As we all know, exercise is essential to good health, but (ironically enough) workout injury is incredibly common.It’s easy to damage your body while performing exercises if any of the joints involved don’t have enough range of motion, says New York City physical therapist Allison McGinnis.
Many people want to know what techniques are best to leave out of their fitness routines. Here are a few exercises that you might want to avoid.
Bicycle Crunches
Many people are too aggressive with this exercise, says Real Pilates owner Alycea Ungaro, PT.
"As exercisers drop in and out of abdominal flexion, losing their muscle tension in the midsection,” she explains, “the low back gets wrenched in and out of extension with little support."
If you want to include this exercise in your workout, reduce your speed and do the crunches mindfully.
Lat Pull-Downs
Preventing injury is essentially about keeping all of your body supported, never allowing too much force to be focused in any specific area.
Jessica Malpelli of the Florida Orthopedic Institute says that this typical workout component is dangerous because of the amount of pressure on the shoulder. People who use it frequently pinch nerves and sometimes tear their rotator cuffs.
Again, it’s wise to be cautious with this exercise. Four famous last words are, “No pain, no gain.” Don’t power through another lat pull-down if your body sends you a warning.
Kettlebell Swing
Want to get strong fast? This is one of the most powerful exercises around. However, you have to move your body flawlessly to protect it.
You want to make sure that your hamstrings and glutes are doing the bulk of the work.
"If performed incorrectly, the repetitive swinging motion could result in rotator cuff injury and/or inflammation of other structures in the shoulder,” says JAG Physical Therapy president John Gallucci, Jr. "Because of the speed and the force of the swinging motion of the kettlebell, the shoulder is at significant risk for injury.”
Overhead Squat
It is difficult to get something over your head. When a squat is also incorporated, it becomes almost impossible to maintain the form necessary to protect yourself.
McGinnis comments that all joints have to be functioning at top capacity to be able to safely complete this exercise. You need to have great motion within your ankles, knees, and hips to squat correctly. To get the weights over your head, all of your spine and your shoulders must be fully engaged and mobile.
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