weightlifting – Never Give Up PT

Spotting Is A Skill

Your session is going well. After a series of successful barbell back squats you decide to go for a PB with a one rep max. You look around the gym to find someone to ask to spot you for your next set.

The person you choose is vital for you to complete the rep successfully, avoid injury and the possibility of death. I’m not kidding here. A recent death of a bodybuilder with over 200k on his neck tells you that I am being extremely serious. Choose your spotter wisely.

So who do you ask? The obvious choice would be to ask a trainer who works in the gym. But be careful here. You need to know what they specialise in. Have you ever seen them perform a barbell squat or instruct their clients? A trainer with an ego might agree without really knowing what to do. And that goes for other gym members too. They want to help but haven’t got the skill (or strength) to if assistance is needed.

The person with the legs like tree trunks who you see hanging around the squat rack every time you’re in there is a good start. Tell them what you’re wanting to do. It is important that they know your expectations for the lift such as time under tension, reps, your weaknesses etc.

Spotting is indeed a skill. So what are the main points to know if you have a spotter or you are the spotter of a barbell back squat?

1. For a heavy lift, the spotter should place their arms under the lifter’s arms.

Holding the waist can be fine for moderate weight and can be more comfortable if it is a male spotter and a female lifter. The spotter should not place their hands on the bar. They’re not supporting the bar, they’re supporting the lifter.

2. The spotter should mimic the lifter’s movement on the way down. This is why a good squatter usually makes a good spotter. They must keep a straight back and use their core to get the lifter to the starting position if needed.

3. The spotter should be stood close. There’s no need to look like you’re dirty dancing though, not if the spotter and lifter are using their hips correctly.

4. If it is a very heavy weight, not only can a spotter be crucial in the lift but a person at either side of the bar should be considered. The body can buckle at any point when under pressure and there’s only so much a spotter can do if they’re having to deal with a collapsing person and a weight falling on top of them.

It’s worth pointing out that the body can give way with any amount of weight and this extra weight can still cause serious injury, so extra help at either side of the bar is something that can be considered at any time.

Lifting heavy can be fun and rewarding, but it is essential that you do it correctly. A part of that is finding a good spotter!

Overcoming A Training Plateau: Introducing The Mechanical Deload

I’m currently around 6 weeks away from beginning a new program. One which will see me add weight to the bar for shorter reps. Oh, and I’ll be eating in a slight calorie surplus again. Yesssss!

I’ve been keeping the reps high and the weights at around 50% of my 1 rep max since the ending of March which is a good time to be in a slight caloric deficit. This ensures that I look trim in my summer clothes without feeling heavy or bulky.

However, as winter kicks in I want some extra fat to keep me warm and, let’s face it, there’s no need to be going outside in shorts and a T in the UK winter so this is my usual ‘bulk’ season. It’s where I work on my strength and conditioning, put on a bit more size but expect that size to hit my belly too!

But this is still a few weeks away and, to be honest, repping out the low weights has become a little tedious. My body isn’t feeling the challenge and my mind is thinking about my pesto pasta for dinner during lat raises. I sense a plateau.

There are a number of ways to beat a plateau. The worst one is to quit your program and go straight into your next one or, even worse, quitting training altogether! And I have seen plateaus have this effect before. A trainee can become disillusioned by their progress stalling. They become bored. They give up.

Yet switching a program because of a plateau is also a form of giving up. To get the results you want, the process must be followed and completed. This will test your muscle, your mind and your attitude towards your goals. It’s character building. It’s satisfying. It works, as long as you know how.

Enter the mechanical deload.

There are several variations to a mechanical deload, but my current method to beat my plateau is to complete a triset (3 exercises in one set) or a quadraset (4 exercises in one set) which use the same muscle groups for each exercise. Here’s a step by step guide…

1. Choose a muscle group you would like to train.

2. Choose three exercises that use the same muscle group but which have varying levels of difficulty.

3. Choose a moderate weight for each exercise.

4. Begin with the most difficult exercise and rep for 12-15. Then go straight into the easier exercise for 12-15 and finish on the easiest for 12-15.

5. Then reflect on how you thought it would be fairly straightforward but seeing as you’re shaking like a shitting dog and have another 4 sets to go, you know this will break your plateau!

