Turbulence Training Update for TT VIP's
Brought to you by Craig Ballantyne
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NOTE: If you want to read today's article and comment on it, please
go to my blog here:
=> http://www.ttfatloss.com/abdominal-exercises/10-exercises-to-stop
You can even suggest your own exercises to be added to the STOP-DOING
list too.
Now...
First, before we get into today's list, I have a damaging admission
to make.
The truth is that I was FIRED a few times by personal training
clients back in the day because they didn't like my strict workout
rules, which included:
1) Absolutely NO talking during the performance of an exercise
2) Perfect form must be used in every exercise
3) No quitting on an exercise
Not surprisingly, that didn't go over very well with some clients
who liked to "gab" more than they liked to workout, or clients who
liked to say they could do 5 chin-ups, when all they could REALLY do
was 5 "quarter reps".
The bottom line is that I take my training serious. You want a buddy
to chat with? Train with someone else. I'm just not a chatty-Craiggy.
Sorry.
And because I take my training seriously, I've built up a list of
exercises that should no longer be in your workouts because they are
ineffective or downright dangerous.
Here are the top 10 exercises to remove from your program right now.
#1 - The Bodybuilder Bench Press
The truth is you never, ever have to do another set of bench presses
if you simply want to lose fat or build chest muscle. There are
plenty of other "shoulder-safe" exercises like dumbbell chest
presses that work just fine.
That said, I know there are a few irrational TT Meatheads, like
myself, reading this email. And we still want to bench press, and
maybe even enter a Powerlifting competition.
But the Bodybuilder Bench Press - where you have a wide grip on the
bar and your elbows pointed out to the sides - is the most damaging
to your shoulders.
To make the exercise safer for your shoulder joint and rotator cuff
muscles, simply tuck your elbows to your body - so they point more
towards your feet - and bring in your grip by 1-2 inches. That will
save your shoulders.
#2 - Anything done with a rounded back (even picking up dumbbells)
It doesn't matter if you're squatting, deadlifting, straight-leg
deadlifting, rowing, or even doing triceps kickbacks, you must STOP
doing these exercises with a rounded lower back.
That's a one-way ticket to a herniated disc. And you do not want to
go there, girl.
So make sure that you brace your abs, and keep your back in the
neutral position - and even with a slight arch in your low back - as
you do dumbbell rows, deadlifts, squats, and Romanian Deadlifts (RDLs).
If you don't know what I mean, or you still aren't comfortable with
those exercises, by all means DROP them and just ask for a substitute
exercise. There are plenty of other movements I can recommend.
And one more thing...I see a lot of people (including my clients) who
use great form in all exercises and then pick up dumbbells off the
floor with a rounded back.
That's another no-no.
You can just as easily hurt your back doing that as you can in an
"official" exercise. So always, always, ALWAYS pick stuff up by
bending at the knees and keeping the object close to your body - but
NEVER by rounding your back (even when tying your shoes!).
#3 - Bench dips (where your hands are placed on the bench behind you)
Personally, I've never been one to use this exercise, as I thought
it was lame-o. And then 2 years ago I attended a Bill Hartman
lecture, and he was very unkind to this exercise.
(Who's Bill Hartman? He's a guy that has been crowned "the smartest
man in fitness" by Brian Grasso, Alwyn Cosgrove, and myself.)
Here's what Bill says about those bench dips...
"To achieve that much range of motion the scapula must tilt forward
which is a pretty unstable position. This also means that the
shoulder joint is unstable and increases demands on the rotator
cuff especially the subscapularis.
"Over time this is a lot of undesireable stress leading to
impingement of the cuff. This doesn't even consider the stress on
the AC joint. It's also a crap exercise for overload."
Cut those out of your program immediately.
#4 - "Clean and Presses" done with a fixed bar
Clean and presses are a great exercise when done with proper form,
but almost every time I go to a big box gym I see people using those
fixed "body bars" and doing some mangled "reverse-curl/external
rotation/body contortion" movement.
Worse, I've watched groups of women do this in aerobics classes.
