Is twisting bad for the spine? Exercises that are harmful to the spine: what you need to know

useless and harmful exercises. Part 4 Hyperextensions and a round back.

Our only physical support in the human body is the spinal column, to which everything else is attached. The spine in an upright position is in tension under the influence of gravity. When we just lie down, there is also pressure due to the ligaments and muscles pressing the intervertebral segments. In the hanging position on the hands, the pressure does not go away, the muscles are in good shape all the time, otherwise there would be overstretching of the ligaments and instability in the spine, it would simply burst over time.

Consider the structure of the spine. In total, there are 32-34 vertebrae, which are divided into departments:

The cervical region occupies 7 vertebrae, numbered C1-C7

Thoracic - 12 vertebrae, numbered T1-T12 or D2-D12

Lumbar - 5 vertebrae, numbered L1-L5

Sacral - 5 vertebrae, numbered S1-S5

Coccygeal department - 3-5 vertebrae, which fuse over time, numbering Co1-Co5

The spine has 3 bends - cervical lordosis, thoracic kyphosis, lumbar lordosis. The spine consists of the vertebral bodies, between which are the intervertebral discs (IVD). Mpd consists of the annulus fibrosus and the nucleus pulposus inside, which receive the main load, serving as mobile shock absorbers. The spinal cord passes through the spinal canal, which innervates various parts of the body and organs.

When the spine is bent in the sagittal plane (tilt of the body forward and downward), the vertebral bodies also change their angle, the edges in front of the spine come closer, the fibrous ring is compressed and rests against the posterior longitudinal ligament, which is located in front of the spinal canal and protects the spinal cord.

With hyperextension of the spine in the sagittal plane, the same thing happens, only the fibrous ring already tends to the anterior longitudinal ligament, where there is no spinal cord, here the spinous processes approach each other. With lateral inclinations in the frontal plane, the vertebral bodies also change their angle.

These tilts and any movement of the spine are natural to life. However, with age, from poor nutrition and a sedentary lifestyle, not correct posture, excessive load and excessively long stay of the vertebrae in correct position, the properties of the fibrous ring are lost. Dystrophic changes begin, which are called osteochondrosis of the spine with different stages. Today, even teenagers have it, not to mention mature people. Manifested by discomfort and pain in the muscles that surround the spine. At the stage of protrusion and intervertebral hernia, the fibrous ring, the nucleus pulposus crawls out into the spinal canal and compresses the nerves in the spinal canal, manifesting itself in various ailments and pains.

One of the most serious problems in the fitness industry is the risk of injury to the spine, due to incorrect exercise technique, non-observance of the principle of individuality, and propaganda of deliberately wrong exercises! As a result, those involved intensify the existing osteochondrosis, and those who do not get it. And this is not only from incorrect hyperextensions, but from many exercises with own weight, on simulators, with free weights.

Today we'll talk about hyperextensions. There are many variations of the exercise here, and practitioners use everything they can and rarely get the exercise right, even experienced ones.

Option 1 most used among beginners.

workers muscle groups- back surface of the thigh, buttocks and extensors of the spine in dynamics. An exercise is performed with a rounding of the back in lowest point and overextension at the top point + often with inertia and extra weight. This is the most traumatic option, where the entire spine suffers - the fibrous ring, ligaments of the spine, tendons of the muscles of the legs. There is a strong instability of the spine and the vertebrae can shift over time against the background of osteochondrosis. Destroyed ligaments of the spine cannot be restored, as well as the fibrous ring.

Option 2, where the movements of the spine are undulating and in dynamics - as dangerous as the first one + a displacement of the vertebrae can occur right during the exercise, especially with weight.

Option 3, it is used by many, from experienced to beginners.

