Issue 126

March 2015

Here’s five universal gym exercises that are actually hampering your conditioning – along with their ideal weight room replacements

Kevin Kearns

S&C coach to elite athletes, each issue he presents his best training tips.

I’m going to ruffle some feathers this month by calling time on some of the fitness industry’s longest serving muscle builders. Why? It’s very possible to be limb strong and core weak, which means serious problems regarding your conditioning. 

Being limb strong and core weak basically means your ‘beach muscles’ may look and perform great in certain specific environments, but being able to bench press 500lb is only really beneficial if you have a fridge parked on your chest. 

This doesn’t mean I wish people to give up their staple movements. Movements like bench pressing, back squats, dead lifts, pull-downs, bicep curls, and tricep curls certainly have their place. However, your strength on the bench or your ability to do the entire rack on the leg extension machine is only part of the equation.

When you look at a movement, any movement, it starts at the core and works its way to the limbs. If you’re sitting down and are supported on a bench or another apparatus, your core has limited activation. As an athlete, if you don’t activate your core, your workout is likely to be detrimental to your performance.

OK coach, so what is the core? Many theories have been thrown out around. People talk about abs being part of the core. They are. They might say the lower back is part of the core. It is. Is the serratus anterior involved in the core? You bet. Your butt is also a part of your core – well, most of it. 

The key to activating your core is to integrate it, not isolate it. This is how the human body works in the real world. When you go to throw a punch your brain doesn’t say, ‘Do a tricep extension!’ There’s a coordination of full-body integration going on to send that punch to the target. Not to mention balance, coordination and hopefully technique.

We can take everyday old-school bodybuilding exercises and add a functional component to them. In this way we can gain the strength benefit from the prime movers with the added core competent. Here are five of the industry’s staple movements, with five functional core equivalents to substitute them with.

FIVE BONA-FIDE FUNCTIONAL CORE KILLERS

BENCH PRESS

This is a great exercise for developing upper-body strength in the pecs, shoulders and triceps, but it’s limited because you’re lying down with support.

Replace with: DUMBBELL CHEST PRESS ON STABILITY BALL

You may not be able to use as much weight but this will activate your core and legs like no tomorrow. My personal best is a 95lb dumbbell on each arm for 10 reps.

DEADLIFT  

Now before you tie me to the stake, barbell deadlifts are a great hip extension exercise. However, they are limited because you’re always on two feet. In most sports and with movement in general: both feet aren’t fixed on the ground all the time.

Replace with: ONE-LEG Kettlebell DEADLIFTS

This is a great way to gain all the benefits from the deadlift with the added bonus of single-leg work and balance integrity.

PREACHER OR STANDING CURLS

I’m not even going to touch the preacher curl because that movement just doesn’t make sense to me. A standing bicep curl it is a great motion for building the biceps and forearms. Unfortunately there’s no core activation.

Replace with: DUMBBELL UPPERCUTS

With this motion not only will you activate the biceps, you’ll also perform in the transverse plane of motion. This is the rotational plane where the core lives.

LAT PULL-DOWNS 

These are a great way to develop your back, especially the coveted lats, though many people don’t realize this machine was designed for people who couldn’t do a pull-up.

Replace with: INVERTED ROWS

Most people can’t do pulls-ups with their own body weight, but this problem can be solved with an Olympic bar and a squat rack. By lying on the floor and pulling yourself up you can do those pull-ups you desire.

TRICEP PUSH-DOWNS

Every gym in the world has this machine for making those great cuts in the backs of your arms.The only downside is the rest of your body is doing nothing.

Replace with: STABILITY BALL PUSH-UPS

With your hands on the ball, your chest is activated as well as your triceps. The added benefit is the amount of core control and strength needed to do this exercise.