WebMD: least effective exercises

[Formula94]

http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/slideshow-9-least-effective-exercises

Thoughts?

I thought it was pretty good and accurate.

[Yolo]

I personally don't agree with some of what they showed there (particularly in the case of the leg press and the upright rows) but they did touch upon some critical points for beginners.

[Formula94]

I think with the upright row you are OK as long as you don't try to pull too high...your traps take over anyway after a certain point.
I do agree with you on the leg press point though.

[Sledge]

maybe it shouldn't be called least efective exercises. eg Behind the neck press is a very effective exercise, your just more likely to sustain an injury than doing standard frront military press.

[Bennny]

I used to have re-occurring pain in my left shoulder. I always attributed it to sleeping on it wrong. Then I quit doing behind the neck pulldowns and behind the neck shoulder presses and it cleared up.

[GirlyMuscle]

They should have called it "exercises most likely to injure yourself" not least effective.

[Shadow]

They should have called it "exercises most likely to injure yourself" not least effective.

Agreed.

[TPT]

http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/slideshow-9-least-effective-exercises

Thoughts?

I thought it was pretty good and accurate.



nice. things that certainly should be considered. check out the following link on similiar considerations in exercise. our favorite reverse grip has a slide too. lol. http://www.unm.edu/~lkravitz/Teaching%20Aerobics/YoungExercise3.pdf

[bigtimektz]

nice. things that certainly should be considered. check out the following link on similiar considerations in exercise. our favorite reverse grip has a slide too. lol. http://www.unm.edu/~lkravitz/Teaching%20Aerobics/YoungExercise3.pdf

Interesting slides. Nice how it shows how some techniques are commonly dangerous but can be ok if they are used properly.

[TPT]

Interesting slides. Nice how it shows how some techniques are commonly dangerous but can be ok if they are used properly.



the behind the neck exercises such as pulldowns and shoulder presses are great examples of being common and potentially dangerous.

[crashcrew56]

I was suprised to see upright rows on there, I was happy to see leg press on there, I didn't realize that there was a way to screw those up recently, for the longest time, I would do them and my sciatic would start to give me trouble and I used to never understand why

[crashcrew56]

nice. things that certainly should be considered. check out the following link on similiar considerations in exercise. our favorite reverse grip has a slide too. lol. http://www.unm.edu/~lkravitz/Teaching%20Aerobics/YoungExercise3.pdf

This was a pretty good one, it taught me some things I didn't know

[TPT]

I was suprised to see upright rows on there, I was happy to see leg press on there, I didn't realize that there was a way to screw those up recently, for the longest time, I would do them and my sciatic would start to give me trouble and I used to never understand why



try simply internally rotating your shoulder and then flex or abduct your shoulder. you'll notice a limit in range of motion of flexion or abduction. this is because of the anatomical structure of the humerus and how it positions within the scapula. now imagine performing these motions with a load such as with a dumbell. the abnoramal compressive forces will be adverse. also, the rotator cuff muscles surround the shoulder joint and will be impinged because on the limitations in range and repetive stress.

[TPT]

I was suprised to see upright rows on there, I was happy to see leg press on there, I didn't realize that there was a way to screw those up recently, for the longest time, I would do them and my sciatic would start to give me trouble and I used to never understand why


of course knee issues are evident though most people have back problems as you described. in leg presses most of us want full range of motion. however, a component motion of knee and hip flexion is spinal flexion. imagine the compressive forces to the spine as we control a huge load during descent and ascent of the load. so don't flex you spine as you still attempt to have full range of motion.

oh yeah, the sciatic nerve starts at verterbra level 4 so you can see how nerves can be compressed during lumbar or sacral flexion during leg presses.

[Yolo]

nice. things that certainly should be considered. check out the following link on similiar considerations in exercise. our favorite reverse grip has a slide too. lol. http://www.unm.edu/~lkravitz/Teaching%20Aerobics/YoungExercise3.pdf

That's very interesting, although I swear my wrists hurt a lot less when using a suicide grip on bench-press

[TPT]

That's very interesting, although I swear my wrists hurt a lot less when using a suicide grip on bench-press



yes. wrist "comfort" is highly variable across those who bench press. i suspect many of those who use suicide grip "feel" they can generate greater forces. and possibly at the risk of overstretching wrist structures that maintain or support flexion and pronation.

[crashcrew56]

That's very interesting, although I swear my wrists hurt a lot less when using a suicide grip on bench-press

My wrists havn't given me problem benching in years, but you should try keeping your wrists straight and inline with your arms, also you could try wrist wraps

[Womanthrower]

Looks like I'm the only person that agrees with the upright rows one. Even doing that movement without weight hurts my shoulders.

[Diabetic Muscle]

Upright rows used to kill me until an older powerlifter told me I was a moron. He told me to not raise the elbows past parallel and keep the bar as close to my body as possible. Ever since then they have been a great width move for me.

[Youngguns]

Leg press and upright row, I don't agree with them on those two.

[Yolo]

My wrists havn't given me problem benching in years, but you should try keeping your wrists straight and inline with your arms, also you could try wrist wraps

Oddly enough, I find that I can maintain that position easier with the suicide grip:confused:

[Yolo]

yes. wrist "comfort" is highly variable across those who bench press. i suspect many of those who use suicide grip "feel" they can generate greater forces. and possibly at the risk of overstretching wrist structures that maintain or support flexion and pronation.

Can't argue with that...

[Frosty]

I'd have to say that safety of different lifts depends greatly on health, flexibility, and structural balance of the joint.

Should someone with screwed up tight shoulders be pressing behind the neck? hell no! But should a healthy shoulder be able to press behind the neck? Yes.

Same goes for upright rows within reason. Use a rope attachment to take stress off the wrists and just don't abduct your arm too high. If your shoulders suck stay away from them.

Hell someone with poor hip flexibility, squatting can be "dangerous" to the lower back. They go down and tight muscles start to pull on the low back and tweak it, and uh oh...back injury. Squatting itself isn't bad, but you have to have proper flexibility, structural balance, and healthy joints.

Even bench press isn't good if someone has very tight internal rotators, weak external rotators, and in general a weak mid back with dominant upper traps that pull the scapulae up.

Some bad exercises that I can think of that are just straight up bad would be pulldowns or pullups behind the neck (for crying out loud you recruit the muscles better pulling to the sternum!), anything involving snatches or cleans with dumbbells. They don't have anything to take out rotational force like barbells do, and the stress and potential for injury when "racking" the dumbbells (you can't rack it, which is another dangerous part). How about benching with your legs up in the air. Only leaving you the potential to lose your balance and make a mess. These are what I'd call useless or stupid exercises.