6 dangerous exercises and their replacement
Most modern city dwellers lead a sedentary lifestyle that negatively affects health, mood and appearance. Regular exercise in such a situation is needed like air. The most popular physical activity is fitness. It is convenient: exercises can be done both in the gym and at home, they do not take much time, there is the possibility of dosing loads depending on how you feel. Unfortunately, some popular elements of fitness complexes are not as harmless as they seem: instead of being beneficial, they can cause significant harm to health. Our story is about exercises that it is better to refuse.
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Twisting
Twists (simple and lateral) are designed to strengthen the muscles of the shoulder girdle, as well as the lateral abdominal muscles. According to doctors, it is these movements that become a common cause of pain in the lower back, upper back and shoulders.
The fact is that at the moment of twisting, the main load falls on the spine. In this case, the anterior part of each vertebral disc is sharply compressed, and the posterior part is stretched. Deformities of this kind easily injure the vertebrae, especially when a person spends most of the day in a sitting position.
Successful replacement of side crunches - exercise "side plank":
- lie on your side with an emphasis on your hand, and raise your other hand up;
- rise slowly, lifting the thigh from the support and keeping the back straight;
- hold this position as long as possible;
- repeat the movements on the other side.
Instead of simple twists, it is recommended, standing on all fours, to simultaneously raise the leg and the opposite arm, keeping them straightened for several seconds. With the help of these exercises, you can pump the muscles of the buttocks, thighs, abdominal and shoulder girdle without overloading the spine.
Reverse push-ups
Push-ups face up with an emphasis on the arms laid back are dangerous because in this situation a serious load falls on the shoulder and elbow joints, which are in an unnatural position. Such movements are fraught with sprains, dislocations, and even the appearance of small cracks in the bones.
If you do push-ups in the classic pose (face down), trying to keep your back straight and your legs bent at the knees, while bending your arms parallel to your torso, you can use the same muscles as with reverse push-ups, but the risk of injury will be minimal.
Forward bends with weights
This is one of the most popular exercises. It is believed that by leaning forward and holding dumbbells in his hands, a person trains the muscles of the back, abs and hips. Unfortunately, such movements are extremely dangerous. Any overstrain associated with excessively active inclinations or minimal excess of the permissible weight of the load leads to spinal injuries and sprains of the back muscles.
As a replacement, the lumberjack exercise is quite suitable:
- put your feet shoulder-width apart;
- while inhaling, gently lift the medicine ball on straightened arms until it is over the right shoulder;
- as you exhale, slowly lower the ball in a wide arc to your left foot, while bending your knees halfway;
- repeat the movements in the other direction (from the left shoulder to the right foot).
Lifting dumbbells "for biceps"
The Weighted Biceps Swing is an exercise designed for professional athletes who have very strong back muscles and want to train a specific muscle group as much as possible. For a person engaged in fitness for the purpose of improving the figure and general lifting of tone, it is more harmful than beneficial.
It is much safer and more effective to perform vertical flexion and extension of the arms with weights in the form of an elastic band. To do this, use a piece of rubber bandage, the length of which is equal to two distances from the floor to the waist. The middle of the tape is passed under the feet, and its ends are taken in the hands with a reverse grip. Then the arms are bent alternately so that one of them remains half-bent, and the other reaches the shoulder with a fist. The rubber bandage provides elastic resistance to train the muscles in the arms and chest without putting unnecessary strain on the spine.
"French" press with dumbbells
Dumbbell lifts and bends over the head are extremely dangerous exercises, fraught with injuries to the lower back, shoulder girdle and elbows. You can train the corresponding muscles with the safer "diamond" push-ups. They are done in the classic pose (face down) with an emphasis on the arms, but so that the palms are as close to each other as possible, and the elbows are directed to the sides of the body. The exercise can be performed with both legs straightened or with bent knees resting on the floor, depending on the degree of load tolerance.
Thigh Muscle Trainers
Thigh-strengthening machines are not intended for beginners. So that exercises with them do not cause sprains of the ligaments and muscles of the perineum, you must have thorough preparation. Not only inexperience leads to injuries, but also attempts to increase the weight of the burden, ignoring pain and fatigue.
Optimal exercises for the muscles of the legs are the so-called platform steps. For these activities, any stable object with a flat surface (box, low stool, etc.) is suitable. The movements are very simple: you need to go up and down the platform by alternately raising your right and left legs (straight or sideways). You should start with a low object, only slightly raised above the floor. By gradually increasing the height of the platform and the pace of steps, you can not only improve the condition of the muscles of the lower extremities, but also improve breathing, activate the work of the heart and blood vessels, and also get rid of extra pounds.
Fitness classes should initially be supervised by an experienced trainer. He will select an individual set of exercises, taking into account the state of the muscles, age, weight, the presence of chronic diseases. This minimizes the risks associated with increased physical activity. In addition, a specialist will help to establish a training regime: he will not give unreasonable indulgences, but he will also not allow overexerting and experiencing loads that are dangerous to health.
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Maria Kulkes Medical journalist About the author
Education: First Moscow State Medical University named after I. M. Sechenov, specialty "General Medicine".
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