Five popular exercises you should NEVER do- {advice from a #BeverlyHillsChiropractor}

With obesity running rampant, regular exercise is an important issue today.  The Beverly Hills Posture Team is obviously fans of anything that will help our clients reach their fitness goals.

Deciding to get started on a fitness program is often times the hardest part of the process.  Once you have made that critical decision, the next step is a bit of a challenge as well.

As you know by now, before you begin any exercise program, get the advice of a fitness professional. The guidance of the right person is essential to not only getting great results, but doing so in a safe fashion.

Unfortunately, more often than not, people who start an exercise program do so without the best information.  Some people simply start doing those exercises that they did in high school.  Others just watch what other people are doing at their local gym and do that.  Both are bad ideas.  So to illustrate that, we have identified five exercises that are done just about every day in every gym across the country.  (In fact, two of these exercises are actually promoted by the design of equipment that your gym owner has put on the floor).

The exercises we suggest you do NOT do are:

1.  Leg Extensions

This is a very common exercise that just about every gym equipment manufacturer makes a machine for.  The problem is that doing a leg extension while in the seated position is a potential disaster for your knees.   Your knee is simply not designed to efficiently lift weight concentrated at your ankle.  If you have knee problems or use too much weight, you can run into a host of problems.

2.  Inner/Outer Thigh

Also a very popular gym equipment exercise.  Again, not a great exercise in the seated position.  Adduction targets the inner thighs and abduction targets the outer thigh.  These relatively small muscles are not designed to lift weight while in the seated position.  Doing so runs the risk of straining them as well as aggravating lower back and hip problems.  These are support muscles that don’t do well as prime movers.

Women’s Day Magazine: Exercises That Can Backfire
See which moves can cause injury and find safer alternatives for them

3.  Behind the Head Pull Downs

Another very popular exercise, the “Lat” pull down.  Another machine you will find in nearly every gym you walk into.  This is not a problem of machine design as noted in the first two examples, but rather one of user error.  Instead of (or in addition to) performing this exercise by pulling the bar down in front of your head, many people pull the bar down behind their head.  This is a bad idea for everyone who is not super flexible in their shoulder joints.  Very few of us have the amount of flexibility we would need to do this exercise safely.  Even if we do, we still have to use care not to bang the back of our necks with the bar.

4.  Leg Presses/Squats with Deep Knee Bend

One of the all time “bad-form” exercises around, standing squats.  Adding to the poor form, most people use a deeper than is safe bend in the knees. This creates a really dangerous exercise.  Most leg press machines will help you achieve reasonable form, but they do not prevent you from bending your knees too deeply.   The potential damage to your lower back, hips and spinal discs makes proper form and execution a must for a safe workout.

5.  Upright Rows

Upright rows are done in a variety of ways.  Most involve standing while holding weights with your hands held close together and lifting towards your chin.  The problem is the mechanics of the shoulder do not lend themselves to this movement.  It has a tendency to compress the nerves in the shoulder causing impingement.  Form while doing this exercise is often very poor as well, adding to its potential for shoulder damage and pain.

As we point out, some of these exercises are so popular that equipment manufacturers have designed dozens of versions of machines to assist you in the potential destruction of your body!  The scary part is there are plenty of other exercises not listed here that can be just as bad for you.  The simple “sit-up” is an exercise we have all done, and we have all probably done wrong.  In fact, there are literally hundreds of ways to do sit-ups, all of which are often done poorly.

The good news is there are alternatives to each of these poor exercise choices.  This is a great example of why it is so important to get the assistance of a qualified fitness professional when designing your fitness program.  As always, we’re happy to assist you with your exercise needs.  We can help you achieve your fitness goals in the shortest period of time and with the least chance of injury.

If you have any questions regarding anything we’ve written or would like to book an appointment with us, please click HERE to be directed to our contact page. Beverly Hills Posture is proud to offer Chiropractic Care with an abundance of options including- Yoga, Pilates, Gyrotonic, Acupuncture, Acupressure and Massage Therapy. We dedicate ourselves to creating a healthier you.

Fitness Equipment Everyone Should Own- {advice from a #BeverlyHillsChiropractor}

At Beverly Hills Posture, we’re all about helping our clients to maintain and enhance their rehabilitation and fitness goals–even when they can’t make it into our office.  In fact, there are many exercises that we often recommend our clients perform at home between visits. 

While there is often no substitute for the exercise regimens done in our office, there are plenty of alternatives that people can do at home to support the work they do with their Beverly Hills Posture Therapist or Trainer.

In order to get the maximum benefit from home exercise, you will need a few pieces of equipment.  Fortunately, all of the following examples are inexpensive, take up very little room and most can be taken with you if you travel.

