training heavy and ballistic is dangerous but you are never going to get to your absolute potential if you never train "heavy". It's pretty easy to spot the heavy lifters. The machine "pumpers" just don't get the same dense look.
The safest yet still effective means lie somewhere in between. After good warmup, keep the intensity high by using moderate reps while still going heavy, with rest intervals at a minute or less. Don't do any exercises that cause undo structural stress or if you have to, go even higher on reps on problematic exercises like deads-20 rep sets still work the back very well without the same negative stresses IMO. Coleman keeps the reps higher-in his case injuries are mainly age related IMO. Body's broken down, just as happened with Yates; probably inevitable for many at a certain point after age 40 unless a different type of program is tried instead.
Also think about ROMs for each exercise, eliminate potential problem areas like the very bottom portion of the ROM on preacher curls, deads, dips, benches, etc.
Reduce absolute poundages by incorporating intensity techniques like supersets, trisets, shorter rest intervals, rest-pause, etc. that stress the muscle with less resistance.