Today I incorporated a chest mechanical deload into a full body workout. Here’s what I did…

Barbell bench press 50% 1rm, 10 reps

Dumbbell bench press 50% 1rm, 10 reps

Smith press 45° bench 50% 1rm, 10 reps

Press up, 10 reps

And because a push workout is great for working the triceps I also added kickbacks, 10 reps, 5 sets in total.

Now, we know that DOMS (delayed onset of muscle soreness) doesn’t necessarily mean muscle gain or a superior workout, but my pecs and triceps are satisfyingly throbbing. Something that I haven’t experienced for around ten days. My plateau, due to experiencing a new kind of stress but remaining within my set task of high reps at moderate weight, seems to have disappeared. I can now utilise this routine for my back, shoulders, legs and arms for the remainder of my program.

A tweak in your program can help you overcome a plateau. Maybe that tweak is a mechanical deload for yourself when you need it.

Deadlifts

The last time I counted there were over 30 different variations of the deadlift. Many of them are spin offs of original lifts and if you are a deadlift enthusiast then you are probably intrigued in what these different lifts can achieve.

But it’s worth explaining my relationship with deadlifts if you’re not already aware. Basically, deadlifts saved me from a life of back pain, poor mobility and quitting playing all the sports that I love. And because of that I believe that it sorted out my mental health too.

A decent footballer as a teenager, I knew that I might not be able to continue playing the game I love with a passion due to the terrible sharp pains that I would get. This would sometimes be during a game but I could garauntee the pain for two or three days after the match. Playing against other 16 year olds who could train harder than me, move better than me and recover better than me was demoralising. My skill and application was there, but my back and the sharp pain that would drive down my butt and leg was excruciating. I simply couldn’t compete against them. They were fit kids. And even though I were the same age as them, I felt like an old man.

I quit playing football when I left school. Cigarettes, alcohol and the opposite sex didn’t give me extra back pain. That became my new sport. But the pain remained. Trying to put socks on, especially in winter when my back seemed to seize up more, was a task in itself.

As a young man in my late teens I began going to the gym often. I realized that I could still remain active by doing controlled movements, my running (which was always impressive in school competition) was still good and I found a zest for life again outside of nightclubs. This even lead me to want to join the army. I wanted to put myself up against their physical demands. I also needed a career and I was drifting at the time. A weekend at Penikuik barracks saw me fly through their trials. With hundreds of applicants I was one of the first to finish the cross country and I came first in the sit up bleep test. My competitive spirit meant that I’d probably be still completing the sit ups now had I not been told the test had finished.

However, in the back of my mind, I knew that the physical demands that I put on my body would catch up to me. On the Sunday evening, trying to hide the limp that accompanied the back pain, I walked into the Major’s office. He slid the contract in front of me. I had passed and he wanted me to sign into the army. I was desperate to sign. I didn’t know what civilian life had in store for me. I felt secure in army life. I had a purpose. My back pains had other ideas.

Back at home I managed to get a good, rewarding job within the Social Services, I continued with my gym training and I started to enjoy life. I thought that I had to live with the pain so it didn’t frustrate me like it once did. I just had to get on with it. But my training was all wrong. I know that now. The lure of the aesthetic training like my friends were doing was strong. I wanted the biceps, pecs and abs. This made me feel good, but it never addressed my injury. In fact I added to my injuries by chasing the aesthetics.

I began talking to trainers and gym owners. My mates were decent lads who trained hard but I had to ask professionals for advice. It took some time to convince me that deadlifts would help me. My thoughts were (even though it was me who approached them) that they just wanted my money. Also, just watching someone perform a deadlift triggered the shooting pain down my leg.

Over time we worked on my form. I got stronger. I built muscle in the affected areas. I moved better. After a year or two I could stand out of a chair without a grimace. I could put my socks on. I even started kickboxing. Surely that would cause my back pains to start again? I started playing golf. After my first tee off I fully expected to feel pain. But no. It felt good. Even just 3 years ago I played a full football match for the gym where I train. In my 40’s, I managed something that my teenage self could not physically do…play football and recover without pain.

Football in my 40’s was something I never would’ve believed

Deadlifts still play a big part in my training. I know that my back injury is still lurking and ready to pounce. During the recent lockdowns when the gyms were closed I could feel the niggle was there. But the muscle that I had built over the years weren’t going to let me down.

I do exactly the same now as what those trainers did for me. I advise others on how to overcome their injuries, I enable them to perform exercises safely and productively and they become stronger and happier people. That’s my aim, because that’s what happened to me. Living life with pain is demoralising. It doesn’t just destroy your physical capabilities, but it affects the mental health. At times I felt useless.

