butts_and_guts (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} butts_and_guts) wrote,@ 2005-09-03 10:55:00 |
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The Best & Worst Exercises
By Raphael Calzadilla, BA, CPT, ACE
eDiets Chief Fitness Pro
September 3, 2005 Pages(3): 1 | 2 | 3 | Next Page >
When I walk into any gym in the country, it always looks like an instant replay to me. I see the same mistakes being made in every location and I cringe at the expectations that people have for certain exercises.
We tend to look at certain areas on our body and say, “ugh, that just looks awful. What exercise can I do to help this area?” We don’t think big picture. Instead, we look for quick fixes and the magical exercise that will solve all of our problems.
The following list of exercises may surprise you. However, if you study the human body -- it will be tough to refute. These are the exercises that make me want to scream, so to avoid being a raving lunatic who gets thrown out of every health club in America, I thought an article might be a better idea.
The key is not so much finding an exercise that will reduce a specific area, but finding the most efficient exercises that will tighten and strengthen the area. Then, the combination of reduced calories, cardiovascular exercise and consistency does the rest of the work.
This is by no means an exhaustive list -- there are a lot more. Also, I normally don’t like using words such as “worst” and “best,” but in this case I need to be very clear to obliterate some misconceptions.
Let’s get the ball rolling.
1. Adductor Machine -- The adductor machine is the exercise unit that you sit in and place the inner part of your legs against a pad. You then push the legs toward each other with the goal of reducing your inner thighs. Maybe you perform 20, 30 or even more reps to affect the area. This exercise will not reduce your inner thighs. You’d need enough resistance to create an impact on the muscle, so more than 15 reps isn’t going to accomplish anything. More importantly, it’s not the best range or plane of motion (direction) to affect the inner thigh -- even if you added weight and performed 10 repetitions.
Better Choice: Plie Squats -- This is one of the most effective movements for the inner thigh area, but must be performed with precise form. Stand up straight with feet spread wide and toes pointed outward. Hold a dumbbell between your legs or place a barbell on the upper part of your back. Maintain a neutral spine and a slight bend in the knees throughout the exercise. Lower your body by bending from your hips and knees stopping when your thighs are parallel with the floor. Contract your inner thigh muscles and return to the starting position. This is a much more efficient way to work the inner thigh and, as you can see, a very different plane of motion compared to the adductor machine.
The Best & Worst Exercises
By Raphael Calzadilla, BA, CPT, ACE
eDiets Chief Fitness Pro
September 3, 2005 Pages(3): 1 | 2 | 3 | Next Page >
2. Abductor Machine -- The abductor machine is the opposite of the adductor. In this case you sit in the machine and place the outer part of your legs against a pad. You then push your legs away from each other in the hopes of
ADVERTISEMENT
reducing your outer thigh area. Pushing the legs outward accomplishes very little for the outer thigh. Again, the plane of motion is ineffective. You say you can feel this machine? I can also feel my chest if I perform a dumbbell press very slowly with a pair of 5 pound dumbbells -- but that doesn’t mean it’s accomplishing my goal. There’s more to the puzzle than just feeling it.
Better Choice: In reality, a standard squat or leg press will work the outer thigh with precision. However, if you want to take it the extra mile, try leg presses with your feet close together (about 2 inches apart). This will place added stress on the outer thigh area due to overload. It also takes into consideration the key ingredient I keep referring to -- plane of motion.
3. Side Bends -- Placing a broom stick on the upper part of your back or holding dumbbells by your sides and bending side to side in the hopes that the oblique muscles (love handles) will shrink is an antiquated exercise. Side bends may actually make the area larger if you use heavy enough dumbbells. Endless side bends and twists will have no effect on the obliques. It’s a colossal waste of time.
The only thing that’s going to get those ‘love handles” smaller is reducing overall body fat through cardiovascular exercise, brisk weight training and, last but not least, a calorie-reduced diet.
Better Choice: Do you have more than 10 pounds to lose? Don’t work the obliques! That’s right. Perform absolutely no work for them. You want to shrink them and overload of any kind will make them grow.
If you really want to work the obliques, research consistently rates the Bicycle Maneuver as one of the most effective abdominal/oblique exercises.
