Theres a lot of stupid stuff on Instagram the narcissists social network While I dont use it myself (my social media manager posts stuff from my account), clients often send me stuff they see on Instagram, and over 90% of it makes me facepalm.
Ironically/sadly, a lot of people posting stupid stuff have a lot of followers. Hence, stupidity perpetuates itself. But thats OK, because it gives me lots of material to rant against in my articles 😀
Even sadder is that a lot of stupid stuff is posted by personal trainers what I call Insta Trainers.
Heres my definition of an Insta Trainer: may or may not be certified. May or may not have any real life clients. Posts lots of content. Over 50% of it is incorrect. Has lots of followers, so people assume this person is correct. After all, they said that theyre correct. So they must be correct. They said that theyre a trainer. They just dont post any client success stories. Trainers who post client success stories show expertise. Trainers who post selfies show vanity.
Shots fired!
Anyways, with that cynical intro out of the way, lets talk about 4 stupid things I often see on Instagram.
In no particular order:
Stupid Thing #1: Obsession with Jumps
You see a lot of people doing jumps on Instagram. For the vast majority of people, it doesnt make any sense whatsoever.
Why people do it: there are a few reasons why people do it:
- Its difficult.
- It gets your heart rate up.
- It works the glutes.
Why its stupid:
- People who jump because they find it difficult confuse difficulty with effectiveness. Difficulty for the sake of difficulty doesnt make sense. Difficulty for the sake of progress makes sense.
- Yes, it gets your heart rate up, but its not the only method to get your heart rate up. How about finding ways to get your heart rate up without prematurely wearing out your joints? How about good ol fashioned cardio, like cycling, swimming, rowing, jogging, etc.?
- Theres a difference between working the glutes and growing the glutes. Most people who work the glutes want to grow the size of the muscle. Jumps dont increase the size of muscles. They increase the power of the muscles (and even then, only if you do it right), but not the size.
Theres nothing inherently bad about jumps, its just that most people are not using them properly. Jumps are neither good, nor bad. Just a tool in the toolbox. And just like any tool, its how you use it. A hammer is a good tool to put a nail in the wall. A hammer is not a good tool to screw in a screw.
Same with jumps. The vast majority of the gym-going population has no business jumping (and I dont put skipping rope into this category).
Jumps are a good tool for power development.
Jumps are a VERY bad tool for:
- Cardio
- Strengthening muscles
- Increasing muscle size
- Getting leaner
Inherently, because jumps are a high-impact exercise, you shouldnt do many reps of it. Just 3-10 reps per set, for 2-8 sets per workout (the upper end if youre very advanced). And you should rest for a relatively long time in between sets (2+ minutes).
Most people simply dont have the pre-requisite strength to include high-impact jumps into their routine.
Also, the vast majority of the gym going population, who just wants to lose fat and gain muscle has no use for jumps anyways. Thats not what jumps are used for. Wrong tool for the job.
Stupid Thing #2: Too Much Abduction, Not Enough Adduction
Abduction is when you move the thigh away from midline. Like when you see a resistance band tied around the knees/thighs, and you push out against it.
I believe the whole trend to do a million exercises with a booty band (thats the resistance band you use) came from womens desire to make their butt as big as a Kardashians without surgery .
And hey, nothing wrong with a well-developed butt. In fact, its one of the 8 wonders of the world (in my opinion, anyway).
The problem happens when all you do is abduction, without balancing it out with adduction (bring the thigh towards midline).
This creates muscle imbalances around the hip, and puts you at risk for groin strains and groin tears.
So dont stop all the booty bands we like it. But counterbalance it with an equal amount of work for your adductors.
Stupid Thing #3: Lateral Raises with the Pinkies Up
Youll often see gym bros (and occasionally, bro-ettes) doing these ones.
Why do they do it? Really, for 1 simple reason: to build up the posterior deltoids.
Why its stupid:
The reason this one is stupid falls under the category of building the muscle while breaking the joint.
The only thing that the folks who do this know is muscles. They dont know joints or tendons.
But the lateral raise with the pinky up position might be the worst position you can put the shoulder in. Why? Because in the world of orthopedic medicine, thats the position they use to test for impingement (when a tendon gets caught between two bones). Its called the empty can test.
And these InstaBros are doing it voluntarily. Building up the muscle, but purposely pinching their tendon with every rep, without knowing it.
So why not use exercises that build up the posterior deltoid, without grinding away the tendon? Theres plenty of those. Theres good ol rear delt flyes, bent over flyes, and others that are both muscle-friendly, and joint friendly. Why do you have to sacrifice the joint for the sake of the muscle? You dont. You can have strong muscles and healthy joints.
Ill tell you why this exercise became popular: it looks cool. Theres the regular lateral raise. But when they point their pinky upwards, it looks like they know something other people dont. And they do how to destroy tendons.
Stupid Thing #4: Triceps Kickbacks
While this one doesnt damage the joint, it does fall under the category of almost ineffective. Why? Because for the vast majority of the range of motion, theres no resistance, since the dumbbell is hanging down. Only towards the final 20-30% is there an appreciable amount of resistance.
So why do people do it?
- Its easy
- You can look cool by using a lot of weight.
Why its stupid: besides the reason mentioned earlier, you can spend 30 seconds doing an almost ineffective exercise, or you can spend the same 30 seconds doing an effective exercise that makes you stronger through nearly 180 degrees, instead of just 20-30. An example would be an overhead triceps extension.