It doesn’t really matter the age or background of a potential client. Within an hour of a consultation or a 1-1 session with me they will have performed some sort of deadlift. It could be a 20 year old wanting muscle hypertrophy, a 40 year old with back pain or an 80 year old trying to keep their independence. They will perform deadlifts with me. Weights, rep ranges, set and rest periods might differ, but they will be deadlifting.

Thanks for reading guys. Take care.

Shay PT.

Resistance Machines

My usual gym routine is from Monday to Friday. The weekends are generally for family time and relaxing away from formal exercise. It works for me. There’s no set rule that works regarding a training plan. Perhaps my ideal plan would be having two rest days that aren’t together but personal circumstances have to be accounted for.

What training a full five days in a row allows me to do is have a definitive day in which I can begin a wind down in the intensity of my workouts. I can’t hammer my body every single day with heavy compounds. Indeed, I believe in my 420 reps workout that I have developed for others so much so that I am doing it myself. This means that once Thursday’s session is over I have completed over 1500 reps. By Friday, my body is telling me that I need a little assistance from machines!

And this is exactly what the resistance machines are perfect for. They provide much more relief for the body and it isn’t just the physical aspect that needs the respite. Neuromuscular Innovation, or more commonly known as the mind-muscle connection, takes its toll on the brain. The thought process of connecting with your target muscle in a bench press scenario is much greater than on a press machine.

Foot positioning, core engagement, time under tension, breathing and the contraction are all crucial components of a bench press. Sure, there’s still the necessary check list to go through on a machine but in no way is it as thorough. Therefore, instead of risking injury with sloppy end of the week technique, I still get to workout without breaking myself.

It does concern me, however, how overused these machines get. I get the impression that lots of gym goers use them because they haven’t been shown how to squat, deadlift, bench press or barbell row. Their inductions usually include a brisk talk through these machines, so why would they use anything else?!

When I did gym inductions I went through deadlift form as a priority. It is a free weight compounds that requires the whole body to move and work together as one. I can analyse the hip extensors and knee flexors of the participant and get an understanding of overall strength and fitness levels. Without it, I would struggle to know what machine or what type of exercises a new gym member should be doing. So I am perplexed as to how the gym staff know. Introducing them to an ab crunch machine is way way off of where most new gym members need to be.

And don’t get me started on an ab crunch machine. An over reliance on a resistance machine can cause injury, but an ab machine can be particularly dangerous. The deep abdominal muscles, together with the back muscles support and protects the spine. I cringe as I see yet another gym member rocking wildly like a wound up toy trying to work their abs. Back pain is the biggest reason for staff sickness in the UK and until we begin to train our lower backs correctly this statistic won’t change.

The Final Word

Resistance machines are a great way to supplement your workouts. A heavy session on the bench or in the dumbbell section takes a lot out of us physically and on the nervous system. Rounding off a session on the machines or cables can be a perfect finish. But we can’t rely on them to reach our goals, be it injury rehabilitation, weight control, muscle gain or movement. If you are completely new to the gym then I would recommend starting in the free weights area with a trainer who knows what they’re doing.

That you for reading this article. If you have any questions on this or any of my practices then do get in touch!

Shay PT.

Gym Fitness Classes

Gym Classes are an excellent way to introduce yourself to formal exercises, meet new people with similar goals and to plan your fitness routine for consistency. From Stretch classes, Zumba, Spin and Boxercise the mainstream gym have covered it all. And being a Fitness Instructor myself I can see the fantastic benefits of booking onto a regular gym class….but it should come with a warning.

Here are my gripes on classes…

* Gyms that I am aware of are regularly putting on virtual classes. This seems to limit the cost of paying for a live instructor and can run throughout the day. I find this counterproductive from a gym going by the feedback that I receive as many gym members want live instructors and some have moved to other gyms to find them. A trained fitness instructor can manage the pace and intensity of the class and adapt workouts each week to fit the needs of their participants.

* I see more injuries occur in fitness classes than I do in the gym. An instructor cannot check the form of 30 class members. The classic exercises for poor form are deadlifts, bent over rows and kettlebell swings. In fact kettlebell classes are an injury waiting to happen. When you need to teach hip hinges, breathing and core control to a room full of people who see their half hour class as a way to ‘blast their abs’ or ‘fat burn’ it becomes an impossible task.

