RANDOM THOUGHTS FOR A FRIDAY AFTERNOON

While I was training a client in a gym the other day, I couldn't help but have a laugh at the "workout" that a couple of pretty boys were having.

There was about 3 blokes hanging around while 1 guy done what some people would call a set. There was an open magazine with exercises (don't know which one) and the weights were as high as you could get them.

Guess you gotta look cool in front of your mates and show how much weight you can throw around right?

Anyway, what made me laugh was that because the weight was so heavy (thereby providing a proper set to maximise muscle gain) the tempo of the weight was so fast and the body was being jerked around so much that the only possible thing that the guy could have got out of it was a sore back - he was doing 1 arm bent over rows.

To top it off, the very next day, I was in the same place at the same time doing my own training blast when the same blokes were all standing around watching 1 guy bench pressing as much weight as humanly possible, as fast as humanly possible on the Smith Machine while being spotted!

Why you need a spotter on a machine where you don't work properly is beyond me.

I give the guys some credit though, they weren't skinny pencil pushers, but imagine what they could be doing if they were training properly and not to look good in front of their mates?

To see why these blokes were wrong, check out this article that I recently had published in The Inner West Courier:

STOP WASTING YOUR TIME: 5 EXECISE MISTAKES

If you are doing any of the following exercises, stop training like a body builder (unless you are one), and watch as you bust through your training plateaus.

# 1: The Leg Extension Machine: For the front thigh (quadriceps). If it is dangerous to someone who has had a knee reconstruction because of the stress it places on the knee, what makes it safe for everyone else to do? This is the biggest waste of time exercise that gym goers do. Don’t follow the crowd.

# 2: Anything on a Smith Machine: This is a machine where the bar is on a guided cable and it allows you to do Bench Press, Squats, Rows etc. It does the work for you so you don’t have to stablise the bar. If you want to train heavy get a partner or trainer. They will spot you and allow your body to actually work. The only good thing this is for is a Recline Row where you use the bar to do a modified chin up. Oh and I forgot, this makes for a pretty good towel rack!

#3: Adductor/Abductor Machine: This one is popular with the ladies. Work lunges in a multi directional movement if you want to train your inner and outer thighs. Like most machines, they create more muscle imbalances as your stabliser muscles are not being used.

#4: Ab Machines: These can place unnecessary strain on your lower back. For best ab exercises use a fitball or hover/plank variations. The Ab Roller is included in this category.

#5: Seated Shoulder Press Machine: I don’t like the angle this places your shoulders at when you press overhead. For the best shoulder exercises use free weights.


I hope you are not making these mistakes in your training regime? You definately won't be if you are doing any of my sessions!