July 26, 2008
Topic:
Out of Date Exercises and Their Modern Variation
Exercise Science is constantly evolving and although many exercises have withstood the test of time for their safety and effectiveness many have not. Today, I’m not only going to show you some out of date exercises and give you some modern variations that will bring them up to date.
Partial Squats - It’s very common for people with bad knees to do this exercise. Often known as “sissy squats” in the gym it is now well known that quarter squats put much more stress on the patellar tendon than full squats. Squatting all the way down has been proven to be much safer on your knees because once you go low, the Glutes take a large percentage of the load off the front of the knee. I realize for many there’s a flexibility issue to get down that far. Try the goblet squat. It’s an excellent exercise to get you going low.
Isolation exercises – Isolation exercises like biceps curls, triceps kickbacks, arm raises etc. only work one or a small group of muscles at a time. Multiple studies show that muscle growth is more hormonal. This means that you should train using compound movements like pull-ups, squats or dead-lifts. These exercises always work large, multi muscle groups and will stimulate overall muscle growth much better, not to mention save a lot of time.
Morning stretching - According to Dr. Stuart McGill, the worlds leading back specialist, says that fluid levels change drastically when we sleep. Getting immediately out of bed and stretching hard, doing crunches or even running can make you much more exposed to back injury. Just wait 30 to 40 minutes after getting up to allow spinal fluids to return to normal.
Crunches - I would only call this exercise out of date for an athlete. Its true crunches isolate the stomach and put less stress on the back but that’s not always a good thing. Remember your core includes not just your abs but your internal and external oblique and your lower back. Try this exercise which was a favorite of Coach Tom Cross, former strength coach for University of Tulsa. It works the entire core. Crunches are ok for basic cosmetic reasons but are definitely not appropriate for an athlete.
Question from viewers:
Mac
How can I get to where I can do pull ups? Right now I can't even do one.
Avery
I’ve read that exercise can help if you have trouble sleeping. Is that true?
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