The height of the stop is placed at the level of the infragluteal folds in order to tilt the pelvis forward relative to the hips. The thoracic region is rounded initially and retains this position throughout the movement of the body. Here, often for beginners, the lumbar region is also rounded. Working muscle groups - the back of the thigh, buttocks in dynamics, in static extensors of the back. When rounding the lower back, the extensors of the back work in dynamics. If we exclude the rounding of the back (which is very traumatic), the exercise becomes less traumatic, but not safe. This technique is considered incorrect and excluded from fitness. We recall the picture where the vertebral bodies changed their angle of inclination in the thoracic region (increased thoracic kyphosis). Now add the muscles that extend the spine and see what happens. The extensor muscles of the spine create additional compression on the adjacent corners of the vertebral body when moving up.

It turns out a similar exercise with a deadlift and a round chest, which experienced practitioners are afraid of. And at the lower point, when the body is lowered, there is a stretching of the extensors of the spine, including cervical and additional uniform compression of the entire spine. Thus, this exercise increases the osteochondrosis that many have, and in a healthy spine causes instability of the vertebrae in the thoracic region, due to stretching of the posterior longitudinal ligament.

Option 4 less traumatic than option 3. The height of the stops is as high as possible. In statics, the buttocks and the back of the thigh work, in the dynamics of the extensors of the back. Here the pelvis does not tilt at all, there is a flexion of the spine in the chest area and its extension. The extensors of the back are well worked out, but they all the time compress the entire spine throughout the entire movement, which means that they are traumatic for osteochondrosis patients, healthy spine you can do them without being carried away by excessive extra weight.

Option 5 the safest. Here the height of the stops is at the level of the infragluteal fold, the working muscle groups in dynamics are the buttocks and the back of the thigh, in statics the extensors of the back. There is no hyperextension of the spine (the body rises to the plane of the hips), and at the bottom point the back is not rounded. Throughout the entire range of motion, the natural deflection of the spine in the thoracic and lumbar. It is difficult to track the technique on your own, you need to do it with a stick, and look from the side of the coach.

Some subtleties. In all variants, the calf muscles work in statics. The legs at the knee joint should not be completely straight, they should be kept slightly bent to avoid overstretching of the hamstrings and instability of the knee joint.

The cervical spine is the most vulnerable, you can’t put a barbell on it!

Hyperextensions with rotation of the spine (vertical rotation) should also be excluded due to increased injury risk.

An absolute contraindication to all hyperextensions is an intervertebral hernia on a thin stalk behind the spine, which can fall off into the spinal canal and compress the nerves.

The work of the gluteal muscles is important throughout the entire range of motion and stretching rear surface hips. To work well gluteal muscles, you need to activate them with other exercises, and at the top point they need to be additionally strained with mixing.

Conclusions:

The only injury-free hyperextension exercise is option 5, where the spine maintains its natural position throughout the movement. All other variants cause degenerative-dystrophic changes in the spine. Option 4 can be done to healthy people with low body weight.

On the real misconceptions associated with a round back:

I have intervertebral hernia and the doctor prescribed it for me, said that I need to round my back. I have been doing it for 5 years with a round back and the pain is gone, I feel good. I don’t know what kind of doctor prescribed this for you, but back pain goes away due to the painkilling hormones that are released on strength training. Take a picture of the spine, and see if there is a progression of osteochondrosis? It is most likely obvious

I have been doing it for 10 years and rounding my back - my back almost does not hurt. Do you wait until you get really sick?

The coach told me to do with a round back, my spine is healthy and did not hurt. Pain is a consequence of osteochondrosis, which can manifest itself both at the initial stage, and already on the intervertebral hernia, when it is too late. Osteochondrosis of the spine is not treated, you need to keep it healthy

I am completely healthy, a lot of experience, I can do in different ways. The body has certain resources for recovery, including the spine, which should not be wasted just like that.

I'm so warm up and warm up my back, I have ahead deadlift rods. With such a warm-up, you create for yourself a possible instability of the vertebrae, which you will finish off with a deadlift. The spine is better lubricated on articular gymnastics, where from a standing position do the slopes of the spine in different sides, and the back muscles warm up well during warm-up sets of deadlifts.

