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When healthy lifestyle is bad: 5 popular but dangerous exercises
It’s not enough to buy a gym or fitness center membership, you also need to choose the right safe training program. We will tell you what exactly should not be there.
Not all loads will help us achieve an ideal figure: what five popular exercises should be abandoned, says the doctor of exercise therapy and sports medicine, an international-class fitness trainer, author of the system of exercises for the spine and joints, Alexander Bonin.
Leaning wrong
- Photo Shoot:
- Alexander Bonin, personal archive
What is the harm: during the exercise, especially with additional weight in the arm and without tension of the abdominal muscles, you create a large and uneven load on the lumbar spine, especially on the intervertebral discs. As a result, over time, this can lead to the formation of protrusions and hernias in the spine.
In addition, contrary to popular belief, this exercise does not strengthen either the muscle corset or the abs.
What can replace: it is better to carry out side light slats from the knees. This will strengthen your core muscles without unnecessary movement in your lower back.
2. Exercise sit up on the press
What is the harm: In this exercise, two muscles are involved in the work – the rectus abdominis muscle (abs) and the iliopsoas muscle.
The latter is attached at one end to the lumbar vertebrae, and the other to the femur. When lifting vertically from a prone position, this muscle contracts and pulls the lumbar spine forward, creating an extra load on the lower back.
What can replace: ordinary crunches on the press lying on your back. At the same time, tear off only the head and shoulder girdle from the floor and raise yourself exclusively at the expense of the abdominal muscles. The loin should be motionless and flat on the floor.
Lunges wrong
- Photo Shoot:
- Alexander Bonin, personal archive
What is the harm: in this variation of lunges, there is an excessive load on the knee joint of the leg that comes forward. When you step forward, you shift your weight onto your leg, and the momentum causes your hip to move further forward. This creates tension in the knee.
Also, in forward lunges, for many, instead of the gluteal muscles, the thigh muscles work more.
What can replace: it is better to perform back lunges. So you leave the weight of the body on the supporting leg, more actively turn on the gluteus muscle and it is due to it that you raise yourself to the starting position. There will be no overload of the knee joint, and the balance is better maintained.
Burpee Part 1
- Photo Shoot:
- Alexander Bonin, personal archive
4. Burpi
What is the harm: a rather difficult exercise in terms of technique. It has both push-ups and jump squats. It requires a well-defined muscular corset and strong leg muscles, experience of doing push-ups and squats with the right technique. Otherwise, during execution, there will be a serious load on the lower back and knees.
There are contraindications to the exercise:
1) hypertension;
2) severe myopia;
3) lumbar osteochondrosis;
4) overweight.
What can replace: perform two separate exercises – push-ups from the floor and squats with their own weight without jumping. Or a superset: 5-10 push-ups and then immediately 10 squats without rest.
5. Bends down until touching the feet while standing
What is the harm: many use this exercise to stretch the muscles in the back of their legs and back. But the problem is that often only the lower back is involved, which causes overstretching of the ligaments present in it. Ideally, this exercise should be performed with the lower back in a neutral position.
What can replace: stretching the back of the thigh while lying on your back, when the lower back can be excluded from the exercise. You can start by pulling one leg towards you, bending at the knee joint. And then move on to stretching when you pull a straight leg towards you, holding your thigh with your hands.