The variety of exercises that can be done with each type of equipment are too numerous to detail here.  We will often feature one or more of these in our future article and video series with specific instructions, so watch for them.

Inflatable Exercise Ball

If there is a piece of home exercise equipment that rivals resistance bands for versatility, exercise balls just might be it.  Exercise balls have applications across the entire fitness spectrum.  They have a critical use for rehabilitation work, for those just starting an exercise program, and for the hard-core workout veteran. Exercise balls allow you to both ease the stress of certain types of exercises and intensify the effect of others.  They help with stretching and core strength work.  They can also double as office furniture that helps us maintain good posture while sitting at a desk. As we continue to publish articles and videos about fitness solutions, inflatable exercise balls will often be featured.

Yoga Mat

We aren’t sure if this actually qualifies as “equipment,” but a good yoga mat for use at home or while traveling is a great way to ensure a smooth, even surface to perform most exercises on.  It certainly isn’t a requirement, but may be helpful.

Resistance Bands

This might be the most versatile piece of home exercise equipment available.  It has a myriad of uses for all levels of user.  It can be used to support physical therapy work you may be doing in our office.  It can be used for simple stretching or as a key part of your training regimen.  The Beverly Hills Posture Yoga, Pilates and GYROTONICS team use resistance bands fairly often in the course of training their clients. There are many different types and brands of resistance bands available.  If you have any questions as to which will best suit you, let us know and we will be glad to assist you.

Yoga Blocks

Yoga blocks are simply two blocks of dense foam that are designed to assist people with achieving the proper form and alignment in their Yoga practice.  In addition, they make a great all around piece of fitness equipment with a wide variety of uses. Yoga blocks also helps beginner fitness enthusiasts get into the proper position while they are improving their core strength. As always, the Beverly Hills Posture therapy and fitness team will be happy to assist you with any questions you might have about how to get the best results using these simple, inexpensive pieces of equipment.

Dumb Bells

One of the classic pieces of fitness equipment.  But we don’t include them on our list for the usual reasons people think of dumb bells.  We recommend a pair of lightweight dumb bells used mainly for high repetition exercises to focus your mind on proper form.  Simply gripping the dumb bells during various exercises can help stabilize the movement.

We are proponents of emphasizing proper form while exercising over the lifting of heavier weights.  Dumb bells can be a very important part of a rehabilitation regimen as well as assisting with your general fitness program.  As with many of the other pieces of equipment listed here, will feature tips on proper form and use of dumb bells in a number of our upcoming articles and videos.

Chin Up Bar

Any door way in your house may be converted into a chin up station or a spot to do exercises while hanging.  Chin up bars are also great for assisting with stretching. These types of bars also serve as a good anchor point for resistance bands. Most chin up bars available today can be installed without any tools.  Depending on how tall you are, they can be left in place as long as you don’t have to close the door.  While you probably wouldn’t take it with you while travelling, they are inexpensive and don’t take up much space.

There are a wide range of different types of pull up exercises that can be performed.  As always, we recommend that you seek the advice of a qualified fitness professional before you begin any exercise program.  Pull ups and other hanging types of exercises/stretches have a lot of value, but only if done correctly.  If you have any questions about these exercises, we’re happy to provide answers!

Specialty Equipment

There are tons of exercise products on the market today.  Many you will see advertised on television as miracle answers to age-old fitness problems.  Equipment that helps you do sit ups, push up, pull ups are all over late night infomercials. Larger pieces of equipment such as treadmills, all-in-one fitness stations and variations of equipment you find at a typical gym are marketed as cure-alls for your fitness needs.

Generally speaking, we are not fans of these types of fitness equipment.  That does not mean that they don’t have value if used correctly.  Some do, some don’t.  It is our experience that you can get the same, or often better, results by using some of the basic equipment already listed with the proper instruction.  We always emphasize the importance of getting the right information when embarking on a fitness program.  If you have a qualified fitness professional advising you on your program, you will get better results in a shorter period of time with a reduced risk of injury.  This includes the choice of equipment you might be using at home.
The amount and variety of home exercise equipment available is staggering.  The Beverly Hills Posture team subscribes to the theory that the simplest options are usually the best.  Many of the products on the market are designed to cure typical problems that many people have maintaining proper form.  Unfortunately, they don’t always accomplish that goal.  At times, the mere fact that the equipment is overcoming a form issue causes problems.  This is why the equipment that we suggest for our clients is simple, easy to use and gets the best results when used properly.

If you have any questions regarding anything we’ve written or would like to book an appointment with us, please click HERE to be directed to our contact page. Beverly Hills Posture is proud to offer Chiropractic Care with an abundance of options including- Yoga, Pilates, Gyrotonic, Acupuncture, Acupressure and Massage Therapy. We dedicate ourselves to creating a healthier you.