In previous posts, we have already stated that performing the exercises with proper form is mandatory for preventing injury. However, some exercises are inherently dangerous because their biomechanics situates some muscles and/or joints in a position that is prone to injury. The safest for the bodybuilders is to neglect most of these exercises when designing their program, while some of them can be slightly adapted in order to avoid harmful positions. This post describes some problematic exercises, and provides pointers to avoid harmful positions (if possible).
Typical exercises that should be eliminated from your program include the behind-the-neck pull-down/pull-up, the behind-the-neck shoulder press, the upright row, and the sit-up/straight-leg raise. The behind-the-neck pull-down/pull-up can easily cause a shoulder injury. This occurs because this movement requires to externally rotate the shoulders as much as possible. This position is known as external rotation, and it is a very delicate position for the shoulders (especially when you add resistance), since it puts a great stress on the rotator cuff muscles. In addition, since most people do not have enough shoulder flexibility to pull the weight in a straight line behind the neck, they must bend their neck forward to do the movement. This can also result in an injury (e.g. a neck strain), being another cause to avoid this exercise. The problems described above occurs also with the behind-the-neck shoulder press, since to do the movement, you must also externally rotate the shoulders.
The upright row is also a dangerous exercise for the shoulders. The problem with this exercise is that it places the shoulder in internal rotation as the arm is raised. When resistance is added in that position, every time you raise the weight, a small tendon gets pinched (i.e. impingement) by the bones in the shoulder. Probably this will not hurt immediately, perhaps nor in a long time, but the tendon will gradually become damaged.
The sit-up and the straight-leg raise have been traditionally used to train the abdominal muscles. However, when doing these exercises, the hip flexors pull directly on the spine, placing excessive pressure in the vertebrae and the spinal discs, which can lead to strain in the lower back area. In addition, since these exercises primarily involve the hip flexors, the abdominals are not trained in an effective way, because they are merely exhausted in prolonged static work to hold the torso steady.
The wisest solution is to avoid previous exercises in your program. For other exercises, it is not necessary to be so drastic. Just avoiding compromised positions can do the trick. For instance, when performing the deadlift or the stiff-leg deadlift, in order to protect the lower back from injury, you should keep it slightly arched during the whole movement. Without the arch, supporting muscles will relax, switching to the spine much of the tension that they are supporting. For this reason, avoid going down beyond a position that impedes you to maintain a straight back.
The bench press is another example of exercise that wrongly performed can lead to a shoulder injury. Using a too wide grip increases the stress on the shoulder joint. You should use a grip in which your elbows are at a 90º angle at the bottom of the motion. The shoulder joint also suffers when touching the bar to the chest too high up. Aim for lowering the bar to approximately the nipple line by keeping your forearms perpendicular to the floor during the whole movement and your elbows at a 60º angle to your body at the bottom of the motion.
There are other controversial exercises, such as dips or pullover (see Luis Berrios’ article) or flyes (see Matt Danielsson’s article), which have been labeled as dangerous exercises by some authors. You can find additional details about all these exercises in the article “Five Exercises You Must Avoid To Stay Injury-Free!” by Nick Nilsson, in the article “Bodybuilding and Shoulder Injury” by Luis Berrios, and in the article “The Dangers of Dumbbell Flyes!” by Matt Danielsson.
Typical exercises that should be eliminated from your program include the behind-the-neck pull-down/pull-up, the behind-the-neck shoulder press, the upright row, and the sit-up/straight-leg raise. The behind-the-neck pull-down/pull-up can easily cause a shoulder injury. This occurs because this movement requires to externally rotate the shoulders as much as possible. This position is known as external rotation, and it is a very delicate position for the shoulders (especially when you add resistance), since it puts a great stress on the rotator cuff muscles. In addition, since most people do not have enough shoulder flexibility to pull the weight in a straight line behind the neck, they must bend their neck forward to do the movement. This can also result in an injury (e.g. a neck strain), being another cause to avoid this exercise. The problems described above occurs also with the behind-the-neck shoulder press, since to do the movement, you must also externally rotate the shoulders.
The upright row is also a dangerous exercise for the shoulders. The problem with this exercise is that it places the shoulder in internal rotation as the arm is raised. When resistance is added in that position, every time you raise the weight, a small tendon gets pinched (i.e. impingement) by the bones in the shoulder. Probably this will not hurt immediately, perhaps nor in a long time, but the tendon will gradually become damaged.
The sit-up and the straight-leg raise have been traditionally used to train the abdominal muscles. However, when doing these exercises, the hip flexors pull directly on the spine, placing excessive pressure in the vertebrae and the spinal discs, which can lead to strain in the lower back area. In addition, since these exercises primarily involve the hip flexors, the abdominals are not trained in an effective way, because they are merely exhausted in prolonged static work to hold the torso steady.
The wisest solution is to avoid previous exercises in your program. For other exercises, it is not necessary to be so drastic. Just avoiding compromised positions can do the trick. For instance, when performing the deadlift or the stiff-leg deadlift, in order to protect the lower back from injury, you should keep it slightly arched during the whole movement. Without the arch, supporting muscles will relax, switching to the spine much of the tension that they are supporting. For this reason, avoid going down beyond a position that impedes you to maintain a straight back.
The bench press is another example of exercise that wrongly performed can lead to a shoulder injury. Using a too wide grip increases the stress on the shoulder joint. You should use a grip in which your elbows are at a 90º angle at the bottom of the motion. The shoulder joint also suffers when touching the bar to the chest too high up. Aim for lowering the bar to approximately the nipple line by keeping your forearms perpendicular to the floor during the whole movement and your elbows at a 60º angle to your body at the bottom of the motion.
There are other controversial exercises, such as dips or pullover (see Luis Berrios’ article) or flyes (see Matt Danielsson’s article), which have been labeled as dangerous exercises by some authors. You can find additional details about all these exercises in the article “Five Exercises You Must Avoid To Stay Injury-Free!” by Nick Nilsson, in the article “Bodybuilding and Shoulder Injury” by Luis Berrios, and in the article “The Dangers of Dumbbell Flyes!” by Matt Danielsson.
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