BAD exercises
 

That's a great article, Jill! I especially have to agree with #4, upright rows, since that's how I tore my rotator cuff last year. :doh: And coincidentally, we have a discussion going about behind the neck lat pulldowns in the Ladies Who Lift forum. How timely!

I think we should sticky this in the Exercise Forum - let me talk to Ilene, the mod there. :)

It is funny... I have heard for years about the behind the neck pulldowns being bad for you. But the feel so good and I do them anyway because I love them! So far I've never felt they were doing any damage. I also don't necessarily believe it just because Glee Magazine says it :)

I don't agree about the adductor/abductor. I've been using them 2 times a week in my routine at "3 sets of ten to almost failure on last rep" and have doubled the weights in the last 5 months, so something is getting stronger! I do see a lot of people using the machine endlessly at a ridiculously low weight, I guess in hopes of "toning" the area (good luck!:dizzy:), but I see the same on almost all of the machines.

But then, I look at strength training as just that: strength training. I'm not looking at it as a way to sculpt my body shape.

in my gym women always head for the adductor/abductor machines, and a lot of times it's the only two machines they use. (The guys hog the arm machines and the crunch (abs) machine.)

I used to do the abductor/adductor machine as well but I've given those up. For one, I can max the weight on them now without a problem and secondly, I'm trying to simplify my workouts.

I had a strange experience last night. I went to the gym after work for the first time in a long time. I'm always afraid of busy gyms and I don't like all the people and noise. I'm an antisocial gym rat after all :) The strange experience was that every cardio machine was basically full and NO ONE was on any of the weight machines. When I left, an hour later, the weight machines were filling up but still not as many as I would expect.

wow, usually the only time the cardio machines have been completely taken in my gym like that was in January. Usually the ellipticals fill up fast (bang for your buck).

It's funny, because most of the time the men outnumber the women on the resistance machines (in a different room across the hall). I guess women are less interested in building muscle. But that's my favorite part of a workout.

I agree about the lifting. Sure, I really appreciate the number of cal's I get to burn during the cardio part of my session, but I'm always anxious to get that part over so that I can start the weights. :)

What I've notice, male vs. female wise, is that a lot of the women at my gym who use the weights have the resistance/weight set so low (on each machine or bar) that they couldn't possibly be doing themselves any good what-so-ever. And, then as if to balance it out, a lot of the men have the weights too high and end up having to "quick jerk" to get through their motions. :dizzy:

Hmm, maybe they should have the men set the weights, and then have the women lift with them. ;)

I see the exact same thing with the weights (with the men/women).

My body only looks better after doing it, not bulky at all. Better shaped.

It's funny to see people on the bikes with a newspaper, slowly peddling along. (They have plastic book holders to put over the machines too.) The only sweat there would have to be from a passer by (I know, gross, heh heh)