1. Leg Extensions: You’ve already spent most of the day in a seated position. The last thing you need to do is train your legs from that same position. As someone who spends any amount of time sitting we have to be sure that our workout routines are well balanced. Providing exercises that focus more on quality movement patterns and less on specific muscle groups. Truth is leg extensions may be doing more harm than help. Passive structures in the knee (ligaments) are stressed more in open chain exercises like the leg extension which can lead to future knee pain and range of motion problems. During the knee extension several stabilizing muscles are taken out of the movement creating an imbalance of work done by primary movers and synergistic stabilizers. In other words, this is an injury waiting to happen.

Alternatives

*Dynamic Lunges
*Step-Ups
*Front Squats
*Terminal Knee Extensions or Backwards Walking for any individuals with knee impairments

2. Military Pressing: Few people, not excluding high level athletes possess optimal shoulder build to be able to do this exercise “safely”. I put safely in quotes because you may not suffer an acute injury from shoulder presses, but chances are down the road you may develop some sort of impingement. Understand this is not a matter of poor training or weak musculature. It is simply a matter of how you are built. This is not to say that Military Presses can’t have their place in a well planned out exercise program. Let’s face it; the average computer guy geek has sub-optimal posture in the first place. The last thing we want to try and do is have him press heavy weights over his head. The outcome could be very dangerous. For our purposes in the gym, I believe much safer exercises can be used to create even better results without this risk.

Alternatives

*Push-Ups (there is a large variety)
*Gators
*Press-Outs

3. Sit-Ups: Everybody’s favorite exercise. If not for great looking abs then surely they are good for “core” strength and your lower back right? The truth is, when you perform a Sit-Up you are using very little abdominal strength and a whole lot of hip flexor strength. Contracting these hip flexors and flexing forward can create excessive amounts of compression on our lower spine. For anyone who sits for any length of time during the day this is not an ideal situation. Most geeks need more abdominal strength but there are much safer and more effective ways to go about getting it.

Alternatives

*Planks and Side Planks
*Reverse Pull-Ins
*Jack Knives
*Chop and Lift

4. Bench Press: Another favorite exercise to most average gym goers. But here we sit, not the “average” person. One of the last things we as geeks want to do is reinforce our tendency to be slumped with our shoulders rolled forward. After all this is the position most of us are in the majority of the day if we spend any time at a computer. Unfortunately our friend the bench press is only going to do more hurt than help when it comes to this negative posture. Don’t worry though, like the others there are plenty more exercises that can be used to get the same and most likely better results. Most of which allow our shoulder blades to move freely throughout the exercise which actually reinforces a more desired posture.

Alternatives

*Push-Ups
*Cable presses (unilateral or bilateral)
*Gators

5. Upright Rows: When it comes to the upright row I struggle to find a reason why anyone would need this movement. If this is in your routine I suggest you take a moment to re-evaluate what your goals are in the gym. Keeping your forearms internally rotated while you abduct your upper arms is a recipe for impingement.

Alternatives

*Barbell Rows
*Dumbbell Rows
*Face Pulls
*Cable Row Variations

Conclusion: When designing yourself an exercise program it is important to create goals and choose exercises based on their potential benefits as well as risks. As geeks we have to be mindful of our posture and the implications it will have on our workouts. It may not be a glamorous approach but in the long run it will be the most effective approach regardless of what our goals may be. Remember, if you get injured working out it won’t matter what those goals are because you won’t be able to work out at all.

I went over the split squat and the reverse lunge already.  Now lets get to the one you’ve been waiting for.  The Dynamic Lunge.  The Dynamic lunge requires a little more control than the reverse lunge and also deals with a little more impact as well as propulsion.  If your goal is to train your legs for function, the dynamic lunge is going to be one of your best tools.  If you’re goal is to develop solid looking legs made of steel, again, not many exercises will beat the dynamic lunge.

Primary muscles worked.

• Quadriceps
• Glutes

Stabilizers

• Abdominals
• Obliques
• Hip Flexors
• Adductors
• Glute Medius

Tips:

1.  It is extremely important that you keep your torso tall throughout the movement.  Do NOT dip, flex, or extend you upper body at any point.  This is a sign of a weak core or poor mobility.

2.  A deeper step will target your glutes more, while a shallow step will target more you quadriceps.

3.  If the movement proves to be too difficult/painful, regress back to a reverse lunge or split squat.

One of my favorite exercises for first time squatters is the Box Squat.  The Box Squat reinforces a good hip dominant squatting pattern which is what most newbies in the gym need to learn.  If you’re uncomfortable with other styles of squats, give box squatting a try.  The box works almost as training wheels until you’re comfortable squatting without support.

Note: I tend to use the box squat for beginners, but that does not limit this exercise to just the newbies.  Many elite power lifters rely on this movement to help improve their lifts.

Primary muscles worked.

• Quadriceps
• Glutes

Stabilizers

• Abdominals
• Obliques
• Hip Flexors
• Spinal Errectors

Tips:

1.  Keep the weight towards your heels as you sit your hips back and towards the bench.

2.  Drive through your heels straight up and out of the seated position, do not drag your hips on the bench.

3.  Do not unload your legs once you’re in the seated position.  Keep your legs tense and tight.

4.  As with all squatting movements, be sure to squeeze your glutes (buttocks) at the top of the movement.

The Reverse Lunge is a great exercise for people looking for something a little more challenging than a split squat, but are not quite ready for the dynamic forward lunge.  Because the driving leg of the reverse lunge stays grounded, you create less impact to the knee joint then you would when doing the dynamic forward lunge.  That’s why I suggest the reverse lunge as a natural progression from the split squat when it comes to training the legs.

Primary muscles worked.

• Quadriceps
• Glutes

Stabilizers

• Abdominals
• Obliques
• Glute Medius
• Adductors
• Hip Flexors

Tips:

1.  When doing the reverse lunge keep your torso tall throughout the entire movement and do not break posture.

2.  Coming from the bottom to the top, really drive through your front heel and squeeze your buttocks at the top of the movement.

3.  For added difficulty, try adding weight or alternating legs.

The Wall Sit is one of my favorite exercises for beginners looking to build some strength in their legs, especially their quadriceps.

Doing a wall sit is also a good temporary option when dealing with knee or low back issues that seem to be aggravated by doing regular squats.  Keep in mind though that this exercise is not a complete substitute for doing regular squats.  If you have knee or back pain, there is usually an underlying issue.  The average person should be able to perform a squat with no pain to the joints.

Primary muscles worked.

• Quadriceps

Stabilizers

• Glute Medius
• Adductors
• Hamstrings
• Abdominals

Tips:

1.  Keep a good posture when doing the wall sit.  You should have a natural curve in your lower back, shoulders should be back and down, and the back of your head should be touching the wall.

2.  Brace your abdominals and focus on your breathing.  Long deep breaths into your abdomen.  This is good practice for athletes who need to work on their breathing while holding an athletic position.

3.  Try to get your knee angle as close to 90 degrees as possible.  The higher you sit, the easier the exercise.

4.  Hold the wall sit for time.  Start small with 15 – 30 second holds and work your way up to a full minute.