Listen, it's nice that people see the value in the total body
movements, but if you can't do the exercise properly, it shouldn't
be done at all.
When I see a person trying to clean and press a 2-inch diameter, 24
pound body bar, it ALWAYS looks bad...because it is.
Again, there are plenty of other ways to train the body. You could
do a front squat combined with a push press. That would be safer and
would still work all the muscles you want (and even more).
#5 - Behind the Neck pulldowns or presses
I'm a real conservative guy. To me, dressing up means a clean white
t-shirt and a pair of blue jeans. I hold the door open for lil' old
ladies. I don't gamble or smoke. And I don't curse around my mom.
And because of my conservative nature, that's why I'm putting alll
"behind the neck" exercises on the no-fly list for your workout.
Some coaches say they are fine, and other coaches say it depends on
the individual. And while I agree that some folks can do these
without a problem, I look at it this way:
There's NO good reason to risk your shoulder with these exercises
when you get equal results from modified, safer versions of these
exercises or simply by using other movements.
So be conservative and do your shoulders a favor by dropping all
behind the neck movements.
#6 - Crunches
I know some people are getting real upset with me every time I tell
you to stop doing crunches, but if you won't believe me, then at
least believe Lou Schuler and Alwyn Cosgrove, whose new book, "The
New Rules of Lifting for Abs" just hit #2 on Amazon's best sellers.
They recommend dropping crunches, and so does Mike Robertson, Men's
Health fitness expert, who recently wrote this about the crunch debate:
"I can't believe we're still arguing this stuff. I would've hoped by
now that we've all thrown crunches and sit-ups by the wayside...
think about the body-wide effects of crunching - a crunch trains the
rectus abdominus by pulling the rib cage down.
"When we pull the rib cage down, we increase the thoracic kyphosis.
This sets off a cascade of events - we increase the kyphosis, thus
losing t-spine extension. This consistently puts our scapulae in a
poor position, not to mention putting our gleno-humeral joint at an
increased risk for impingement as well."
Let me translate Mike's science...
Basically he said, STOP doing crunches!
#7 - Side bends
Unless you're a powerlifter or strongman competitor, you can stay
away from side bends.
You don't want to repeatedly bend your spine sideways any more than
you want to flex your spine forward with crunches and sit-ups.
And besides, who has ever gotten sexy abs with side bends?
They sure didn't help me or Bally the Dog with our six pack abs.
#8 - Plyometrics to Failure
Hey, I appreciate the fact that people are putting more athletic
movements into their fat loss programs. After all, you will get more
results with athletic training than slow cardio.
But...you must be smart with your training. Doing "explosive"
exercises to the point of muscle failure - and therefore, to the
point of improper form - is simply wrong.
That's what causes injury. And that causes people to drop out of
their fat loss program.
So listen...be conservative. YES, you can use jump training in your
fat loss program...after all, some of the advanced TT programs do.
But you can't be doing plyometrics to failure. You can't be doing
plyometrics with sloppy form. And you can't be getting hurt.
Train hard, but train safe.
#9 - Russian twists
Listen, I have nothing against Russians. Sometimes when I go on
holiday I like to relax at the bar with a Black Russian, and I also
think Russian women are some of the most beautiful in the world...
...but this exercise they've given us gets a big fat NYET!
Don't do this. It combines spinal flexion and rotation, and is
unsafe for your low back. Sorry, it belongs in Siberia!
#10 - Sit-ups
Sit-ups are far worse for your low-back than crunches. As Mike
Robertson wrote in his ab training article:
"You may not like Stuart McGill, but the guy has done his homework
on the spine. If you want to get your lower back healthy, there are
safer and more effective ways to train the core than performing
sit-ups until you enjoy the unique pleasure of a herniated disc."
I agree 100%.
So ditch the crunches and situps and focus on abdominal stability
exercises like the ones I have for you in the TT for Abs DVDs here:
=> http://www.TTforAbsDVDS.com/BallantynesDaySale
Sincerely,
Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author, Turbulence Training
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