Fitness: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

I guess some of you immediately think of the 1966 spaghetti western when reading the title of this post. You know, the Sergio Leone classic starring Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef and Eli Wallach. So - I remember the movie, but what has this to do with fitness, you might ask? Are there subliminal messages hidden in the movie somewhere, making you immediately want to put down the giant size bucket of popcorn and instead go home and front squat? Or are there previously unknown scenes of Clint doing shotgun shoulder presses in the desert?

Well - no. I just shamelessly stole the title. Not just for fun though, but also because I think it makes sense when thinking about fitness and strength training - and especially applied to particular exercises. In this article, I will try to dispel the confusion regarding why some exercises should be incorporated in your training - and likewise, why I believe that some exercises or exercise variations should be avoided.

In the fitness world of today, I see a lot of confusion regarding which exercises to use to produce a particular result. I sometimes ask people why they are using a particular exercise in their training program, and the reactions I get to this simple question can be very interesting. Some people actually do their best to motivate the use of their chosen exercise, often by listing several (incorrect) reasons. One example is: “I only bench press in the Smith machine because it’s better for the shoulders.” Others admit that they really don’t know - and simply state that it was recommended to them by a friend, or something like that. And some are actually slightly offended by the question. Asking about peoples’ training programs can be a very sensitive area, probably because it requires them to actually think about their training. :-)

I assure you - it’s not in any way a habit of mine to assault other people in the gym, with the intention of trying to force them to see or do things my way. My experience is that on-the-fly-advice in the gym seldom goes down well, even if it’s sugarcoated and delivered with the best of intentions.

So - what exercises should we use then, and why? Of course, this will to some extent depend on what your particular goals are. In a previous post I have written about the importance of thinking about the purpose of your training. If you don’t have any clearly defined goals, I suggest you take the time to formulate some; one or two is often enough. But don’t make this harder than it is - I’m a strong believer in simplicity, and that you should simplify everything as much as possible. If you want to lose or gain weight, use a weight goal as your primary goal. For example, if your current weight is 220 pounds, your goal may be to get down to 200 pounds within 3 months. Always give your goal a specific deadline - otherwise it doesn’t really classify as a goal.

You might also want to define one or more secondary goals. The secondary goals are goals can be described as somewhat “softer” goals, in the sense that they cannot be allowed to dictate your training in the same way that your primary goals should. Also, don’t have more than one primary goal. The reason for just having one primary goal is to always know what your priorities are. If you have more than one primary goal, your goals may turn out to contradict each other and create confusion about what to prioritize. Your primary goal is what keeps you on course, the compass needle that makes you keep squatting when you’re really dying to do triceps kickbacks.

Naturally, the purpose of your training can and often will shift over time. Just keep things simple and focus on one primary goal at a time.

However, I also believe that there are some exercises that can be classified as good regardless of your goals. For instance, I think it would be a great idea to deadlift, even though your goal may be to lose 20 pounds. Using the deadlift as an example, it would most likely speed up your progress, making it easier for you to reach your goal. Used correctly, the deadlift is one of those compound exercises that, among other things, will induce a hormonal response in your body that actually makes losing fat easier. Obviously, if you only did deadlifts a couple of times a week, this would probably by itself not be enough to make you lose 20 pounds. There’s also The Bigger Picture to take into account; if you are like most people, you would also have to make some adjustments to your diet - as well as your cardio - to optimize the weight loss process.

For obvious reasons, this article isn’t meant to cover every exercise that was ever invented - but rather to serve as an overview, using the categories of good (exercises I recommend that you do), bad (exercises you shouldn’t do), and ugly. So, on a basic level, which exercises are good, which are bad, and which are, umm, ugly? OK, here we go:

The Good

The Deadlift: As stated above, I believe that this is a really great exercise. Why? Well, first of all, it is a full body movement - in the truest sense. Performed correctly, the deadlift will involve virtually all the muscles in your body, with special focus on the lower back. The muscles in your lower back are extremely important in supporting you lumbar spine, which, for obvious reasons are crucial for your overall health and mobility.

The Squat: Many people regard the squat as a leg exercise, but that’s not really the whole truth. Yes, the legs are the part of the body that moves when squatting, but like the deadlift, the squat is really a full body exercise. But in a similar fashion to the deadlift, which focuses mainly on the lower back, the squat focuses mainly on the leg muscles more specifically the quads, buttocks and hamstrings. However, for the legs to be able to perform their part of the work, the rest of the body - essentially everything that is below the bar - must work isometrically, stabilizing the body during the movement. This is also true for the calves, providing a stable platform for the rest of the body.

