BackFive dos and don’ts while exercising
The top exercises you are doing wrong at the gym, and what you should do to correct them
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We may feel good and proud about our bench-press prowess, or our ability to churn out hundreds of crunches, or swing the kettlebell with savage force to lift it high up towards the ceiling, but here’s the bad news: In all likelihood, we are doing it wrong. By doing these exercises the popular way, we are neither being efficient in building strength and power, nor are we helping our agility and fitness. On most occasions, we are just heading towards bad posture and injury. Here’s what you should and should not do next time you are at the gym.
The traditional or ‘bodybuilder’s’ bench press
In the traditional technique often taught by trainers, the bar is lowered until it touches the chest; anything less is considered poor form or a sign of weakness. This position necessitates the humerus (upper arm bone) to rotate more than 90 degrees, overstretching the ligaments around the joint capsule. Moreover, because the exercise is performed on a flat bench, the normal motion of the scapula is restricted, putting a lot of unnecessary load on the glenohumeral joint (where the arm inserts into the shoulder). As more weight is added on the bar, the shoulder blades are compressed even harder into the bench, further restricting the natural movement of the scapula. Once overstretched, the joint capsule can no longer stabilize during common arm movements like swimming, throwing a ball or even swinging a hammer. Over time, there is inflammation and pain in the shoulder joint.
Solution: Perform this exercise on a slightly deflated Swiss ball and use dumb-bells. Dumb-bells give your body the freedom required to find its own pathway of movement. The Swiss ball will allow more freedom to the scapula to rotate outwards and upwards. Even better, learn to master the cable-press exercise demonstrated here. In this exercise, the scapula is free to move, plus the antagonists to the chest muscles co-contract to create a challenging and functional environment.
In my personal experience, “big-benchers" seldom perform well at this exercise the first time. Typically, the population that performs well in this exercise usually has a background in Olympic lifting, martial arts, wrestling, yoga or other functional exercise systems.
Knee extensions
A squat is a far more natural movement. During a squat, the tibia (lower leg bone) moves slightly back, which is a natural movement and is kinder on the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) that controls the movements of the knee-joint. During the leg extension, the tibia moves forward, putting unnecessary stress on the ACL. The very exercise you chose to help your knee may contribute to its ongoing pain.
Solution: Keep the leg extension to a minimum amount of weight and one-two sets at most. Done with lighter weights, this will act as a great way to warm up your knees for heavy squats and lunges. Do the squat with proper form, there is no exercise that’s better at building strength and functional movement in the muscles and tendons that support the knee-joint. My personal favourite for knee rehabilitation or general conditioning is the one-legged or split lunge. This can be performed with or without assistance depending upon the fitness level of the exerciser.
American-style kettlebell swing
Solution: Swing to 80 degrees or a maximum of 90 degrees from the floor, keep a firm core and feet stuck strongly to the floor. Drive upwards through your glutes and hip, and you’ve got yourself a great move.
Behind the neck pull-downs
Solution: Do safe lateral pull-downs by pulling the bar to the top of your breastbone and let your scapula rotate upwards and outwards during the eccentric phase (as the bar rises up). Tilt your torso back slightly to create room for the bar and keep the forearms vertical in line with the cable.
The abdominal crunch
Solution: To safely work on your six-pack without the above dysfunctions, crunch on a bosu ball. The bosu ball ensures that the stomach muscles stretch on the upward phase of the movement and that the rectus abdominis (the big six-pack muscle) does not shorten and cause postural aberrations. Keep the arms locked behind your head and don’t go beyond perpendicular to the ground.
Ranadeep Moitra is a certified coach from the National Strength and Conditioning Association of America and has worked with the Indian cricket team, the Bengal cricket team and the East Bengal Football Club. He currently coaches the Indian golf team.
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