It’s convenient for me to do so, which means it’s safe for me. Of course, it’s more convenient to do this, because. it is easier to do exercises without controlling and stabilizing anything. However, there are no pain receptors in the intervertebral disc, you do not feel how you are killing your spine until a hernia or protrusion comes out, but it will be too late. Here it is reasonable to learn from the mistakes of the past of other people.

Ecology of life: Health. Try to avoid these exercises or do them correctly so as not to harm your health.

We talked a lot about mass useful exercises that will improve your health, you can lose weight, get in great shape. But, we have never talked about what not to do in gym and even more so at home. Therefore, this article will focus on exactly this topic - harmful exercises that can cripple, bring pain to your body, and adversely affect your health in general.

Harmful exercise

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We all know that exercise is good for health as it strengthens the muscles, tendons, spine and joints. But even wrong execution morning exercises can lead to irreversible consequences, therefore, we decided to collect for you popular harmful exercises that you probably often do out of ignorance.

Harmful exercises for the spine

The back and spine are the most vulnerable places on the human body. It is enough to twitch sharply, and you will immediately get a stretch. We present you a list of the most dangerous exercises for the back.

1. Lumbar bends. Such deflections are contraindicated for those people who have any back problems. The fact is that such deflections can reach the very spine, as they say, to the bones, and if you have a displacement, curvature, or something else, then you can only make it worse. You must understand that this does not mean that you do not need to do these backbends. Just don't do them abruptly and the amplitude should be small.
2. Inclinations, oddly enough, can also bring a bad imprint on your health, if done incorrectly. And if you decide to do twisting with a sore back when bending over, then you fall into a special risk group.
3. Twisting the back and shoulder girdle can also be harmful to health, therefore, they must be done slowly and without straining the back muscles. Such an exercise from useful often becomes harmful due to improper twisting.
4. Try to avoid exercises in which you need to lift or strain both legs at the same time. They are often recommended for training the abdominal muscles, without thinking about how they affect the back. When working the hips in this exercise, the load always goes to lower part back.
5. When you perform an exercise where you need to reach your toes with your hands, then there is a special load on your back. Tighten up hard-to-reach muscles, which is very good, since they also get a workout. But if you pull them, the pain can stay in your body for months.

Harmful leg and knee exercises

In addition to the back, the legs can also suffer, they are also at risk. Let's take a look at the most dangerous exercises that can cause harm if done carelessly.

1. Deep squats. They are quite difficult to do, although they have a positive effect on health. But, if you do deep squats incorrectly, you can damage your knees, as they are at risk. Just remember that you don't need to bend your knees more than 90 degrees, and the buttocks should be at their level. Only in this case, the chance of harming yourself is minimized, but many “athletes” of home origin try to wipe the ground with their booty, and they think that this will make them slimmer.
2. Tilts to the feet in a sitting position. This is a popular exercise, but it has its drawbacks. When you do it in a sitting position, then knee joints experience incredible stress if the legs are straightened. Therefore, no matter what you are told, when doing this exercise knees should be slightly bent.
3. Any tilting with the rotation of the body is also dangerous. This exercise is at risk not only because of the back, but also because of the knees, which can get injured.

Harmful exercise

There are a few more common harmful exercises that should not be done.

1. Don't lift heavy weights. Many novice athletes think that if they take heavier dumbbells, if they lift the barbell, they will become stronger. But in fact, it is on this exercise that many people get injuries that do not allow them to practice any sport at all.
2. If you have problems with your legs, then you should not run, in the hope that training will reduce the problems. On the contrary, you just add them to yourself.
3. Rope jumping. It should be noted here that by themselves, jumping rope is not harmful, but how you land is important. In no case should you jump on the entire foot, that is, it should not be in the same position. Just like walking. You must jump on your toes, then do not damage your spine, knee joints, and internal organs. Do the exercises correctly and you won't get hurt.

