Fads: Don’t Be Dazzled By Your Trainer

admin — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 08:50:45 +0000

Have you been hanging off one leg, from a tree, holding a swiss ball, ranting some motivational mantra whilst doing a reverse ab curl. Or have you jumped single legged from an unstable bench, onto a swiss ball, commando roll into a Pump class whilst doing a single arm pull with a theraband. OK OK not funny and totally unnecessary…but you get my point?

Fads are a part of the industry, theres nothing we can do about that. Really, theres nothing we want to do about it either. I mean, some fads turn into some great useful products or ideas. Take a look at the Swiss ball for example. When that first came out, it was overused. The idea exploded into gyms and trainers programs everywhere. There wasn’t one person who was exercising that wasn’t doing so on a Swiss ball. There were some pretty strange things being done at that Swiss ball too I must say. But now, years later, the crap has been sorted through. Swiss balls are used in programs effectively. They are a great tool, and have evolved well.

The problem is, there is a LOT of crap out there. You need your trainer to sort through it for you, not throw it all in your face. They are the ones with the knowledge and resources. Its unfortunate, but the Health and Fitness industry is a marketing business. There are a lot of people out there to make money. Bit of bling in a program or class, people get excited. Fair enough too, we are always looking for new ways to exercise, variety is the key and you sure as hell don’t want to get bored doing something that a lot of us are forcing ourselves to do anyway.

Some advice for you. Your program should be tailored to meet your goals. You can do as much fancy stuff if you want, but ultimately you want to reach that goal. Variety is a key. A good trainer will keep you interested, mixing up your training a little, BUT always focusing on the end goal. Variety doesn’t mean jumping on the first thing that is out there. When you are looking for a trainer, don’t get dazzled, don’t let them throw everything they have at you. Let them assess your goals, check out your level, put a plan in place, and away you go. There are many great trainers out there, but you have to remember, its a business, people want to make money…some go about it the right way and some don’t. Just keep your eyes and ears open.

Don’t Be A Fool, Stay In Front

admin — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 07:12:26 +0000

Pic: GreenBeanPrime

I walk into gyms all over the world and see people ripping that bar down behind their neck during Lat pull downs. If it weren’t for my superior self-control, the fitness trainer at that club would have that exact bar knocking ever so gently against their head as a quiet little reminder.

You may have been told that you should do it in front of your head, but not been given an explanation as to why…and besides, it doesn’t hurt you, and you’ve also been told that it targets your Lats better if you do it behind your neck. So…

Why Is Doing A Lat pull Behind Your Head So Bad?

Lat pull downs behind the neck are unnecessary and dangerous. From a biomechanical point of view, they are putting your shoulder into a very bad position. The glenohumeral joint (your shoulder joint) is built for mobility, not stability. When the bar is down behind your head, your shoulder is externally rotating, quite severely. This in itself creates risk. You are also putting your shoulder into adduction, extension and abduction (don’t worry if this makes no sense to you, basically your shoulder is in a really abnormal, unnatural and totally crappy position). This places a lot of stress through the front and the back of a joint that really isn’t that stable to begin with.

There is also increased stress on your external rotators (small muscles in the shoulder that play a VERY big role in the control of the joint) to stabilize the your shoulder. Damage to these results in a long and painful rehabilitation in which most upper body exercises are restricted. The position you are putting your shoulder into is pretty bad without weight; add a few kg’s to that and you are really looking at trouble.

Another added risk is your neck safety. Straining forward during a Lat pull behind the neck is common. Necks are delicate, and there is simply no need to be in this position. A lot of people do this exercise ballistically (really really fast and bouncy), and if you get a little over excited, may cause some cervical damage…let’s not even begin to think about what will damage will occur to your neck if the cable breaks (yes, that does happen).

Am I Sacrificing Benefits For Safety?

No. Not one little bit. Really…nothing at all. And yes, it’s proven. Studies have shown that the front Lat pull down works the Lats and the muscles of your back just as effectively as its scary sister, the behind the neck monster. In fact, one study showed that Front Lat pull downs resulted in the greatest Lat activity.

If you are doing Lat pull downs behind your head, stop…it ain’t worth it.

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Fads: Don’t Be Dazzled By Your Trainer

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