Lie on a mat with your lower back in a comfortable position. Place your fingertips on either side of your head by your ears. Bring your knees up to about a 45-degree angle.
Slowly go through a bicycle pedaling motion alternating your left elbow to your right knee, then your right elbow to your left knee. Make sure to perform a strong contraction as you bring your elbow to the opposite knee to really isolate the “love handles.”
4. Cardiovascular exercise more than 60 minutes -- This is a little trick on my part. It’s not that cardiovascular exercise is a bad form of exercise, it’s more the way people abuse it that allows it to make the list. ---
The Best & Worst Exercises
By Raphael Calzadilla, BA, CPT, ACE
eDiets Chief Fitness Pro
September 3, 2005 Pages(3): < | 2 | 3 | Next Page >
I know you want to lose the most amount of fat in the least amount of time. I can understand that, but if the body can only lose up to 2 pounds of fat per week before it begins destroying
ADVERTISEMENT
muscle, why are you working out as if you’re attempting to lose 5 pounds per week?
I generally recommend working at a capacity of 70 percent to 80 percent of your target heart rate. If you’re performing cardio more than 60 minutes at this level of intensity, you’re on a collision course for muscle loss. If you think it’s not important, you may want to re-consider.
I’ve seen people lose well over 100 pounds and lose it very, very fast. They did everything possible to lose weight (fat and muscle) and opposed to losing only fat and sparing muscle. The result is a soft and flabby looking body. Yes, they lost the 100 pounds and did it in the most inefficient manner possible.
Better Choice: Up to 60 minutes of cardio is plenty. In fact, if your diet and weight-training workout is consistent, 40-50 minutes of cardio four to six days per week should do the trick. Think in terms of nutrition, weight training and cardio in harmony and balance.
5. Behind-the-Neck Lat Pulldowns (for the Back) -- Performing this cable pull-down movement puts unnecessary stress on the rotator cuff muscles of the shoulders. I can’t begin to count the number of people who’ve experienced injuries from this and any behind-the-neck movement.
Better Choice: Lat Pulldowns to the front. A slight arch of the back, chest high, and as you pull the bar down, squeeze your elbows into your sides. This provides a perfect contraction for the lat muscles of the back.
As always, check with your doctor prior to beginning any exercise program.
By Raphael Calzadilla, BA, CPT, ACE
eDiets Chief Fitness Pro
September 3, 2005 Pages(3): 1 | 2 | 3 | Next Page >
When I walk into any gym in the country, it always looks like an instant replay to me. I see the same mistakes being made in every location and I cringe at the expectations that people have for certain exercises.
We tend to look at certain areas on our body and say, “ugh, that just looks awful. What exercise can I do to help this area?” We don’t think big picture. Instead, we look for quick fixes and the magical exercise that will solve all of our problems.
The following list of exercises may surprise you. However, if you study the human body -- it will be tough to refute. These are the exercises that make me want to scream, so to avoid being a raving lunatic who gets thrown out of every health club in America, I thought an article might be a better idea.
The key is not so much finding an exercise that will reduce a specific area, but finding the most efficient exercises that will tighten and strengthen the area. Then, the combination of reduced calories, cardiovascular exercise and consistency does the rest of the work.
This is by no means an exhaustive list -- there are a lot more. Also, I normally don’t like using words such as “worst” and “best,” but in this case I need to be very clear to obliterate some misconceptions.
Let’s get the ball rolling.
1. Adductor Machine -- The adductor machine is the exercise unit that you sit in and place the inner part of your legs against a pad. You then push the legs toward each other with the goal of reducing your inner thighs. Maybe you perform 20, 30 or even more reps to affect the area. This exercise will not reduce your inner thighs. You’d need enough resistance to create an impact on the muscle, so more than 15 reps isn’t going to accomplish anything. More importantly, it’s not the best range or plane of motion (direction) to affect the inner thigh -- even if you added weight and performed 10 repetitions.
Better Choice: Plie Squats -- This is one of the most effective movements for the inner thigh area, but must be performed with precise form. Stand up straight with feet spread wide and toes pointed outward. Hold a dumbbell between your legs or place a barbell on the upper part of your back. Maintain a neutral spine and a slight bend in the knees throughout the exercise. Lower your body by bending from your hips and knees stopping when your thighs are parallel with the floor. Contract your inner thigh muscles and return to the starting position. This is a much more efficient way to work the inner thigh and, as you can see, a very different plane of motion compared to the adductor machine.