Now you know the most harmful exercises. Try to avoid them, or do them correctly so as not to harm your health. Take care of yourself and be happy!

In bodybuilding, there are exercises that pose some risk of injury to the lower spine. Such an injury can put an end to your favorite sport and, in general, make life much more difficult.

In order not to grumble at fate later and reduce the possibility of an accident, we will consider which exercises can carry the greatest danger and how to reduce it so as not to be afraid to perform them.

And so, the most harmful exercises for the spine in bodybuilding and the features of their implementation.

1. Barbell row to the chin and dumbbell raises through the sides.

At first glance, there is no danger from these exercises. Of course, if you use the feasible weight of weights and correct technique.

But if the weight of the projectile is not chosen correctly, then when lifting the burden, the body will fall back. In this case, the lower back will strongly bend in the opposite direction. Disc injury can be practically guaranteed.

In addition, the use is too heavy weight forces to use cheating. In this case, there will be a weight lift with a jerk, which will increase the traumatic factors.

In order to secure your lower back in these exercises, you do not need much. This is a straight back and the right weight.

2. Traction to the stomach while sitting.

An excellent exercise for the development of back muscles, especially the latissimus dorsi. But done incorrectly, it will lead to significant trouble with your lower back.

To injure the spine, you need to do it, as most beginners do. It is necessary to lean forward strongly at the beginning and end of the exercise, and in the middle, when the handle is pulled up to the stomach, lean back. It turns out that the body moves after the handle. The efficiency of such an implementation will be less.

In order for the exercise to be effective and safe, it is necessary to ensure that the deviation of the body forward is insignificant, and to exclude it altogether.

3. Squats.

Well, where is power sports, bodybuilding and powerlifting without squats. This is one of the three elephants on which the mass and strength of the athlete rest.

Before you perform them for the first time, you need to remember if there were any problems with your back before. If there was already a displacement, infringement of the discs or a vertebra flew out, then squats should be completely abandoned. It is better to replace them with leg extensions or other exercises.

But if there were no problems with the back, then with the help of a belt you can achieve a lot in the development of strength and mass.

Proper technique means first of all a straight back and not rounding it under load. Well, in order for the technique to be perfected to the ideal, you need to start with small weights.

This exercise is just as important as squats. Having acquired problems with your lower back, you can easily deprive yourself of two effective factors for building strength and mass.

This exercise does not seem to be difficult. He went to the bar and lifted it on lowered outstretched arms.

But the deadlift has its own specific.

The main thing in it in terms of safety is again a flat back without any rounding. In this case, the movement should occur smoothly, without jerks and uniformly accelerated. There shouldn't be any sharp jerks.

In addition, a strong deviation back at the top of the amplitude is a common mistake.

This movement can be seen in powerlifting competitions when there is indeed some leaning back of the torso to show the judges that the weight has been lifted.

But in the hall it's useless. Deviation back leads to the strongest overloads of the lower back and injuries of the intervertebral discs.

And so, harmful exercises for the spine can be beneficial in terms of growth and safe for the lower back. To do this, you need to follow the correct technique and choose a real, not excessive weight.

If you still have back pain, it is better to consult a doctor to find out its cause. As a rule, if its cause is weight training, then it occurs either during the exercise or after it is completed.

Well, pain not associated with physical activity can result from inflammation, salt deposits, sciatica, or other troubles that a doctor must deal with.

A healthy lifestyle is fashionable, popular and in demand. Fitness clubs are overflowing with those who want to improve their figure, private studios offer various training options, personal instructors are ready to come to your home or office ... There are a lot of options! But many people like to practice on their own at home for one reason or another: lack of time, money to attend gym, or the love of training alone.

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There are also many ways to choose a complex for training: magazines, videos from the Internet, books, advice from experienced and not very athletes. However, often the result of such activities are injuries and back pain. When you are exercising without a coach, there is no one to check the correct technique for performing exercises, and pictures and articles in a magazine or a complex on a video are not always made professionally.

