Tip March 2004

BAD EXERCISES

Over the years, I have had to change many of my exercise training routines. This was not done because of a fad or to be “cool”, but to improve the system. The 2 main ingredients that justify improvement are 1) to make the motions safer and 2) to make them more effective, even synergistic.

Along the way, we have had to throw out several exercises or methods of exercising that were just plain bad, if not dangerous. Due to numerous conversations and requests, I have listed down some if the worst offenders. If you are still doing these exercises, please talk respectfully to your instructor about it after researching and validating my claims on your own - try the internet.

If you have validated that the exercises are indeed bad, but your instructor refuses to change, you are left with severe options: follow blindly (this goes beyond loyalty); skip those exercises that you know are bad; get everyone else to talk to the instructor; talk to the Head Master or Chief Instructor; send the instructor off to a sports science seminar; find another instructor.

1)     Duck walking
2)     Jumping Jacks
3)     Sit Ups
4)     Punching the floor/wall
5)     Having someone walking on your abs
6)     Training at high intensity without rest
7)     Training without allowing re-hydration
8)     Ballistic stretching
9)     Stretching from “cold”
10)   Static stretching prior to work out
11)   Kicking or punching empty or with “lockout” on the joints
12)   Training with ankle weights