By. Charles Trinh, MS, PES, CSCS, ACSM-cPT
I come across a lot of news and fitness websites with different explanations and protocols for exercise programs. Some are great while others are just plain dumb. My purpose here is not to discredit any individual or organization. My purpose is to educate the public on the dangers of improperly prescribed exercises.
First off, to understand why an exercise could be potentially harmful to an individual we need to understand human anatomy and physiology. Unfortunately in the fitness industry there are no regulations and standards on personal trainer education. With this said many personal trainers do not have a very solid background in human anatomy and physiology. I know this first hand because I teach workshops and courses and many of the trainers tell me they see no reason why they should learn it.
Even students of exercise science want to get out of the basic anatomy and physiology courses. After reading this article you will understand why a strong foundation in anatomy and physiology is so important for your personal trainer.
I found this particular picture on a fitness website the other day and the caption was as follows “How many weighted v-ups can you do in 30 seconds?”
This particular exercise is a very popular one for many individuals. In my own professional opinion I would consider this an extremely difficult/advanced exercise. But all too often we see this exercise and variations of it done in gyms and parks all across America.
In order to do this exercise properly the individual needs to be qualified first to see if he or she can actively keep low back on the floor without arching it. I would say close to 99 percent of individuals cannot actively keep the low back on the floor while lowering their legs let alone lift their legs off the floor in the proper position.
So why is this not beneficial? Lowering and lifting the legs while on your back is a hip movement but most people do this exercise to “get rid of that pouch in their abs”. Looking at the anatomy of the rectus abdominis it does not attach to the legs at all. Just by lifting the legs up and down the individual actually is making the psoas major stronger. The psoas major is the muscle that flexes your hip.
Going back to what I said earlier about keeping the low back on the ground. If the low back constantly arches it’s because the lower abdominals aka the external obliques either do not have the prerequisite strength or neuromuscular control to stabilize the pelvis while the legs are moving. In other words, every time the legs move up and down, it creates a tremendous amount of stress that will injure the low back.
To break it down even more the caption stated “How many weighted v-ups can you do in 30 seconds?” It is basically asking the participant to do as many as they can in the allocated time frame. When maximal speed and effort is asked in any exercise routine you can consider it a power exercise. Power is basically how fast you can move a certain weight. As I said earlier this is an extremely difficult exercise coupling it with power variables for 30 seconds is an injury waiting to happen. Maximal power output with good form last less than 10 seconds. Extending it to 30 seconds while the muscles are already fatigued will expose the low back to injury.
So is this exercise bad? It is only bad if it is improperly prescribed to the exerciser. Under good supervision the trainer should slowly progress the client to reach the proper levels of stabilization/strength and coordination. The end result would be to do the above exercise. You can never expect a baby to run as a new born; the same is true with exercise.
About the Founder
Charles Trinh, MS, PES, CSCS, ACSM-cPT is the founder of FunctionWorks Fitness and former State Director for the National Strength and Conditioning Association. He has over 10 years of formal education and practical experience in the health and fitness field. Charles has earned his undergraduate degree in Exercise Science and Sports Medicine and his Masters of Science degree in Exercise Science and Performance Enhancement. He also holds the highest level certifications by the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), and the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM).
Trainer, Consultant and Educator
Charles is a consultant and educator in health and fitness. His in depth knowledge about the function of the musculoskeletal system and how it relates to exercise performance makes him a sought after speaker locally and nationally. He currently is a lecturer for the American College of Sports Medicine. Some of the private and public organizations that he has worked with are:
University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine
University of Hawaii Department of Health and Exercise Science
Kapiolani Community College Exercise Sport Science Program
Westfield State College
National Strength and Conditioning Association
American College of Sports Medicine
McDonalds Restaurants of Hawaii
Chaminade University
Fitness Resource Associates
Fitness Education Network
YMCA of Honolulu
University Health Alliance
For more information contact:
Charles Trinh, MS, PES, CSCS, ACSM-cPT
808-779-1604
functionworksfitness@gmail.com
