someone starts talking to me. Now there is a 45,25, and a 10. I take the 10 off first and then the guy start talking and i forget about the 25 and grab the 45. The 25 landed on my big toe and broke it. It landed on the nail and pushed my toe bone up so that basically ripped the front portion of the nail up and was only still connected by the cuticle. Then the tip of big toe bone shattered and now my big toe has only like 20% feeling left in it and is disfigured now :( I have a pict of it somewhere... now only if i could find it... :p


-fk
 

Cat13

Golden Member
Nov 14, 1999
1,108
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In college, I was on the leg press and had on alot more weight than I should have. Did about 4 reps and was pushing up the 5th when I heard a pop and felt a sharp pain start from my lower body and just make me completly numb. Went to the Doc because I could hardly walk and found out I tore my groin really bad.