EXERCISES THAT YOU SHOULD STOP DOING IN YOUR ROUTINE

In previous posts we have commented extensively on the subject of the "crossed syndrome", both upper and lower, with its definition and practical application.

Today, we would like to talk about some exercises that are normally included in most strength and muscle building routines, and that due to their characteristics should be avoided and replaced by others, more functional and less likely to induce injury.

Jae in the Gym by Sascha Wenninger CC BY-SA 2.0

We have elaborated a list with the exercises that we consider more dangerous, although if you realize or you have realized some of them you should not worry, the incidence of an injury does not occur by realizing an exercise during a short period of time, but many other factors influence like the technique, the load, the rest, etc.

Thus, some of these exercises, and their possible variants are:

1. Leg Curl: first of all, as a contraindication to perform this exercise, we must say that it is not a functional exercise, in our day to day we will never perform an action with these characteristics, so doing it in the field of strength and health is meaningless. In addition, excessive pressure is exerted on the back of the kneecap, and on the anterior cruciate ligament, which, in the long run, and with high loads can increase the risk of injury. The low or no activation of the ischiotibial muscles is added, which could lead to harmful muscle decompensation.

Therefore, our recommendation is to replace this exercise with any variant of the squat or lounge, which will result in a much more functional job with less risk of injury.

2. Pulldowns behind the neck: This is a very implemented exercise in gyms, using the argument that, by making the movement behind the head, we minimize the intervention of the deltoid and get a greater activation in the muscles of the back. However, different studies show that muscle activation by performing the exercise behind the head compared to the chest show barely differences; however, the differences in terms of safety are enormous, because when performing this exercise behind the head, we are moving the head from the humerus inwards, increasing the tension in the intracapsular ligaments, reducing the subacromial space, notably increasing the tension in the shoulder rotators, in addition to a flexion in the neck which increases the risk of herniated discs.

This occurs with all exercises performed behind the head, so our recommendation is to always perform the variant to the chest.

3. Smith Machine: When we perform any exercise on this machine, normally squats, the same thing happens as in the Leg Curl, we are adding a stabilizing component that inhibits the synergistic muscles of movement, making the exercise not functional, preventing us from exerting the greatest possible strength and forcing us to follow a predetermined route, which in many occasions moves away from the natural route of the joints when we perform it with free weight, so that the risk of injury as well as its unfunctionality may be increased.

Our recommendation is that, whenever possible, exercises should be performed with free weight.
Although we have chosen the Smith machine as an exercise for our list, this premise can be used for almost any machine, so we must try to limit its use to occasions such as, for example, people who are new to the world of fitness and do not have the means to acquire a correct technique in exercises with free weight.

4. Abdominal Crunch: This may be one of the most implemented abdominal work exercises performed in gyms, due to its simplicity and, on many occasions, ignorance, since the reality is that neither safety nor the level of muscle activation are sufficient to make us think that we should include this exercise in our training routines.
In the first place, when we perform a forced flexion of the spine, we are subjecting the intervertebral discs to excessive and unnatural tension, which can trigger different problems such as herniated discs and lumbar hypercifosis. And, in addition, the level of muscular activation is much lower than with other exercises explained in previous publications.
It is for all these reasons that we recommend to eliminate this exercise for the work of the core and to use any of those raised in this blog.

5. Kipping Pull-up: consists of adding a "swing" to the pull-up to make it easier and faster. This practice, although it may seem to help us increase our maximum number of repetitions, is actually producing the opposite effect, as well as subjecting the shoulder joint to excessive tension, which increases the risk of tears and ligament injuries, we are eliminating the strength component at the time of greatest mechanical disadvantage, which is precisely the beginning of movement, so in the long run, we will develop much less strength than if we perform the pull-ups strictly, that is, without prior swing.

(Boyle, 2014) (Marchante, 2018) (Elva, H; Isidro Donate, J.R. Chulvi Medrano, F. Costa, 2006)

We end with the list of exercises that we should stop doing when we carry out our sessions in the gym.

We hope you liked it and see you in the next post. 


May the force be with you!


REFERENCES

Boyle, M. (2014). New Functional Training For Spots. (D. Domingo, Ed.) (Second).

Elva, H; Isidro Donate, J.R. Chulvi Medrano, F. Costa, M. R. (2006). Mitos y Realidades del Entrenamiento de Fuerza y Salud.

Marchante, D. (2018). Entrenamiento eficiente (1^a). Madrid.