Health aspects of strengthening: Healthy unhealthy activities

Improper technique, poorly applied training, long breaks, inadequate workload, the absence of some games and many other general mistakes made by a huge number of people today and every day would in themselves go into several encyclopedias, but I don’t want to talk about it today.

Let’s focus on individual specific activities, exercises, activities that are commonly seen and I often encounter the argument that the activity is a significantly healthy part of their training.

Even in the world of exercise, not only in nutrition, there are a lot of unhealthy things wrapped in a healthy jacket. Better said, they can be healthy, but not for many people, or their application is so problematic that it is still worth highlighting so that a reasonable person is careful and at least think about applying the thing to their training program.

Error?

I was always the type of person who, when he saw a more fundamental mistake in another who practiced, was not afraid to address him and inform him in a gentle way about that finding and observation. Of course, when I look more into the past, when I was not far from my practice, my remarks were very often ridiculed that the person has been training for millennia and I, the average teen in the weight category, certainly have nothing to advise him.

Today it’s a little different, not that I’m still not a “teenager” compared to average bodybuilders, but I already have more arguments and especially substantiated practices. But this chapter is not about that, the point is that even though I want to advise someone and explain to him why his actions are not right, I am struck by cases where that person explains everything to the letter and it is actually right.

What’s the point? Often we may find something wrong and wrong, but if we do not know the whole context and background of the activity, the mistake and the mistake may be on our side.

Always ask about the whole puzzle and not just one piece and try to understand the whole meaning of the activity performed. Not only for others, but especially for oneself. Do not practice, do not perform any activity without conscious meaning and only because someone else does it, even if it benefits them.

Here we go…

 

Lie down, shorts

Ever since primary school, we have put this exercise into our memory and every person in the world knows it, or at least here. Various test batteries for comparing large files from the population use it, and countless ordinary people still have this exercise in their practice repertoire in the first place. After all, the abdomen weakens and is weak, so strengthen, so lie down…

Unfortunately, it is not so easy with our abdomen or our abdominal muscles. The upper part or the beginning of the straight abdominal muscle (rectus abdominis muscle) is often overloaded, hyperactive, hypertonic due to incorrect movement stereotype and defective breathing.

These exercises, although better performed, mainly involve this part of the direct abdominal muscle, so our actions are counterproductive, we even deepen the lumbar lordosis, for which many recommended abdominal strengthening.

As for the design itself, the most common in these exercises – denied lower limbs, back curved, when often the abdominal muscle can not even be involved. In this case, it is no longer a matter of strengthening the abdominal muscles, but the flexors of the hips, our sung thigh-leg muscle (m. Iliopsoas), which gives us what? Again, it worsens the lordotic curve to extremes.

The right variant of an imaginary sitting position in combination with a shortener is the gradual rolling of the spine and its unwinding on the mat again, but it is important to maintain a stable abdominal wall, active abdominal press, which can be checked with lasso cords around the abdomen. the abdomen should not bulge.

 

Plank

When we say core or bodily core, every initiate is probably reminded of this exercise. Why do we put him in the problematic ones?

The exercise is undoubtedly great, focused on isometric strengthening of the muscles of practically the whole body, but…

For most beginners, this is a very challenging exercise, so you can see trembling individuals with bent shoulders, headlessly holding in this position according to the downloaded exercise program completely meaningless times.

The goal of this exercise is to take control of maintaining stability with the muscles of the body’s core, but in the case of bad technique, you will keep it to everything, just not what you need. Therefore, start in lower positions, lower methodically, with your knees on a mat or with a raised mat under your arms, and pay particular attention to precision techniques.

 

Hyperextension

I dare say that if the hyperextension bench was thrown out of all the gyms at once, there would be more healthy backs.

The very name of this exercise is nonsense – there is extension, but nothing like hyperextension.

Today’s character of the movement stereotype in the vast majority of the population is sedentary, which puts a considerable strain on the lumbar muscle (iliopsoas), which in itself negatively affects the lumbar lordotic curve. Simply put – if you have hyperlordosis, don’t make unnecessary extensions.

By leaning over with this bench, in many cases with exercise, we only negatively affect posture and exacerbate the problem.

The only group for whom it is appropriate to recommend this exercise are individuals with a flat back or, conversely, a kyphotic position in the lumbar region.

Of course, for athletes, especially of strength, speed and dynamics, it is necessary to have these muscles strong, but even here the correct execution of the extension plays a role, which has nothing to do with normal use.

 

Deadlift

The first note for diggers – deadlift is a perfect, basic and irreplaceable exercise for everyone in a certain variant.

I mention it here because of its incorrect application, despite the terrible technique that can be seen practically everywhere.

Lifting a load is an activity that everyone must master if they want to stay healthy.

During this exercise, there is probably the greatest probability of greater injury in the case of incorrect technique, which is exacerbated by the fact that even a complete beginner in this exercise works with a relatively large load. And that’s exactly the problem – because it is necessary to accurately engage the postural muscles and not overtake a disproportionate load, which does not happen and a problem arises.

Basic recommendations – practice deadlift. Basic condition – practice it correctly and preferably with a lower load. The average person does not need to attack the maxims to ensure effective progress.

 

Abdominal training bench

Hooked legs? We’ve talked about it above. If you primarily want to strengthen, although I have no idea why, the thigh muscle, boldly do it.

Different variants of machines for strengthening abdominal muscles. Wrong, wrong. All variants connect the upper part, which simply does not need to be overloaded by an ordinary person. Even if you want to have nice buns on your belly, your focus should still be primarily on the lower part, which most often visually spoils the overall appearance of the belly.

In addition, in some variants you bend over a wedge behind your back and if you do not watch it, the machine will push you into excessive bending with its resistance, so again the mentioned hyperlordosis.

 

Adduction and abduction machines

The busiest machines in every gym. Often the domain of women, but also men stop at them. Hundreds, if not thousands of repetitions in a few series, with a load that perhaps doesn’t even load the muscles.

This style of strengthening is not so harmful in itself, but rather useless. It’s better to stay at home watching TV.

The main problem is the construction of these machines, where you push your knees together or apart. Aiming the arms of the machine, which you push or pull together in the knee area, is not the happiest solution. Many people face minimal knee deformity, and improperly applied pressure can exacerbate this problem. In addition, from a functional point of view – when do you push your knees together during the day? If so, the entire lower limb must perform the movement.

 

Balance aids

Are you a beginner? Are you starting to train? Perfect, right move. But it’s not so right when you supposedly stand right at the beginning on a barefoot or other similar unstable surface with the idea of ​​how much better the exercise will be.

Can’t use the technique of squats, cranks and other basic exercises correctly? Learn them on solid ground.

Do you have back pain while sitting in the office and have you read somewhere that it would be better to replace the chair with a big ball? If you can’t sit properly on a solid chair, the ball will be a worse option.

 

Jumps, hops to warm up

Do you warm up before training? Great. But think of gradually increasing load and intensity. Jumps and various hops in the full introduction are not a suitable solution. This is often the case for women who warm up in a similar way using various aerobic creations on the steppe. Impacts that cause impacts and shocks can have a very negative impact on joint surfaces that are not sufficiently perfused and lubricated with synovial fluid.

Start by walking, gradually trotting.

 

Stretching

Be sure to stretch, but think about the style of stretching we’ve addressed here .

Focus mainly on the games that limit you in some movement, not on the ones that you will practice on the contrary – you reduce their work efficiency.

Proper posture is not only the domain of exercise, but also try to maintain a stable body position and stretch the desired parts in it, you will see that the stretching will be stronger and again support the strength and stability of postural muscles that keep your spine as it should be.