* When you think about the titles that they are given, such as those above (abs blast and fat burn are real life class titles) it is very misleading. An abs class once a week won’t get anybody a six pack. An abs class won’t do a great deal for stabilising core muscles. A fat burn class usually consists of fast paced reps that use exercises that require slow, controlled movement to focus on target muscles and avoid injury. Getting these movements right and incorporating them in a fitness programme is essential for all types of fitness goals, but repping out as many deadlifts as you can in 60 seconds won’t. Yes it burns calories, but put your back out and you won’t be burning those calories again until you’ve recovered from your injury.

* Classes can be demoralising for lots of people. They feel inferior compared to those around them. Yet many class goers have been going to the same class for years and might know what to do. If they know the instructor then they will probably know what equipment is used and what exercise is next. They probably even know that the class starts with Rock DJ and finishes on a club version of Castle On The Hill. But new people might feel out of their depth. Which leads me onto my recommendation…

Oh do tell Shay!!

Well, for anyone going to a new gym and are a little apprehensive or have never been to one before I would suggest hiring a good PT (a good one! Not a Poundland special) and learning how to move correctly. Of course I would say that, I’m a PT right?! Yeah but Brian who is reading this at his home in Penikuik won’t be hiring me 1-1 so it’s of no great advantage to me. It is, however, sound advice.

5 sets of ten deadlifts will be far more important to a gym goers goals than a class when they first start out on their journey. When to breath, how to engage the core, foot placement, hip hinge, strength and stamina building, morale boosting and goal setting are all of things that will be learnt fairly early on in regular PT sessions. None of which are taught with any great depth (if at all) by Mr Motivator at the front of the class whooping and jumping like a Duracell Bunny on speed.

The Journey should begin on the gym floor, not collapsing on a class floor.

Thanks for reading! If you enjoy my blogs then check out some of the other stuff too. See you soon!

Practice Falling Over And You’ll Be The Best Faller Overer Ever

We’ve all heard of the phrase ‘Practice makes perfect’ right?

Well as much as I agree with the sentiment, I’m going to explain to you what it actually means to me. Because it comes with a caveat.

I believe that you can practice something really badly. You could be perfectly bad at it I suppose, but I don’t think that is the purpose of the phrase ‘Practice makes perfect’.

I’ll use the bench press as an example. Repeating the bench press incorrectly each day will undoubtedly cause injury. Shoulder injuries around the rotator cuff, which are muscles and tendons that surround the shoulder joint, are very common due to poor technique.

I have seen some very impressive weight being pushed in the gym but with horrendous form! Form doesn’t just allow us to actually train the muscle that we are supposed to be training, but it helps us avoid injury.

Practicing correct form AND doing the right things specific to your goals is important. My son wants to practice a rainbow flick in the garden for an hour each day because he has seen Neymar do it. I go through this technique with him for a certain length of time because he enjoys it and then I encourage him to move onto his practical skills. Pass and move, target practice, ball shielding and tackling are all part of the game that he will need to do withing a match. There has to be a sensible mix of the fun stuff and the stuff that gets the job done!

Awards for playing football, not for rainbow flicks

It’s like the row of dudes training their nightclub muscles in front of the gym mirror every day. A pumped up bicep made up of sarcoplasm (blood and water) bulging from their T-Shirt looks good and probably makes them feel great. Fine. But over working the bicep instead of training all of the muscle groups equally will not provide an overall athletic, healthy and practical body. The older they get, this will become apparent. Age can be unkind and pumped up biceps won’t hide the years of neglect in other areas.

And as for my son, unless he becomes Neymar or goes into the circus he will probably never need to perform a rainbow flick for any great purpose (even Neymar gets booked for doing it).

I always say to my trainees ‘practice, practice, practice’. It’s not always popular when I prescribe yet another 5 sets of squats for them to perform but it is necessary. I know that they have good form and I also know that, through progressive overload, they will continue to get better and stronger.

I fear that the regular gym goer won’t ask a PT or gym staff about good form anymore. Either there’s no point in asking because they don’t really know (watch them train themselves, I wouldn’t ask some of them how to lift something heavy above my head) or it is perceived that a PT will try to sell you their services. Often this is true, they’re at work after all. But if you find a dedicated fitness professional they will happily discuss gym form with you. It should be their passion. So ask one who you see regularly and doesn’t seem pushy with their sales. Who knows, if they impress you and you feel that you can progress with them as your coach then you might choose to have them as your PT.

