Don’t Get Caught Up In The Drama Concerning Exercise Selection

I dropped the ball on my New Year’s Resolution.

I decided last year that reading social media comments wasn’t worth my time and just got me agitated, so I planned to avoid them for a year.

But I found this post by Mike Boyle that’s pertinent to what I do, so I had to dig in a bit…

The primary contention to those who disagree with this message is that the body is not like a car. Instead, it can heal and create adaptations to stress like getting stronger, faster, or learning new movement patterns.

Furthermore, the analogy is potentially harmful to the overall population, who generally does nothing more than lift food to their face. And creating a fear that exercise is dangerous, especially if done wrong, only creates another barrier to fitness.

The issue is that it’s not that simple…

Shades of Gray

The problem with social media and news, in general, is that there doesn’t seem to be any middle ground, and being pragmatic won’t get you much attention.

The name of the game is that you must have a hard stance and stick to your guns to work up some emotions.  

For the current issue of exercise selection, I would say that I lean in favor of the critics of Mike Boyle. For most of the population, which lacks regular exercise, dwelling over the “wear and tear” of one exercise over another should be of very low concern.

That’s because the lowest orthopedic cost will come from getting people into a consistent exercise routine that’s practical and enjoyable. No matter if you’re doing barbells, dumbbells, the latest “functional movement” program, or whatever else tickles your fancy, as long as it doesn’t cause pain and it progresses reasonably, then you’re doing something good.

With that said, if you aim to set a bench press record, run a marathon, or be at the top of the leader board at your CrossFit gym, there are some inherent risks. 

But for those people, it’s a life worth living, regardless of pain and injury.

In those cases, do the things to mitigate the risk. For example, commit to accessory work like Crossover Symmetry to ensure mobility and strength of the deep stabilizers to keep doing what you love for the long term.

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