Expert warns: Stop doing this type of abs exercise

Many personal trainers love the exercises for the abdomen that are made standing up. After all, they can mean less overload for the cervical region (neck) and also work on your balance, since they ask for stability. However, not all moves are considered 10/10 when it comes to efficiency and safety. An example is the side bend, done by holding a dumbbell (or weight) in each of the hands and bending the torso to the side.

Although thought to demand the muscles oblique (sides) of the belly, they stopped being the best option to include in your session a while ago. Let’s understand why:

WHAT HAPPENS

1. It’s not efficient. Yes, this exercise really activates some regions of the core, it generates the perception of effort and that it is “having an effect”. But that doesn’t mean it’s cost-effective. “The person may even feel pain to perform it, but when holding a load on each side, one cancels the other and does not help at all”, explains Eduardo Netto, technical director of the gym network. bodytech.

2. It is not functional. Just stop and think: when, in your daily life, do you bend down like in the exercise to pick up something that fell on the floor, or reach for your shoe? Never, right? This means that standing lateral flexion (with loads) is not functional. “Today, it is not enough to pay attention to the efficiency of a movement. But we also have to keep an eye on its functionality — how much it will facilitate our daily activities”, says the professional.

3. It can lead to spinal problems. During the execution of this exercise for the abdomen, the quadratus lumborum musculature is also triggered – increasing the chances of unnecessary wear to the spine. “Especially for those with inadequate musculature conditioning, there is a risk for the structures of the spine because it unbalances the entire load area of ​​our central axis. When we lean the trunk to the side, in addition to modifying the anatomy of the body (the space where the nerves pass, for example), it causes an overload of discs and joints”, explains orthopedist and spine surgery specialist João Paulo Bergamaschi , director of Clínica Actuali.

Other examples of ABDOMEN EXERCISES you might want to skip

– (Zing Images/Getty Images)

Sit-ups with arms crossed in front of the body or with small twists. “The results of some recent scientific studies have shown that leaving the arms crossed over the chest or extended in front of the body decreases the activity level of the abdominal muscles, probably due to a lower load when performing the exercise” says Eduardo Netto.

Also, add slight twists to the flexion The trunk curl was also no more effective in targeting the oblique abdominal muscles—when compared to the straight trunk curl with the hands behind the neck.

The one where you lie down and go up and down both legs at the same time should also be practiced carefully. “It can lead to a hyperextension of the region low backcausing pain”, says the trainer.

What to do to WORK THE OBLIQUES, then?

Eduardo explains that we need to understand that a movement will never work just one muscle in the body, but an entire region. That said, several exercises are recommended for the obliques. Even the isometric ones, like the side plank. “It is very good because it requires stabilization”, guarantees Eduardo.