Why Barbell Training Isn’t the Danger You Think — And Why It Makes You Harder to Break
- Paul Breheny
- Oct 16
- 5 min read
If you’re in your forties, fifties or beyond, the idea of hoisting a barbell can feel… dicey. We’ve all heard the horror stories—slipped discs, blown knees, a dropped bar on the head in some viral clip. Meanwhile the familiar options—jogging round the park, a friendly five-a-side—seem safer by default. But familiar isn’t the same as safe. When you look at actual injury rates and the kinds of injuries involved, well-coached barbell training generally comes out safer—and with less severe problems—than those more familiar activities.
What the numbers really say
Across studies, resistance training—including barbell work—averages ~1–4 injuries per 1,000 hours. Recreational running sits closer to ~8 per 1,000. Football lands higher again: ~5–10 per 1,000 for recreational play, rising higher during professional match play. The exact figures vary by study, but the pattern is consistent: with sound coaching, barbell training isn’t the risky outlier many have been led to believe.
Caption: These are recreational/training ballparks. Competition/match play is almost always higher than training for the same sport, and professional cohorts are higher still. Sources include plain-English summaries and reviews such as Aasa (2017, BJSM) for resistance training, Videbæk (2015) for running, López-Valenciano (2019/2020) for football, Yeomans (2018) for community rugby, plus cohort reviews across tennis, climbing, rowing, dance, swimming, cycling, volleyball, CrossFit/HIFT.
Injury severity
The severity of injuries matters at least as much as how often they occur. In barbell training, issues are usually the manageable kind—strains and sprains—that settle with a small step down in load, and a session or two spent tidying-up technique. By contrast, runners commonly face bone-stress injuries that mean six to twelve weeks before running again, and in football, ligament injuries such as anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears can mean nine to twelve months before a full return. If your aim is better fitness and strength—and you know consistency is what moves the needle—those numbers make barbell training the sensible place to put in the time.
So why the disconnect? We judge by appearances. A barbell looks like a big metal promise to hurt you. Meanwhile, running and five-a-side feel normal and "safe"—that’s why they’re the comparisons here. But your body doesn’t care what feels normal; it cares about forces and whether you’re prepared to meet them.
You don’t get fit by going for a run; you get fit so you can go for a run.
Barbell training is low-impact, collision-free and predictable: the load is measurable and adjustable, the range of motion and speed of movement are controllable, and progress can be nudged in small steps, building a foundation of stronger, more resilient bones, joints and muscles.
By contrast, running, five-a-side and similar ‘fitness’ options throw higher, less predictable forces at you—impacts, cuts, awkward landings—before that foundation exists. They’re great for conditioning, but on their own they’re not the best tools for building a stronger, more durable, harder-to-break body—not by a long way!
Build the foundation under the bar first, then take that strength anywhere, with a body that’s harder to break.
Strength training doesn’t just avoid harm; it hardens you against it. Stronger muscles and tendons, better joint control, and improved coordination make you more resilient to the awkward slips, twists and bumps of both sport and ordinary life.
Large scale literature reviews show that strength training can cut overall sports injuries by half and overuse injuries by even more when it’s part of a regular programme.
That benefit isn’t just reserved for athletes. With age, two risks rise sharply: falls and fractures. Barbell training helps on both fronts — building the muscle that keeps you on your feet, and the bone density that makes a stumble less consequential if it does happen.
The take-home is simple: robust tissues tolerate load, and practiced movement patterns fail more gracefully.
Women and older adults stand to gain the most
If you’ve been told lifting is “not for you” because of your age or because your female, that’s exactly backwards. Post-menopausal women are disproportionately affected by bone loss; progressive strength work is a direct, drug-free counter. Injury rates for older women under good coaching are no higher than for men, and the upside — stronger bones, better mood, more confidence — is enormous.
For older adults of any sex, barbell training is a lifeline, not a liability. It slows or reverses age-related muscle loss, improves balance, and keeps you independent longer. Start light, progress steadily, prioritise technique and range of motion — that’s not reckless; that’s good risk management.
How to stack the deck in your favour (practical bits)
Learn the big lifts well: squat, press, deadlift, bench. One or two coached sessions go a long way.
Start well inside your limits and add small loads each week. Consistency beats bravado.
Keep reps tidy: stop a rep or two before form unravels; own the range you have.
Respect recovery: sleep, protein, and a day between hard sessions do more than fancy gadgets.
Tweak, don’t quit: if something grumbles, adjust the movement, range, or load; don’t abandon training.
The bottom line
If your goal is to stay active, capable and independent for the long haul, barbell training fits beautifully. It’s not a gamble; it’s a structured, coachable practice with low injury rates and a uniquely protective payoff. The irony is that the activities many people reach for first — a casual run, a weekly match — usually carry higher risk, while the one that looks scariest is often the safest card on the table.
Don’t walk past the barbell and see danger. See opportunity — and the chance to build a body that’s harder to break.
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