Exercises That are Pretty Safe

​Two of the exercises above are least likely to add to the common muscle imbalance in the leg.  Read the article and/or see the bottom for the answers.

Exercises that are pretty safe to do, with respect to muscle balance: Free weights are best for two reasons:  1) you can correct your alignment (you don’t have to sacrifice your alignment to fit yourself into a machine) and 2) in real life, objects are not conveniently placed on a track for us. With free weights, you can develop functional strength AND work your stabilizers by correcting alignment.
Arms:

• skull crusher, tricep pulleys - if you want bulkier arms, work your triceps!
• bicep curls with dumbbells or preacher bar - do not use preacher/bicep TABLE - it takes shoulders out of good alignment
• straight-arm pull-downs to work your triceps and core (multi-task!)

Legs:

• leg press is the only machine I recommend, using gluteus medius to stabilize/ align knees properly - come in to learn how!
• squats, lunges and box jumping only if you can control your alignment with gluteus medius

Cardio:

• anything you enjoy such as bike, elliptical or treadmill in good alignment while using transversus abdominis to stabilize - come in to learn how, it is different from bracing for a punch with your rectus abdominis and way more beneficial

If you cannot squat all the way down without weight, we can work together towards a deeper squat.  One minute of deep squatting per day is a great strategy to learn when you are young, to maintain healthy knees and hips into old age.  And if you are older, it’s never too late to improve.  Raising the toilet seat will not make your knees and hips healthier and it makes bowel movements less efficient.

answers: A and D because the gluteus medius can only stabilize the leg when the foot is planted

Amy Riddick Physiotherapy, where mechanical injuries get mechanical treatment.