The Mis-Guided Article that Continues to Resurface
Every year for the last 12 years, an iteration of the same article continues to resurface. Different authors, different publications, same theme: Avoid these seven (or six or ten) exercises or machines.
This month, it was Shape Magazine (shared by Apple News). This iteration attacks seven exercises and concludes that we should avoid these exercises. The irony is that six of these exercises are among the most effective (and safest) exercises anyone could perform.
1. Hip Adduction Machine
2. Hip Abduction Machine
3. Smith Machine (not unsafe, but not a great machine)
4. Ball-Squat
5. Triceps Kick Back or Extension
6. Seated Torso Rotation
7. Leg Extension
The authors suggest that these exercises should be avoided because they do not mimic how our body moves in “real life.” Stated otherwise, these exercises are not “functional.” Functional training means that the exercise performed in the gym should mimic or look like whatever we are going to do in our everyday lives. The problem? Functional training violates the basic principles of motor control. That is, strength training “tasks” do not transfer to other tasks. Because different neural patterns are involved, standing while you do adduction exercises does not transfer to standing, walking, or other activities of daily living. To be clear, strength training exercises strengthen the muscle (and bone), and then, we can take the newfound strength (and endurance) and apply it to our activities of daily living.
Thus, when an exercise is designed, it SHOULD isolate the muscle as best as possible. In order to do this, we should always start with an understanding of the anatomy and biomechanics of a muscle. Specifically, we should ask, what is the kinesiological function of this muscle? And then, we simply add resistance to that movement. We can do this sitting, standing, lying down, with a machine, or with a free weight. We can use EMG studies to answer the question, “Does this exercise effectively recruit the muscle I’m trying to target?” And, of course, the exercises listed above are very effective for recruiting the targeted muscles.
Additionally, many of the seven exercises listed actually have a preponderance of research supporting not just their efficacy but their superiority. The leg extension is the single most effective exercise for strengthening the quadriceps (and the safest). In fact, extensive research says that we can’t effectively target the quadriceps muscles by doing multi-join movements (squats, lunge, leg press) alone. The leg extension is also critical for recovering from invasive knee surgeries.
Take Home Message: Build your workout around the exercises above. They are safe, effective, and research-based. Avoid, at all costs, exercises that attempt to mimic whatever you are going to do in real life.
