some of the worst exercises to do in the gym

Some of the worst exercises to do in the gym

There are a few exercises that do more harm than good. After all, the last thing you want to do is become injured so it’s good to know which exercises hurt you rather than help you. The first ‘worst exercise ‘I wrote about is how you should never do sit-ups and here is today’s exercise that you should never do and why not.

Lat pull downs behind your head

Here is an exercise that you see people doing often and it’s very damaging to the shoulders and the neck. The shoulders get pulled back way too far which overstretches the ligaments and capsule. You definitely do not want this! Ligaments should be tight to keep the joints stable and once they are over stretched they don’t tend to shrink back. Ligament laxity can then easily lead to rotator cuff problems. I am sure many of you know of someone who has dislocated his shoulder not once but 2 or 3 times and then eventually needed surgery; this is because the joint has become very unstable due to the ligament laxity. You want tight ligaments but flexible muscles and tendons. The other problem with doing lat pull downs behind your head is that it puts your neck in a forward position which is exactly what you do not want. This creates great strain on the cervical discs and ligaments and can lead to neck pain, shoulder pain, rotator cuff tears, impingements etc.

The alternative to this is doing the lat pull downs in front of your head, bringing the bar to your chest. Remember though to keep your back in a neutral position. To do this you need to use your abdominal muscles which means you are now also activating you core. The majority of people do this exercise with their back over arched and that puts pressure on the lower back tissues and facet joints leading to lower back problems.  I wrote about the core muscle in a previous blog and it’s especially important that you are using your core muscles when doing your workout.

Remember, for a healthy lower back its vital that you have  a strong and stable lower back and flexible mid back and hips, not the other way around.

But for now,

Rest assured I am watching your back

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