In any case, I would advise you to conduct several classes with an instructor who is well versed in the biomechanics and physiology of the body and will tell you which exercises to perform for you, taking into account the level of health, preparedness and characteristics of the body. Remember that twists, deep bends, and side bends are the directions of mobility that harm the spine and the whole body. It is better to refuse them.

• Choose moderate intensity- this will help strengthen muscles, the cardiovascular system, lose weight, but without the risk of joint wear. Excellent cardio load - long walking and swimming. Running is not recommended for people over 30-35 years old, especially if there are already problems with the spine, joints and health in general.
• During exercise, breathe evenly and make sure that the pulse rises slightly, but to a comfortable level. A speaking test will help: while doing the exercises, say a few phrases, if it is difficult, the intensity is too high.
• Start with a light warm-up and end with relaxation. This will help the body recover.
• Work with your own weight and especially avoid holding weights over your head - this creates a compressive load on the spine and leads to injuries.
• In any exercise, concentrate on the sensations in the body and finish when you feel enough tension. Do not strive to do more than someone else, and do not hold a pose for a while, the main criterion is your well-being here and now.

So, a set of exercises.

1. Mountain pose

Place your feet parallel to the width of your hips, the second toes point forward. pull up kneecaps, tighten your hips and buttocks, tighten your stomach. Lower your shoulders and, spreading your fingers, pull them down, and with the crown of your head strive up. The whole body is like a stretched string, only the face is relaxed.

You can stand in this position for several minutes, and you will feel how blood and lymph are pumped through the body. Use this exercise when standing in line, riding in transport - this will bring the body into tone.

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A good exercise to strengthen the hips. Place your feet parallel to the width of your hips, the second toes point forward. Take your pelvis back, as if you are sitting on the edge of a chair, looking down, make sure that your knees do not go forward, behind your big toes. The back remains straight, the stomach is tightened, the lower back does not bend. Do not go below parallel with the floor.

If you wish, do this exercise in dynamics, but do not rush: squat for two counts and rise for two counts, straining your buttocks. Do so many times to feel a pleasant warmth in the muscles, but not overexertion.

Then linger downstairs for a few counts. You can only perform static - sit down and hold the pose until you feel enough.

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very popular and effective exercise to strengthen the whole body, especially the muscles of the abdomen and arms, if done correctly.

Two options for execution: on straight arms and with support on the forearms. General rules: in no case do not bend your lower back - this is fraught with injury! The coccyx is tucked in, the buttocks are tense, the point between the shoulder blades tends to the ceiling, the upper back is slightly rounded. It is this performance that well includes the muscles of the press and arms, but does not harm the spine.

If you do it on straight arms: put your palms under your shoulders with your fingers forward, elbow joints do not block, they are slightly bent and pointing back, push the floor with your hands. When resting on your forearms, put your elbows under your shoulders, the rest of the conditions are identical. This option is especially recommended if there is pain in the hands, with weak arm muscles. In a relaxed position, you can put your knees on the floor, maintaining tension in the abdominal muscles.

Hold this position until you feel full, do not overload the body, it is better to do several approaches. To rest, lower your pelvis on your heels, stretch your arms forward.

I do not support the hobby - to do the bar for a while. This takes attention away from the sensations in the body and often results in poor technique and danger of injury to the lower back or wrist. If your goal is health, and not meaningless competition and body wear, concentrate on your feelings.

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Place your hands wider than your shoulders, fingers pointing forward, elbows to the sides. Bring the projection of the chest in line with the palms (mentally draw a strip between the palms and place above it chest). The closer the knees to the hands, the less the load. Find a comfortable position for yourself. As in the bar, the coccyx is tucked in, the back does not bend.

Slowly bend your arms in two counts, elbows pointing to the side, do not lower yourself below the right angle in the joints, then rise in two counts. Make sure that the lower back does not bend, and do not reduce the shoulder blades. The number of times - also according to well-being, then to rest, lower yourself on your heels, hands forward.

