Dead Dogma
Very recently I’ve found myself realizing that a lot of the exercises and methods that I believed to be useless are in fact not so. They are tools like anything else, and when applied to the right context, can be beneficial like anything else.
Consider isolation exercises for a moment. In the Weightlifting and CrossFit community, even as little as three years ago, it was demonized to do chest exercises. And yet, there was also a common shoulder injury called “CrossFit shoulder”. The chest is a major muscle group that keeps the shoulder healthy. If every movement you do is overhead work, eventually you are going to run into issues if you don’t have a large portion of the muscles around the shoulder assisting.
Even the smith machine has its place. I have yet to find something that works my whole leg without requiring a ton of stabilization. Try out Split Squats on it, which I learned from one of my favorite bodybuilders, John Meadows (@mountaindog1).
The point is, every exercise has its place, and it might just be the key to breaking through some plateaus you may have, so don’t write anything off as useless.
…Except Bosu Balls. Those are definitely useless.
Hopefully, you found this useful! If you’re interested in any of my coaching or programs, you can find them here! Otherwise, make sure to join my free discord to get access to form checks, weightlifting advice, and stay up to date on program launches, events, and other cool stuff!
-Coach Brian