Dangerous Exercises Essay
I was reminded last Monday that any exercise can potentially be dangerous, whether it's a barbell lift, Yoga, or aerobics. The conventional deadlift is particularly unforgiving of mistakes. It is a good exercise for lower body and core strength, and it hits the neck and traps as well. I practiced this exercise for 4 years with only one incident, at the very beginning of my deadlift experience. In that time I went from a deadlift of 135lbs (no previous experience) to a max lift of 275lbs.
So what went wrong? I neglected to push my heels through the floor and lift the 255lb barbell with my legs. Why did I make such a rookie mistake? I was distracted for some reason. Maybe I was thinking about music, or women, or something else. Whatever it was, the main point is I was not fully focused on the exercise at hand. The load thus shifted to my lower back and that's why I've been having lower back pain since.
At any rate, this article covers some of the persistent myths about so-called "dangerous" exercises. At some point after I recover from my back pain, I plan to work some straight leg deadlifts, with very light weight, into my routine to further rehab the lower back, as well as help prevent future injury to it.
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