Everyone wants a flat belly and round buttocks, and not vice versa. That’s why girls start exercising with a bar.
Exercises with weight really help to create a relief body — we can’t argue with that. However, orthopedists advise you to pay attention not only to the belly and buttocks, but also to the back and legs.
Barbell squatting
Just walk into any fitness club and you will certainly see someone squatting with a barbell. This exercise is perfect for the shape, elasticity and volume of the buttocks. However, in the long run, it can be dangerous for the lower back and the knees.
This kind of squatting requires very precise performance, due to the high vertical load on the lumbar spine and the knee joints. If you are sure your technique is correct (and that beauty requires sacrifice), then at least use a weightlifting belt. It will help prevent a deflection in the lower back, which can lead to protrusions and hernias of intervertebral disks.
A good way to prevent damage to the knee joints is taping – the application of special adhesive tapes to the area around the knee, creating reliable support of the muscle tissue and the joint.
A leg press
Those who have heard about the dangers of squatting choose leg press, thinking it is less dangerous but no less effective.
However, this exercise can lead to the same dangerous consequences as squatting with a barbell does, if you do not do it properly. To avoid injuries of the lower back and the spine, make sure that your lower back is pressed to the seat when you perform this exercise. In addition, you should not straighten the legs in the knee joints completely: this causes excessive load and leads to their progressive destruction.
Deadlift
Deadlift is one of the most popular exercises in gyms. With proper technique, it helps to work the back muscles, buttocks, rear thighs, and abdomen.
However, few people can learn to do it perfectly from the very beginning. Most make a critical mistake: either they not bend at all or bend too much at the waist. As a result, the load is not on the muscles, but on the spine, which strongly affects intervertebral discs and gradually leads to the development of hernia or a protrusion.
In this exercise, it is important to use the lifter belt, regardless of weight lifted.
Hyperextension
The shortest way to a flatter stomach and slim waist is hyperextension – an exercise performed on a Roman chair. During this exercise, intervertebral discs and facet joints of the lumbosacral spine are subjected to very severe load. Therefore, not everyone is allowed to do it, even if the technique is correct.
For those who have problems with the lower back or those who feels uncomfortable when doing this exercise, it is necessary to give up its classical variant. Alternatively, you can perform the extension on a Swiss ball or lying on the floor, raising the body and the legs simultaneously. It will take longer to achieve the desired result (flat stomach), but at least it is safe.
Full amplitude abs
Although visitors of fitness clubs now tend to work out the upper and lower abs separately, yet many do crunches trying to touch the knees with their elbows or forehead.
Most experts have acknowledged this exercise outdated and dangerous: it is harmful to the lumbar spine. It is because the compression load on the lower back during exercise exceeds the acceptable threshold. Not so long ago, this exercise was even excluded from US Naval Forces’ physical training tests.