The Best & Worst Exercises
By Raphael Calzadilla, BA, CPT, ACE
eDiets Chief Fitness Pro
September 3, 2005 Pages(3): 1 | 2 | 3 | Next Page >
2. Abductor Machine -- The abductor machine is the opposite of the adductor. In this case you sit in the machine and place the outer part of your legs against a pad. You then push your legs away from each other in the hopes of
ADVERTISEMENT
reducing your outer thigh area. Pushing the legs outward accomplishes very little for the outer thigh. Again, the plane of motion is ineffective. You say you can feel this machine? I can also feel my chest if I perform a dumbbell press very slowly with a pair of 5 pound dumbbells -- but that doesn’t mean it’s accomplishing my goal. There’s more to the puzzle than just feeling it.
Better Choice: In reality, a standard squat or leg press will work the outer thigh with precision. However, if you want to take it the extra mile, try leg presses with your feet close together (about 2 inches apart). This will place added stress on the outer thigh area due to overload. It also takes into consideration the key ingredient I keep referring to -- plane of motion.
3. Side Bends -- Placing a broom stick on the upper part of your back or holding dumbbells by your sides and bending side to side in the hopes that the oblique muscles (love handles) will shrink is an antiquated exercise. Side bends may actually make the area larger if you use heavy enough dumbbells. Endless side bends and twists will have no effect on the obliques. It’s a colossal waste of time.
The only thing that’s going to get those ‘love handles” smaller is reducing overall body fat through cardiovascular exercise, brisk weight training and, last but not least, a calorie-reduced diet.
Better Choice: Do you have more than 10 pounds to lose? Don’t work the obliques! That’s right. Perform absolutely no work for them. You want to shrink them and overload of any kind will make them grow.
If you really want to work the obliques, research consistently rates the Bicycle Maneuver as one of the most effective abdominal/oblique exercises.
Lie on a mat with your lower back in a comfortable position. Place your fingertips on either side of your head by your ears. Bring your knees up to about a 45-degree angle.
Slowly go through a bicycle pedaling motion alternating your left elbow to your right knee, then your right elbow to your left knee. Make sure to perform a strong contraction as you bring your elbow to the opposite knee to really isolate the “love handles.”
4. Cardiovascular exercise more than 60 minutes -- This is a little trick on my part. It’s not that cardiovascular exercise is a bad form of exercise, it’s more the way people abuse it that allows it to make the list. ---
The Best & Worst Exercises
By Raphael Calzadilla, BA, CPT, ACE
eDiets Chief Fitness Pro
September 3, 2005 Pages(3): < | 2 | 3 | Next Page >
I know you want to lose the most amount of fat in the least amount of time. I can understand that, but if the body can only lose up to 2 pounds of fat per week before it begins destroying
ADVERTISEMENT
muscle, why are you working out as if you’re attempting to lose 5 pounds per week?
I generally recommend working at a capacity of 70 percent to 80 percent of your target heart rate. If you’re performing cardio more than 60 minutes at this level of intensity, you’re on a collision course for muscle loss. If you think it’s not important, you may want to re-consider.
I’ve seen people lose well over 100 pounds and lose it very, very fast. They did everything possible to lose weight (fat and muscle) and opposed to losing only fat and sparing muscle. The result is a soft and flabby looking body. Yes, they lost the 100 pounds and did it in the most inefficient manner possible.
Better Choice: Up to 60 minutes of cardio is plenty. In fact, if your diet and weight-training workout is consistent, 40-50 minutes of cardio four to six days per week should do the trick. Think in terms of nutrition, weight training and cardio in harmony and balance.
5. Behind-the-Neck Lat Pulldowns (for the Back) -- Performing this cable pull-down movement puts unnecessary stress on the rotator cuff muscles of the shoulders. I can’t begin to count the number of people who’ve experienced injuries from this and any behind-the-neck movement.
Better Choice: Lat Pulldowns to the front. A slight arch of the back, chest high, and as you pull the bar down, squeeze your elbows into your sides. This provides a perfect contraction for the lat muscles of the back.
As always, check with your doctor prior to beginning any exercise program.