Dips: Simply one of the best pressing exercises there is. For most people, dips are easier on the shoulders than the bench press while also involving more muscle mass. Resistance is easy to adjust by using dip belt, and you never have to worry about getting stuck under the weight if you are training alone.

Pushups: Probably the second best pressing exercise there is. Like the dip, the pushup involves moving your whole body and can be adjusted in a multitude of ways. Resistance is a bit harder to adjust in the pushup, but a good solution is using a weighted vest. Depending on your goals, you may also want to give the one-arm variation a try.

Pull-ups/chin-ups: Good old regular pull-ups, done in front of the neck, is probably one of the best back exercises there is. Also, there are a lot of great variations you can use as your strength increases; apart from the obvious choice of doing them weighted, you might want to try the one-arm variation, or why not towel/rope pull-ups, which have the added benefit of strengthening your grip?

Olympic lifting variations: The reason for incorporating variations of olympic lifts in your routine, is that they contain an explosive component - these lifts simply cannot be done slowly. Lifting relatively lighter loads faster has been proven to increase both explosive strength and maximum strength. There are a lot of different variations to choose from - I recommend starting with a dumbbell variant, since they are usually much easier to learn, while still giving you more or less the same benefits. Moreover, practicing the dumbbell variations will also give you a feel for the basic groove of the movement, making it easier for you to transition to using a barbell.

The Bad

Triceps kickbacks: I still see grown men doing this, believe it or not. C’mon, if you want to isolate your triceps (which is OK), please pick an exercise that makes you perform some actual work. The myth seems to be that it “gives you a good pump”. But the problem is that apart from giving you a good pump, I have yet to see some evidence that kickbacks does something worthwhile for your triceps. Again, please pick another exercise, like lying triceps extensions or even pushdowns.

Behind the neck shoulder presses: I’ll make this one easy for you: Don’t do anything heavy behind the neck, including pull-ups or lat pulldowns. There really is no point. For most people, this is an unnatural position for the shoulder girdle, making a number of small but important muscles in the shoulder area work too damn hard, which can cause any of a number of different - but all of them painful - problems. You might be able to get away with doing things behind the neck for a while, but for most people it’s just a question of time. So - no heavy pulling or pushing behind the neck.

Leg extensions: Essentially the legs version of the triceps kickback. But while the triceps kickback makes it virtually impossible to handle heavy weight in the movement, due to the unsupported position of the arm, the supported position of the leg extension makes it possible to handle heavier weight, relatively speaking. The main problem with this is that the leg extension, biomechanically speaking, is an open chain exercise. An open chain exercise means that your feet (in this case) are not in contact with a stable platform while performing the movement, which increases the stress on the knee joint - especially at heavier weights - often resulting in an injury sooner or later.

Kipping pull-ups: I know that many people advocate kipping pull-ups, but I still believe there’s no good reason to do them. The kipping movement can be very, very hard on the shoulders. You might be able to get away with doing kipping pull-ups for a while - years, even - but chances are that they’ll eventually catch up with you. Substituting your regular pull-ups with some kind of olympic lift variation, like the dumbbell snatch, will both give you all the advantages of the pull-up, and the power component that the kipping provides - while taking less of a toll on your shoulders.

OK, so what about the ugly exercises? As I mentioned earlier, ugly exercises, in this context, are exercises that may look a bit strange at first. However, sometimes these weird looking exercises are simply good exercises disguised as bad ones. Here are my personal favorites:

The Ugly

Turkish Getup: The Turkish Getup is a movement that used to be performed regularly by 19th and 20th century strongmen. You essentially start by lying on your back, extending a dumbbell upwards in one hand - and then you simply stand up, all the while pointing the dumbbell in the same direction, keeping your arm straight. The old-timers actually used a barbell, but I recommend that you start with a dumbbell (or a kettlebell), adding weight slowly as you become more proficient. After a while, if you want to transition to a barbell, I suggest starting over with just the barbell, and add weights in small increments. The barbell adds a lot of instability to the exercise, and if you haven’t taken enough time to refine your technique, you’re setting yourself up for a shoulder or back injury. This exercise really involves your whole body, something that will become apparent at heavier weights.

Saxon Side Bend: This is another old school movement, designed to work your core - more specifically, your obliques. The movement itself is simple enough; just stand holding a couple of dumbbells overhead and bend slowly at the weights to the left and to the right. The key to this movement is moving slowly, using light weights, and focus on bending at the waist. Believe me, if you don’t know where your obliques are, this will become painfully apparent the next day!

If you’re not sure how to put the information in this article to practical use, don’t worry. I will cover these aspects more fully in coming articles, both from the perspective of how to perform specific exercises, and how to sensibly structure your training program.

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March 19, 2009 | Filed Under Training 

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