TAC Injury Swap
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At TAC Fitness, we care about your health and want you to avoid injury! With these three modifications to three different exercises – protect yourself while building strength!
The Move: The Romanian Deadlift
Muscles worked: Hamstrings, Gluteus Maximus, Quadriceps, Adductor Magnus, Erector Spinae, Upper Trapezius
Modification for safe back strengthening.
We can modify the Romanian Deadlift by shortening the distance of this exercise and using one kettlebell with start position directly between your feet. If you have tight and hamstrings and have trouble bending all the way to the ground, try placing the weight on step so that you do not have as far bend over. This will put less strain on your hamstrings allowing you to do a proper hip hinge, in neutral spine as you perform the deadlift. Overtime, this work will help increase your range of motion.
The Move: The Squat
Muscles worked: Hamstrings, Gluteus Maximus, Quadriceps, Adductor Magnus, Erector Spinae, Upper Trapezius Upper back, Latissimus Dorsi, Abdominals
Modification for building trunk stability while protecting sore or injured knees.
Instead of a traditional squat, try using a stability ball to guide your movement. Lean against a wall and place the stability ball in your small of your back. Position your feet to be hip width apart, toes are slightly turned out. Then walk your feet out in front of you to a diagonal position. Slowly, sit your hips back and bend your knees, keeping your spine in neutral. Your knees should line up on top of your ankles. Adjust accordingly if the knees are extending past the feet. This will take pressure off of your knees. Once you get the feel for this you can add dumbbells to the movement, extending the arm on the way down and doing a bicep curl on the way up.
The Move: Shoulder Lateral Raise
Muscles worked: Lateral Deltoid, Anterior Deltoid, Trapezius muscles
Modification for pain free approach to building shoulder strength.
The traditional position for a lateral raise has your palms facing the floor. The humerus or upper arm bone sits in the shoulder socket in a position that can create pinching in the front of the shoulder during the movement. The modification is to rotate the the palms to face inward, into scaption so that the thumb points up. The humerus is then positioned to meet the shoulder socket in a optimal orientation that eliminates the pinching. Now the rotator cuff muscles are aligned properly to stabilize the humerus head into the shoulder socket. This creates the foundational support for the prime mover, the lateral deltoid and the synergist muscles, the anterior deltoids and trapezius muscles to perform the lateral raise movement without pain.