So don’t continue doing something wrong. It’s not impressive getting a PB if it means you put your back out. Start practicing doing it right and make progress injury free.

Take Your Protein Pills And Put Your Gym Kit On

I’m not sure that had David Bowie brought out a song about taking protein and going to the gym, it would have catapulted his career to the great heights that it did. An astronaut traveling into space might have been a bit catchier. And who am I to argue with the Goblin King?!

I do, however, feel that I have the better insight into navigating us through this wretched Labyrinth of the fitness world. I’ll stick to that instead of trying to write a chart topping song.

The Research

What we currently know is that an active adult consuming 2000 calories per day will need 10% – 35% of their calories to be protein, or 50-175 grams. If you are training most days I would aim at the high end of that guide.

The Reason

Protein could be the defining difference between hitting your goals or them being forever eluding you. For weight/fat loss, protein adds satiety which keeps you full for longer. For muscle gain, it provides the amino acids to repair and rebuild.

The Good Protein Sources

Protein needs to be of good quality. I often joke as I’m eating pizza that is has protein in it. But I know that the processed cheese that lathers the top of my very tasty treat is not the quality my body needs. Instead I need to choose…

* lean meat- beef, lamb, veil and pork

* poultry- chicken, turkey

* seafood- fish, crab, prawns, mussels

* Eggs

* dairy- milk, Greek yoghurt, cottage cheese

* nuts and seeds- almonds, walnuts, cashew, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds

* Legumes and beans- lentils, chickpeas, tofu

* Protein drinks and bars

Every mealtime is an opportunity to get good nutrition and protein into your body. A poor nutritional meal is an opportunity missed. Most of the above can be sourced relatively cheap and can be added as a snack or incorporated into most nutritious meals.

I have often said that in my previous articles that I’m not reinventing the wheel when it comes to Personal Training. The majority of us don’t need meal planners written out for them. It is just common sense armed with the research available to me, but it means that we must get the basics right, and if we do, the journey won’t feel like you’re lost in a labyrinth. Instead you’ll be dancing in the street.

David Bowie on the set of his 1985 classic The Labrynth

My Own Rep 420 Journey

I rarely create a programme plan for my trainees that I wouldn’t attempt myself. Despite following my own programme religiously for a number of years (with two years off for Covid restrictions) I decided to begin the Rep 420 Challenge.

I’m currently in a slight calorie deficit hypertrophy phase of my own programme, so the Rep 420 isn’t a million miles away from that. Changing it up slightly is always exciting and rewarding both mentally and physically. For me, something new to attempt in the gym gives me that funny zippy feeling in the belly. The adrenalin keeps me going back for more.

How The Rep 420 Works

* The 420 reps is one workout which takes around one hour.

* It is a full body workout using just free weight (dumbbells, barbell and kettlebells).

* Rest periods are short and most rounds are completed as supersets.

* There are 7 exercises which will be performed over 6 sets in total. The end result is a huge amount of reps and a kick ass workout!

But that’s just one day! A second 420 reps is performed on another day plus at least one isolation workout (I plan 2/3 isolation sessions on top of two 420 workouts) per week.

The high reps will contribute to muscle adaptation, sarcoplasmic and myofibrilic hypertrophy and a firm nod towards fat burn as long as I stay within my calorie deficit.

I have a few trainees currently trialling a 420 workout with a view of launching this programme next month. Contact me for details if you’d like to trial it. I always appreciate the feedback.

Thanks for reading!

shay.pt@hotmail.com

The Smith Machine Donkey Kick

A little introduction to the Smith machine…

The Smith machine is becoming more and more popular due to its versatility. And yet when LA gym owner Jack LaLanne first rigged a sliding bar in his gym back in the 50’s I don’t think that the piece of kit was necessarily designed to be versatile. Even when it was modified by a trainer called Rudi Smith to what we now know as the Smith machine I doubt that it was ever supposed to be anything but a squat and press machine.

As a squat and press machine the jury is still out. Unless you are also performing free weight squats the Smith is a poor alternative according to a recent report stating that free weight squats activated muscle 43% more than with a Smith.

“So why big up the Smith machine if it’s no good, Shay?!”

