INSPO Fitness Journal July 2017

TOP FIVE
EXERCISES
TO MASTER
DON’T
BY KRISTINA DRILLER
If you’re new to strength training or working out,
you may have wondered if you’re performing your
exercises correctly.
DO
It’s definitely recommended to have an exercise
professional demonstrate exercises,
then carefully watch your technique and
provide you with feedback on what to correct
and adjust.
Once you know how to perform an
exercise correctly with proper technique,
it’ll allow you to strengthen the muscle/s you
want to focus on and not the muscles you
don’t, to be capable of progressing faster and
prevent injury to joints and ligaments.
The following are my top five exercises to
master and get down pat.
DON’T
LAT PULLDOWNS
Commonly performed seated, but can also
be performed standing or kneeling.
This exercise should be performed with
the sternum/chest lifted, a straight back
with a small curve in the lower back and the
abdominals engaged.
Keep your feet flat on the floor, depending
on the weight being lifted you may
choose to use the knee pad to avoid your
body being lifted by the resistance attached
to the bar.
DO
Place your hands wider than shoulder-width
apart on the bar, pull the bar
- leading with your elbows - toward your
collarbone and try to touch it with the bar.
Common errors to watch out for are
over-arching the lower back (not engaging
the core by doing this), rounding and hunching
the shoulders and pulling the bar toward
the chest/upper abdominal or into the lap.
Pulling the bar in a direction lower than
your collarbone places pressure on the anterior
shoulder joint, which is not ideal for the
longevity of your shoulders.
Variations to try with the lat pulldown
include hands narrow/medium and wide
grip on the bar with the hands grasping the
bar facing up and down.
SIT-UPS
These are commonly performed and in years
gone by have been thought to be a pillar of
most exercise programmes.
Sit-ups however, can contribute to lower
back pain and the main reason for this is that
the abdominals work through the first phase
of the movement and the last phase is completed
predominantly by the hip flexors.
If sit-ups are overdone, the hip flexors will
shorten and can contribute to an increased
pelvic anterior tilt.
In addition, if sit-ups are performed in
high volumes the abdominals will fatigue at
a point and the lower back muscles will work
to try and complete the movement.
An alternative exercise would be doing
half the movement and performing a
crunch, keep the neck still throughout and
place the hands across the chest.
If you place your hands behind your
head, simply touch the outside of your ear
instead to avoid pulling on the head and
straining your neck.
BENT OVER ROWS
These can be performed in a number of
ways, however in this instance we will discuss
using a bench.
This exercise should be performed with
one hand leaning on a bench, keeping the
back straight with a small curve in the lower
back and knees slightly bent.
DON’T
DO
DO
18 INSPO – FITNESS JOURNAL JULY 2017