Several approaches can be taken. This exercise strengthens the muscles of the arms and pectoral muscles well.

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Pose to strengthen the muscles of the back. Lying on your stomach, place your palms near your armpits, elbows on the sides pressed to the body. Without pushing with your hands, lift shoulder girdle and hold the pose until you feel enough, then come back down to rest. Can be performed in static or slow dynamics (two counts up, two counts down).

If there are no problems with the spine and overstrain, you can raise your palms above the floor, a more difficult option is to raise your legs (this should not be done if there is back pain).

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After any physical activity, even if you just walked a lot, it is recommended to lie down on flat surface 10-30 minutes. This allows both the body and nervous system, the spine is unloaded.

Lie comfortably on your back, you can cover yourself with a blanket so that the body does not lose heat. Turn your hands palms up or put them on your stomach. The hips do not touch. Loosen your neck and neck, close your eyes. Watching your breath, feel how the body becomes heavier, relaxes ... Let go of all thoughts.

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Perform such a complex every day or several times a week, sign up for a pool and walk on fresh air learn to feel and love your body!

Many athletes performing various dangerous exercises get injured and microtrauma. The slightest violation of technique when working with extreme loads and chronic overtraining are the two main causes of injury. But a considerable number of athletes manage to injure their joints And muscles, working with impeccable technique and avoiding constant overload.

This happens because trainees perform often and in large quantities in those exercises that are considered harmless, but in fact are extremely harmful to the joints and tendons.
For example, avoiding heavy squats, the athlete prefers leg extensions. This exercise is useful - as a warm-up, or as a "pumping" exercise. But if you do leg straightening with serious intensity - in 5 - 6 sets, 6 - 10 repetitions, with the appropriate weight, and even 2 times a week - this will negatively affect the knee joints.

Knee joints

When an athlete performs leg extensions in the "power" mode, the knee joints are injured. With low weights and high reps, these injuries are negligible, and almost not felt - because in this case the weight moves due to the front muscles of the thighs, and the knee joint is involved to an extremely small extent.
Another injury-prone exercise is half-squats. In this case, as well as with extensions, when working with low weights and a high number of repetitions, the semi-squat is practically not dangerous. But a heavy approach of 6 - 8 repetitions negatively affects both the knees and the spine. Unpleasant sensations in the sacrum and pain in the knees are the consequences of heavy squatting up to half the amplitude.

Bad for elbows

The wide grip bench press is a common exercise among athletes who want to make their chest wider. In fact, the “wide” bench press is not only unproductive for developing chest width, but also dangerous. The elbows in this exercise are located in a completely unfavorable position for the bench press - therefore, with a lot of weight and an average number of repetitions (another mode is not at all productive for pumping high-quality muscles), there is already a big risk of getting an elbow injury. In addition, there is a risk of stretching the tendon chest muscle.
To "expand" the chest, it is better to prefer push-ups on the uneven bars and pullovers with a dumbbell, lying across the bench. You can also bench press with a D-bar, but it is inconvenient to work with such a neck in “serious” sets. Pullovers by themselves will not add width to the chest, but they are able to develop the serratus muscles - the same muscles that give perfect look inflated chest.

Neck joints

For shoulder training, it is better to prefer all pressing exercises, except for the press from behind the head. This exercise is considered one of the best for building breathtaking deltas. This would be so if the shoulders at the base did not have fragile joints. It is this factor that makes overhead presses a very traumatic exercise.
IN army press, or in the dumbbell press, the shoulders are in a biomechanically advantageous position for the development of effort. Performing these exercises in the average number of repetitions with serious weights, the risk of injury is extremely small.
By avoiding the above "harmful" exercises, you can train for a long time without the risk of harming your joints, ligaments, and tendons. And avoiding squats and all compound exercises is not necessary. Performing squats, bench presses and deadlifts, a person will progress into old age. If, of course, he does it correctly - adhering to the cyclical nature of the training, correct mode nutrition and avoid stress.