Well it’s a great bit of kit if you are going to Smith squat as well as free weight squat. But on top of that, for the past 70 years trainers and gym goers have been coming up with some very clever ideas to isolate their muscles to further enhance their hypertrophy and ‘toning’. After all, squats are one of the best compounds that you can perform but without the finishing touches then we might not always get the shape that we desire.

Enter the Smith Donkey Kick!

I would consider the Donkey Kick to be up there with the very best of glute isolation techniques, especially on a Smith. Remember I’ve talked about the need for progression in our workouts? Well eventually you will need a new way to stimulate your gluteals past your usual body weight kicks. If you’re a man reading this you might not think that Smith Donkey kicks apply to you. Wrong! Just because you don’t see other men perform them doesn’t mean you shouldn’t. A recent survey by Gentleman’s Journal showed that 62% of females find a good ass attractive. And if you’re like me and you’re already taken and you don’t feel the need to peacock anymore then a good ass can be satisfying for your own self esteem too. We all turn in the mirror to give our own ass a good squeeze right?!….Or is that just me? Ok…. Moving on!

The vast majority of Smith Donkey kickers are female, that’s true. And if you were to ask any of them to give up one aspect of their training they wouldn’t choose the SDK. It has become an essential part of booty isolation because of the results that they get from performing it. But they also do the tough free weight squats and deadlifts too, so don’t think you can kick your way out of doing the heavy stuff too.

The BOTTOM Line

The fact is that our muscles need as much stimulus as possible to produce new lean muscle that can make us look and feel great in a pair of jeans, dress or shirt. But not just that. It enhances performance for our sport, general fitness goals and in every day life. An independent 80 year old who can still walk, stand from a seated position and climb out of a bath tub will more than likely have a history in participating in a sport, performing compound movements and working on muscle development as a younger person.

So seeing as I enjoy a quote from the great philosophers of our time, as Ice Cube once said…”You can do it. Put your back in to it. Put your ass in to it.”

Thank you for reading! Please check out my other articles on gym life, family life and nutrition on my site.

Is A Behind The Neck Shoulder Press Safe To Perform?

Over the past few years I have started to hear reports that the behind-the-neck shoulder press is dangerous and is best to sack it off from your workout. In this article I will give you the pros and cons of this technique and delve into the reasons why this movement is increasingly becoming a dinosaur.

Ok, so first here’s my story and my background on the BNSP…

The Wheely Bin?!

This used to be a staple move for me to perform some 20 years ago as I felt that it completed my shoulder workout. Later I will explain why. I knew that the range in which I was exposing my rotator cuffs was putting them under extra stress, yet I continued to perform them with good results (no apparent injury with trapezius and rear delt hypertrophy).

But I did sustain an injury about 10 years ago which had nothing to do with any exercise in the gym. During my weekly task of putting the wheely bin out at home I grabbed the handle to pull it down the garden path. The wheely bin was obviously heavier than I had anticipated and as I pulled the handle the bin stayed in place. I heard a tear come from my rotator cuff. My fault of course as I hadn’t made a full assessment of the load I wanted to move. It was late, I was tired and my Homer Simpson pyjamas weren’t the height of fashion for the neighbors to see. I wanted the job done quickly. Doh!

Take Injury Rehab Seriously

Fortunately, I knew how to repair such an injury as I have lots of experience in doing so. I continued to train, but I left out any techniques that could damage it further. That included the BNSP. In fact anything that involved lifting above the head was dealt with extreme care. The amount of injuries that I see from gym goers that don’t heal or get worse is saddening. Injury rehabilitation is a skill that too many people aren’t prepared to pay for. I don’t enjoy having to pay for a car mechanic when my car is knackered, but I appreciate and enjoy the benefits of doing so.

There’s no denying that a BNSP is very beneficial in hitting the rear delts like no other press. And to train muscle groups equally without creating an imbalance then it should remain a useful technique to perform. However, consider using a lighter barbell or even using a Smith machine to keep your movement flush.

The Smith machine could provide an alternative way of performing a free weight BNSP

The Bottom Line…

Any exercise can cause injury if it is performed incorrectly. And sometimes you get unlucky. Injury occured even with impeccable form. There are instances where I would not prescribe a BNSP to my clients but I know their abilities and past injuries so, although I am a PT, I am not your PT. So if you have poor shoulder mobility it is likely that this is not an exercise that you should be doing without support and advice from a professional who knows you.

Thanks for reading! If you enjoy my content take a look on my home page for gym advice and motivation.

Shay.