bluejeff
Level 7 Valued Member
I’m asking this question mostly as a matter of opinion, but I’d also like to see what the certified folks have to say.
The question is basically this: when is changing, altering or breaking form on an exercises considered “acceptable?”
this question has a couple different parts to it.
Part one is the main one that I have, and it has to do with the difference between working around limitations…..and reinforcing them.
For example: person A has some issues with their shoulder(s) and is told to use gymnastic rings for pull-ups and to press dumbbells or a kettlebell over head because it will allow them to “work around their limitations.” An elaboration on the over head pressing example is this: when it gets heavy, it seems that most people’s overhead press turns into a very inclined chest press that straightens at the top. In the case of heavy kettle bells, I see people do a slight lean away from the bell, either to the side or back as in the overhead press.
The question is: when is this considered acceptable and when is this reinforcing bad habits? Also, if someone has flexibility limitations and chooses an exercise that basically allows them to move around those limitations, aren’t they going to reinforce different and possibly poorer movement patterns?
Another example I see a lot of on social media these days is squatting knees forward vs knees out. It seems that pushing the knees out and maybe even turning the toes out a significant degree allows people to “work around” their poor ankle and hip mobility. But it also seems to come at the cost of back issues, among other things.
when I used to teach calisthenics/gymnastic strength training, I very often saw people cheating their way into shoulder flexion (by internally rotating and allowing the scaps to retract a degree) and also twisting their ankles/knees out to get lower in a squat. Many of them complained that they weren’t getting any more flexible, or that they “always had tight shoulders/hips/ankles/etc” It frustrated me as a teacher because it was clear to me that weren’t actually listening and addressing their limitations.
Thoughts or experiences there? Studies?
the second part of the question is basically how strict are SF standards for things like a KB press? If someone’s going for a half body weight press and they lean a bit, does that get flagged? How about other movements?
These kinds of things have been on my mind as I go about the long and tedious process of fixing my limitations, so I’m curious what others thoughts and experiences are.
The question is basically this: when is changing, altering or breaking form on an exercises considered “acceptable?”
this question has a couple different parts to it.
Part one is the main one that I have, and it has to do with the difference between working around limitations…..and reinforcing them.
For example: person A has some issues with their shoulder(s) and is told to use gymnastic rings for pull-ups and to press dumbbells or a kettlebell over head because it will allow them to “work around their limitations.” An elaboration on the over head pressing example is this: when it gets heavy, it seems that most people’s overhead press turns into a very inclined chest press that straightens at the top. In the case of heavy kettle bells, I see people do a slight lean away from the bell, either to the side or back as in the overhead press.
The question is: when is this considered acceptable and when is this reinforcing bad habits? Also, if someone has flexibility limitations and chooses an exercise that basically allows them to move around those limitations, aren’t they going to reinforce different and possibly poorer movement patterns?
Another example I see a lot of on social media these days is squatting knees forward vs knees out. It seems that pushing the knees out and maybe even turning the toes out a significant degree allows people to “work around” their poor ankle and hip mobility. But it also seems to come at the cost of back issues, among other things.
when I used to teach calisthenics/gymnastic strength training, I very often saw people cheating their way into shoulder flexion (by internally rotating and allowing the scaps to retract a degree) and also twisting their ankles/knees out to get lower in a squat. Many of them complained that they weren’t getting any more flexible, or that they “always had tight shoulders/hips/ankles/etc” It frustrated me as a teacher because it was clear to me that weren’t actually listening and addressing their limitations.
Thoughts or experiences there? Studies?
the second part of the question is basically how strict are SF standards for things like a KB press? If someone’s going for a half body weight press and they lean a bit, does that get flagged? How about other movements?
These kinds of things have been on my mind as I go about the long and tedious process of fixing my limitations, so I’m curious what others thoughts and experiences are.