Today we'll look at more myths, this time more specific to weight training. These are mostly well-meaning but misinformed advices given by people who do not involve themselves heavily in weight training. These kind of advice never comes from proper weight training athletes or coaches.
Most of these advices are given either because:
-People really do not know what they are talking about.
-People do not want to spend time teaching clients proper technique, which is absolutely important for a safe and effective weight training program.
Or a combination or both.
1) Squats hurt your knees
I have heard this many times and the people who say this are people who do NOT do the squat as an exercise. However on the other hand, there are people who squat heavy and do not get knee pain.
What's the catch? If you squat wrongly, as a lot of people do, knee dominant style, you WILL get knee pain. If you squat properly, you won't get knee pain.
2) You must not let the knees go beyond the toes in the squat
For beginners, this advice probably is not bad, especially if they squat knee dominant. However this is just the tip of the iceberg.
The truth is that in all normal activities involving knee flexion, your knees WILL go beyond the toes. When you walk, run, jump, climb stairs etc. All involve getting the knees beyond the toes.
What is the catch? It is the hip angle or hip action. If you get your glutes activating properly in the squat, the knees are well protected. Some coaches teach that the most important knee (and ankle) stabilizers are the glutes.
3) You must not squat below parallel, or partial squats are safer than full squats
Another advice of similar type to the above. If your squat technique is poor, partial squats probably are safer than full squats.
But surprise of all surprises, the forces in the knee joints are lower in the full squat than in the half squat. Full squats activate the hamstrings and glutes more than partial squats. Which means better knee stability.
Oh by the way, if you squat fully, you can't help but get the knees beyond the toes.
So we already have 3 points about squats, it is no wonder that so many people shy away from this excellent exercise. If you want to improve your squat technique, please come for my squat class.
4) Deadlifts hurt your back
Related to the first post. Most people equate deadlift with bending down from the spine. They can't differentiate bending down from the waist (ie spine) and bending down from the hips.
Take a look at this diagram to know what is the waist and what is the hip: http://kettletell.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/WHR-Waist-Hip-Ratio.jpg
Bending from the waist is dangerous, but not bending from the hips. In the proper deadlift, the hips is where all the action of the movement takes place. The hips are designed to do this, not the waist.
5) Overhead lifting is dangerous
I don't really know what people mean when they say this. Probably they are thinking of a missed lift and that it is difficult to get yourself out of the way of a falling bar/dumbbell.
But the truth is, it is much safer than the commonly done bench press. Assuming you lift in a safe place (ie not cluttered with equipment, not have people walking past you when you train, with an empty space where you can dump the bar), it is very easy to escape from a falling barbell. Just see a weightlifting competition to see how the lifters do it.
On the other hand, if you miss a bench and do not have any spotter nearby, you are in for a tough time.
Lying down on a bench, there is just no room for you to react if you drop the bar.
One reason why common gyms do not allow you to dump the bar is because they are more concerned with the flooring and equipment than your safety. The floor can be repaired, you only have one body to last a lifetime. So please please please dump the bar if you miss an overhead lift.
Ok, here's a hilarious one. But the point is still the same. Better than having the bar dropped on your chest or throat.
6) Overhead lifting hurt your shoulders
Another false advice from well meaning people. It is true to say that if you lift overhead without the proper shoulder and elbow alignments, you will hurt your shoulders.
The proper way to lift overhead whether with barbell, dumbbell, kettlebell or clubbell®
is to have the shoulder packed into its socket, activating the shoulder depressors (lats and rotator cuff) and the elbow must be locked when getting into the overhead position. Hence the term lockout.
Furthermore, overhead lifting is a good way to maintain mobility and stability and improve strength in the shoulder girdle.
Check out this video on the proper form of the press:
Come for my classes if you want to learn overhead lifting properly.
7) You need to wear cushioned shoes to absorb the impact of _____________(insert any activity here)
Cushioned shoes definitely feel comfortable. However they give you a false sense of security by giving you the impression that they protect your joints better than uncushioned shoes or barefoot.
Do you know that there are sensitive pressure sensors in your feet? Through feedback, the body recognizes signals from these sensors and activate your muscles accordingly. Cushioning alters the pressure distribution on your feet and confuses your nervous system. Resulting in abnormal muscle activation, causing more damage to your joints.
Shoe manufacturers also want you to know that the more expensive the shoes, the more technology they put into shock absorption. So you would do well to avoid these shoes. Save your money and joints.
Proper pressure feedback to the body also increases force production or strength, that is why in weightlifting and powerlifting shoes are non-cushioned.
If possible, do your activities barefoot. But of course it is not feasible to be barefoot all the time. Here are good shoes with little or no cushion for general purpose:
Socks are fine too.
8) You need to max out every time you train
Initially, if you have no training background, it could feel that you are maxing out every time you train. You'd feel sore and achy for a couple of days after your first few training sessions. This probably gives the impression that you need to do get soreness everytime you train.
However progress is not determined by what you feel (although in some sense yes, but that is another story). Progress is determined by what you can do.
Maxing out every time you train is a sure recipe for stagnation and burnout.
You need to vary of training volume and intensity every time you train to progress. This idea is called periodization.
9) Do not lock your joints in weight training movements to prevent injury to them
This advice may have come from the bodybuilding community, whereby they want to keep the load on the muscles and not on the joints. Not a bad idea, at least it serves their purpose.
However, locking your joints does not cause injury. Have you stood in a parade before. Notice that your knees WILL lock without you even thinking about them. The fact is that locking of the joints is a natural way to save energy from muscle contraction in normal movement. It is proper structure.
Please note also that your joints need strengthening as well as your muscles. So to eliminate the lockout means letting the joints remain weak. I hope that it is not something that you want.
Furthermore, locking the joints adds stability to certain movements, like overhead lifting. Without the lockout, the structure is weak and you need to use more muscular force in the lift. You can also risk injuring your soft tissues if you eliminate the lockout.
10) Explosive lifting is dangerous
This is another advice that is okay for beginners but not the whole truth about movement. Everyday in your life, you have to do some movements explosively, whether running, jumping or throwing or a combination of these.
Whether the resistance in the movement is your body, an everyday object or a weight training equipment does not matter.
Most of kettlebell lifts are explosive, but there are many, and i mean MANY expert kettlebell lifters from Eastern Europe who continue lifting and breaking records past their fifties or sixties.
That's it for today. I hope you have enjoyed the information i presented to you. Have fun with your training. Please post any questions and comments to singaporekettlebellclub@gmail.com.
