Youth is impressionable. That must explain why some of us are loath to give up the exercises taught to us when we were kids, even though some are woefully out-of-date.
If your exercise regimen includes some grade school holdovers, it may be time for a workout makeover. The goal: making certain that your exercises are accomplishing what you want without the threat of injury.
Here are some of the most persistent offenders in outdated moves, and suggestions for more effective versions from Karen Gregg, fitness director of Chicago`s East Bank Club:
Full situp: From the prone position, we were taught to keep our knees straight and sit upright. The problems are two-fold. While the abdominal muscles start the movement, once the upper body rises to a 45-degree angle, the abdominals rest and the hip flexors take over. These are the small offshoots of the quadriceps that attach to the hip bones. What`s worse, to complete the move uses lower back muscles, which are easily strained.
A better choice is the ”crunch.” Lie on your back with knees bent and feet on the floor. Keeping the chin up, slowly tighten the abdominals to lift or curl the shoulders up off the floor. Because the angle of the body never passes the 45 degree mark, only the abdominals are involved.
Lateral side bend: Once believed to whittle the love handles around the waist by placing hands on hips and twisting the upper torso laterally. However, bending to the side is not asking those muscles to do much work at all.
Try instead a lateral crunch to work the oblique muscles, which run along the sides of the torso. Repeat the crunch as described. However, when the shoulders come off the ground, turn the trunk and bring the left shoulder toward the right knee. Alternate sides, keeping the motion slow and controlled.
Double leg lifts: A favorite tummy-tightener, but completely ineffective because slowly lowering both legs while on your back works the hip flexors, not the abdominals.
Try the reverse crunch instead. Lie on your back with knees bent and feet on the floor. Contract your abdominals, bringing the knees up toward the chest.
Hurdler`s stretch: When you sit with one knee bent back and to the side with the foot behind, you are torquing the knees with two angles of force. The position is so unnatural it`s risky for such a delicate joint.
Instead try this substitute. Sit on the floor, extending the right leg, and bending the left leg so that the bottom of the left foot touches the right inner thigh. Bend forward from the hips, with hands placed on floor on either side of the extended leg and hold for 30 seconds. Switch legs and repeat.
Toe touch: This is more likely to strain the back than stretch the hamstrings.
Modify the move by placing a stool or box in front of you, then placing your left heel on it, keeping both legs slightly bent. With hands on your left thigh, bend forward, keeping back straight, and hold for 30 seconds. Repeat on right leg.
