Ola folks! Yay, it’s FRIDAY!!

Okay, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist or a degree in Engineering Physics (my brain hurts thinking about that one!) to clue into the fact that the health and fitness industry is BIG BIG BUSINESS!

Worldwide fitness institutions brought in a whopping 80 billion dollars in the last year alone. Sooo, I am willing to bet that more than a few of you have at one time or another cranked up a spinning bike, cut some rug in a Zumba class or thrown around a few rocks in your fave fitness centre.

Apart from the initial excitement of “signing up” and the visions you have of “really getting into shape this time” going to the gym can be daunting at times. It is not uncommon to see people wandering around trying this and that and hoping that they are doing what they are supposed to be doing. Hell, even though I have been in the industry for the better part of two decades, when I am travelling I can come across some machine or contraption of which I have no clue what the devil I am supposed to be doing.

This is when you must put your ego, pride, or embarrassment aside and actually read the instructions, google it on your smartphone and watch a video on the equipment’s operation, call a friend, or actually…gasp…ask one of the staff. Hey, you paid good money for the pleasure of killing yourself in the gym, you don’t want to throw that money into the wind right?

Invariably, you get yourself sorted out, figure it out and off you go. Now, let say one day you are doing your thing and you see “dude walk over to that same piece of equipment that had you virtually dumbfounded one week prior, and “dude” gets on the machine and suddenly is doing something which looks like a chicken and rooster mating dance https://youtu.be/LvLEp8eFNC0

Now, give the dude credit that he is at least trying. I find this guy somewhat refreshing because he doesn’t seem to give a rat’s ass what anyone thinks about his Ninja routine. For the most part, he is harmless to himself and others around him. What scares the bejeezus outta me is “That Guy.” Let’s call him TG for short. Now TG, this is someone who not only puts himself at risk but depending upon what he is doing can put others at risk also.

TG is the strongest man in the world. No doubt about it, he will demonstrate his super-human strength every chance he gets. Not only will he regale you with his incredible feats of strength he will do so despite the fact that:

1. He doesn’t have the slightest clue what is meant by the term “technique”
2. He doesn’t care that he doesn’t know what is meant by the term “technique”
3. He is all about lifting as much weight as possible to impress the ladies and his buddies and anyone else who may glance his way
4. He doesn’t think that a slight mishap could result in serious injury to himself or others around him

Okay, maybe I am being a little harsh. But trust me I have seen this time and time again. And it just isn’t teen-age boys (who seem to get the most press on being TG), it is doctors, and lawyers, and construction workers, etc. This type of behaviour is not limited to any one social class, occupation, or gender. Though my anecdotal evidence suggests it is mostly males (actually come to think of it I have read many studies which actually back up the mostly male theory…that post will be for another day).

Please don’t emulate “That Guy.” TG is not doing himself any favours. He is going to hurt himself, hurt someone else, or in the best-case scenario, he will wonder why it is taking so damn long for him to reach his goals. I cannot stress enough to each and every one of you how important correct technique is when performing any number of exercises or movements. It doesn’t matter if it is a machine, cable apparatus, free weights, TRX, spinning, core class, or whatever. Depending upon what you are doing poor or incorrect technique can limit your performance, contribute to injury, further enhance poor movement patterns, or in an extreme case be the cause of someone else’s injury.

In the case of TG, not only was technique thrown out the window, adding more weight than what he can handle was a recipe for disaster. In this particular case, TG was apparently performing a fairly demanding exercise called a deadlift.

Deadlifts can be performed in a few different variations such as straight-legged, Romanian, conventional, etc. If not performed properly as with many other lifts it can turn you into an accordion pretty fast such as with our friend here.

 

WOW!

 

 

While TG did not turn himself into an accordion on this particular day he certainly did himself no favours with his incredibly bad and unsafe technique. Quite frankly I am not sure how he did not blow out his back. In fact, I had 911 on speed dial just in case.

As I mentioned earlier TG was a young fellow who in this case probably didn’t know any better. But he sure didn’t need “Good Buddy” egging him on to “put some real weight on that bar.” Yes just what Junior needed some helpful advice from GB.

At this point, my wife knows exactly what is going on in my tiny little mind so she sidles up to me and very quietly whispers in my ear “Rich, just let them be.” Despite my better judgement and using every ounce of self-control I patted away the blood being drawn from my upper lip, finished up my training and left the boys to their business.

Please don’t be “that guy” or “that girl.” It is imperative that if you are inexperienced or undertaking a new workout routine to ensure you receive adequate instruction or supervision in order to assure safe and optimal technique. At the very least check out some reputable online sources such as USA Weightlifting or the Canadian Weightlifting Association to get a better idea of proper technique and safety considerations.

Please don’t hesitate to drop me a vine if you should have any questions at all. I would be happy to help you find an appropriate answer or solution to your concern.

Have an awesome weekend!!