I enjoy going to the gym and working out, as do many others. Having grown up in the early 1980’s, I recall going to the gym in high school. Those days, free weights were the only game in town. I recall that at least in my weight room, there were very few rules governing weight lifting, and the only goal was lifting the weights, the heavier the better. Looking back, I cringe and wonder how we all survived! I still vividly remember seeing a scrawny, awkward teenager on the bench press arching his back all the way up, and losing his stabilization so that the entire weight bar swung downward, with straight arms, onto his thighs! Or how I went to put the bar back and missed the holds, such that I had to let go of the bar over my head so as not to tear my arms off (admittedly, this happened a couple decades later, but it adds to the story line!). Form and technique is crucial, both for safety and results. I am told that in Eastern Europe, where weight lifting has evolved to its highest form, competitive athletes don’t even add weights until their form is perfect!
The Nautilus machine was invented in the 1970’s, around this same time, which revolutionized the weight room by providing “safe” access to weight training to those not versed in the lore of free weights. To this day, most gyms have circuit training rooms with the descendants of such machines. And with the advent of “functional fitness” in recent years, the use of such muscle-isolating machines is coming into question. There are several reasons for this. First, real-world movement patterns don’t isolate muscles, so sitting in a pec machine to isolate the pecs (for example) won’t really benefit you because your pecs function in relationship to other muscles to perform real-world movements such as lifting, pulling, and pushing. Also, it has come to light that any machine that requires you to sit (to flex the hips) puts the low back at risk and also disconnects the kinetic chain of real-world movements that between the upper and lower body.
Personal trainers come in many stripes – some know a lot and some not so much. Much like yoga teachers who can have a weekend certification or 500+ hours of training, or massage therapists, who can be mediocre at best or world-class healers. That said, if you belong to a gym, I highly recommend learning a bit about the trainers available and taking even a rudimentary tour of the equipment with them.
When I am in the gym, I see some folks who are there working hard, but what I see them doing makes me cringe – both because their form is very poor, and they can hurt themselves, and because due to this poor technique, all their work will result in diminished returns. The adage of working smart, not hard applies in the gym as much as in math class or the work place! Repetitive strain should be avoided.
Below are a few suggestions of things to watch out for in the gym. This is no means a manual, and without pictures or videos, it is nearly impossible to properly instruct.
- Hamstring Curl – this machine requires you to lie face down. Be careful to avoid excessive lumbar extension (arching).
- Standing Hip Extension Multi-Hip machine – These exercises can be performed without appropriate core stability, to problems in the low back.
- Hip Abduction (bringing legs away from the mid-line) Multi-Hip Machine – avoid excess QL strain (low back muscles)
- Seated Rowing – avoid excessive flexion of the back. Keep the back neutral to slightly arched and draw the shoulder blades inward and down.
- Hanging Leg Raise – avoid excessive flexion of the low back
- Incline Sit Ups / Trunk Curl – avoid Psoas overactivation. In fact, I think it’s best to avoid this exercise altogether since it strains the Psoas (trunk flexors) while not really activating the abs.
- Seated Abdominal Crunch – This exercise can be counter- productive if you have any low back disc issues. Refer to my earlier blogs about the McGill Curl Ups.
- Lat Pull Down & lateral Raises – avoid chin poking, forward head or shoulder shrugging
- Pec Dec (seated Pec fly machine) & Sit Up – These can overstrain the neck and shoulder girdle regions. Lighter weights with proper form always prevail.
And for full disclosure, I am not a personal trainer, but a functional chiropractor. In my practice, I aim to correct improper movement patterns and then to pass my patients on the personal trainer who is adept in taking them to the next step. All that stated, don’t be afraid to try something new, be it weight training, a yoga class or anything else. But whatever you try, take a class, watch a video, hire a trainer or yoga teacher for a 1 on 1 first, so that you proceed with cautious confidence and not blind hubris! At my age (early 50’s), the latter can be detrimental!