15 Workout Mistakes That Can Be Dangerous for Your Health
If you wish to achieve results in the gym, lose weight, and gain muscle,
it is important to do basic exercises. But we often do them wrong, harming
our health and canceling out our efforts.
Bright Side has developed some recommendations on how to train in
the gym properly, effectively, and without ruining your health.
15. Hip bridge
Wrong: If you arch your back when doing the hip bridge, you load
your lower back instead of your buttocks.
Right: Bend your knees so that they form a right angle to the
floor. Raise your pelvis up, and make sure that your body forms a straight
line from your shoulders to your knees — it's important. At the top,
squeeze your buttocks as much as you can and contract your abdominal
muscles.
14. Alternating side lunges
Wrong: If you lean too far forward and bend your knees at an acute
angle, your spine and knees become overloaded.
Right: Keep your back flat, and don't raise your pelvis. Make sure
that your knee is bent at an angle of approximately 90° when
squatting.
13. Plank
Wrong: If your back is not straight when doing the plank, the
exercise loses its effectiveness and becomes useless.
Right: Hold your body in a straight line from the top of your head
down to your heels. Keep your arms at an angle of 90°, and don't bend your
neck.
12. Back squat
Wrong: If your knees go beyond your toes, you round your back and
lay the barbell on your neck, shifting the weight to your toes. You can
severely harm your neck and fall down.
Right: Make sure the barbell weight is kept in line with the
middle of your feet. Arch your back, and don't lift your heels off the
floor. Keep your thighs parallel to the floor, and don't squat too
deeply.
11. Grip the barbell correctly
Right: Pull your elbows back, and squeeze your shoulder blades
together so that a "shelf" appears through the contraction of your
muscles. Put the barbell on this shelf as low as possible, provided that
you can steadily hold it.
10. Squat with a dumbbell or a plate
Wrong: Your shoulders are rounded forward, hence your back is
rounded too. Going too low on a squat gives you an extra load.
Right: Pull your shoulders back, and squeeze your shoulder blades
together. Keep your back straight, slightly arched in your lower back.
Your thighs must be parallel to the floor when squatting.
9. Deadlift
Wrong: Your legs and arms are not vertical, putting you at risk of
falling down and injuring your joints.
Right: Bend your knees, push your chest forward, arch your lower
back, and pull your pelvis back. Hold your legs and arms perpendicular to
the floor.
8. Stepping on a platform
Wrong: The further we stand from the platform, the greater the
load is on our knees instead of our leg muscles.
Right: Straighten your back, and squeeze your shoulder blades
together. Slightly arch your back, and stand closer to the workout bench
or platform. Your knee must be in line with your foot.
7. Bench press
Wrong: Your knees are bent at an obtuse angle. Your back is
straight, and the barbell is shifted forward. Thus the load is uneven, and
the exercise becomes ineffective.
Right: The barbell must be approximately in line with your
shoulders. Arch your lower back. Bend your knees, and move your feet
slightly backward toward your hips.
6. Dumbbell lunges
Wrong: Your knee is twisted sideways, which is ineffective and
traumatic.
Right: Your knee must be in line with your foot and bent at an
angle of 90° when stepping forward.
5. One-legged squat
Wrong: Your shoulders are rounded forward, so your back is rounded
too. The squat is not low enough.
Right: Pull your shoulders back, and straighten up. Squat down
until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
4. One-arm dumbbell row
Wrong: Your head is raised, so your back arches.
Right: It is important that your body makes a straight line from
the top of your head to your buttocks.
3. Dumbbell overhead triceps extension
Wrong: If you grip the dumbbell in the middle of its handle, your
joints will be loaded instead of your muscles.
Right: Take the dumbbell in both hands with your palms facing up.
Keep your shoulders motionless, and press your elbows as close to your
head as possible. Raise the dumbbell overhead, and slowly lower it.
2. Standing calf raise
Wrong: Your feet are halfway or almost completely on the platform.
They are not aligned with your shoulders.
Right: Stand with 1/3 of your feet on the platform so that they
are in line with your shoulders. Lift your heels as high as possible. Hold
for a few seconds, then lower your heels until they're below the
platform.
1. Hyperextension
Wrong: Your body doesn't form a straight line, and your lower back
is strongly arched.
Right: Avoid rounding or bending your lower back. Raise your torso
to hip level, and don't round your back when bending down.