Note from Stephen: Thank goodness I’m through with my taxes! Now we can get back to work.
Here’s Part II of the article from Nick Nillson on exercises you need to avoid.
Most important, Nick explains – in simple language (unlike me, obviously) exactly why these exercises may be harmful..
3. Behind-The-Neck Shoulder Presses
The Behind-The-Neck Press gives us the same shoulder issues associated with the Behind-The-Neck Pulldown.
To do the movement, you must maximally externally rotate the shoulders.
Again, this places the shoulders in a very vulnerable position, which can easily result in strain in the Rotator Cuff muscles.
Also, as with the pulldowns, most people simply don’t have the necessary shoulder flexibility to get a straight line on the movement – they must tilt their head forward to get the bar behind it, adding greatly to the possibility of injury.
Stick to the military press and the dumbell press for your shoulder pressing movements.
http://www.fitstep.com/Library/Exercises/Seated_db_shoulder_press.htm
4. Stiff-Legged Deadlifts On A Bench
The Stiff-Legged Deadlift, properly done, is actually a very good movement for the hamstrings, glutes and lower back.
The problem comes when, in an attempt to increase the stretch on the hamstrings, the exercise is done standing on a block or bench.
To get the most stretch on the hamstrings and to protect the lower back from injury, an arch should be maintained in the lower back during the movement.
It’s extremely difficult to maintain an arch in the lower back when you are stretching down as far as you can towards the floor with a barbell pulling you down.
Without the arch, as a natural result, the spine will flex and the supporting muscles of the spine will relax.
This places much of the tension of the exercise directly on the connective tissue and bones of the spinal column rather than the supporting muscles, which are stabilizing the spine.
In an effort to get more stretch on the hamstrings, you instead compromise the support structures of your lower back.
To get more of a stretch on the hamstrings without standing on a bench and compromising your lower back, have a look at the technique in the following article:
http://www.fitstep.com/Misc/Newsletter-archives/issue9.htm#hams
5. The Sit-Up
If you enjoy having a pain-free lower back, the regular floor sit-up is a good exercise to avoid.
When you do a sit-up, the mechanics of the movement and position of your body throw much of the torque of the movement onto your lower back.
Your hip flexors pull directly on your spine in order to raise your torso off the floor when you do the exercise, leading to strain in the lower back area.
To top it off, the abdominal muscles (the real target of the exercise) are only worked isometrically.
This means they don’t actually contract and move, they just work to hold the torso steady while the hip flexors do the pulling. This is not a very effective abdominal exercise.
You will be far better off performing direct abdominal-training movements such as crunches, ball crunches, cable crunches, etc.
These exercises directly target the abs without throwing excessive tension on the lower back.
http://www.fitstep.com/Library/Exercises/Crunches.htm
An excellent exercise for the abdominals that is similar in look to the regular sit-up but focuses on the abs is the Abdominal Sit-Up. You can read more about it here:
http://www.fitstep.com/Misc/Newsletter-archives/issue9-ab-tip.htm
The exercises you do have a profound effect on your training and your health. Be sure to choose exercises that will help you move forward towards your goals and not set you back through injury.
About the author…
Nick Nilsson is Vice-President of the online personal training company BetterU, Inc. He has a degree in Physical Education and Psychology and has been inventing new training techniques for more than 16 years.
Nick is the author of a number of bodybuilding eBooks including:
- “Metabolic Surge – Rapid Fat Loss,”
- “The Best Exercises You’ve Never Heard Of,”
- “Gluteus to the Maximus – Build a Bigger Butt NOW!” and
- “The Best Abdominal Exercises You’ve Never Heard Of,” all available at BetterU.com.
He can be contacted at betteru@fitstep.com.
Tags: exercise program, fitness program
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