When I was younger, my mother made a comment about something she’d seen on the news. Apparently, that night’s story was about how “…a recent study finds that [fill in the blank] may cause cancer.” In response, my mom said, “You know, after a while, even apples will be bad for you! They make me sick, everything is bad for you eventually.” That statement has stayed with me for decades. Partially because I’ve wondered who exactly they were and more importantly why she kept trusting the information they shared. Over the years, I’ve heard people of every level/type of intelligence put faith in what they say. It’s because of this societal norm that I try to think critically about the information that I receive. Further, I encourage anyone that’s listening to (or reading) me to think critically about what I say (or write). I often remind my clients to take things a step further and research any information I’ve passed along.
It’s worth mentioning… Researching facts is different from performing a Google search. I’m not suggesting that you blow the dust off of that World Book Encyclopedia. But, for information that has been vetted (read: not from some dumbass magazine) check out Google Scholar. I’m also a fan of the Journal of Applied Physiology for exercise-specific research. Above, I mentioned passing along information. Remember the pitfalls of the telephone game. Don’t take your perception of your coach’s information and attempt to research what you feel they said. Instead, make sure that you understand what they’re dropping on you before you try to debunk it. I often get the, “Jet, what should I eat?”, question. I always give the same reply. “I’m not going to tell you what to eat. I can tell you what works for my body and why it works. You should experiment with different foods to see how your body responds.” Despite that spiel, people still come back to me and claim that I recommended eating X-Y-Z. No. I didn’t.
My apologies for the digression. This post was inspired by the mentality of people in a scholarly field that will go to a weekend seminar (or online webinar), hear a new angle/suggestion/approach to a common problem, and then come back to the general population to spread this new gospel without thinking critically. During a recent visit to a doctor, I explained that my wrist had been in pain for a while after a dance move had gone awry. I went on to explain that I was unable to do push-ups since I couldn’t place my wrist into extension without pain. She then said, “you shouldn’t be doing push-ups anyway.” After she made the statement, she searched my face making intentional eye contact as if she were expecting a response/debate. I didn’t let her down. Out of an attempt to keep the story as accurate as possible (based on my imperfect memory) I’ll hold off on using anymore quotes. The remainder of the conversation went something like this:
Me: No one should be doing push-ups? What!? That doesn’t make any sense. Doc: 95% of our clients have rounded shoulder posture and push-ups accentuate that. Me: While that may be true, 95% of your clients can’t do a push-up. So, why would you tell them not to do something they can’t do in the first place? What about bench presses? Doc: Are those the ones where you go like this? *her arms raised up at an awkward angle* Me: I don’t know what that is but I’m talking about a bench press. *I laid down on my back and mimicked the movement. Doc: No, they shouldn’t be doing those. Me: You don’t even know what a bench press is, yet you’re suggesting people stop doing them!? *I waived my hand in a dismissive manner in her direction.* (At this point in the conversation I’d lost all respect for her credibility on the subject.) Doc: What happens when you do either of those exercises? The pushing motion adds to the rounded shoulder posture! It’s like the forward head posture that comes from bridges. Me: Yeah, but if the modernization of our society has lead the majority of the working world to sit in cars with rounded shoulders, sit at computers with rounded shoulders, and to stare at their phones with forward head posture, think about how many hours per day that people are doing those things as opposed to the maybe 60 cumulative seconds per day that they might do some push-ups (for those that are even able to do push-ups properly). Wouldn’t it make more sense to change the ergonomics of their work environment than to run around telling people (especially athletes) that no one should be doing push-ups? Where’s your logic/science to back up this statement? Doc: Do you expect me to rattle off who performed the study and cite a research article? Me: Actually, yes. I do expect that. If you’re going to work in a scholarly position, present an argument to someone that’s studying these very subjects (in school and through personal experience), and expect to be taken seriously, yes. You bet your degree that I expect you to cite your sources. Even when you do, that’s not going to stop me from thinking critically because they say that push-ups are bad for us now.
For anyone (especially Doctors that don’t lift) reading this that plan to present an argument telling someone what should not be done. Here are some things to consider.
1.) Offer Alternatives. You can’t tell a contortionist not to stretch any more than you can tell a fish not to swim. Start by telling the whole story. It’s an annoyance of mine when I hear coaches tell part of the story. “Coffee dehydrates you!” How many times have you heard it? That’s not the whole story (and therefore it’s misleading.) Coffee tends to act as a diuretic. Every body metabolizes coffee differently. Therefore, not everyone will respond the same to a cup. It’s only after coffee causes you to poop and pee (if it affects you that way) and your body eliminates fluids that you will need to replace fluids. But, I am not immediately dehydrated after finishing a cup of coffee. I will happily concede to her argument that improper push-up form is horrible for the neck and shoulders. This is what I see most often and this just looks painful.
However, instead of telling a room full of people to avoid push-ups because of seeing the above, I’m going to offer alternatives. I’ll explain to the people in the room why their butts tend to go up (weak core recruits help from the low back and the butt goes up). I’ll explain why their hands are in the wrong position and how it will cause shoulder pain (placing the fingertips under the deltoids before the first push-up is ideal). I’ll explain why the neck gets out of alignment and how to correct it with a visual cue (I draw a dot on the floor and remind them to focus on that spot). In short, I’ll offer alternatives instead of telling an entire population that pushing exercises are bad for them. It’s worth mentioning… Because of all of the sitting we do in our daily lives we need to get in the habit of doing the opposite (pulling exercises) in our weekly workout routine. That does not mean that you should just row all day everyday. But, talk to your trainer about your daily posture and how to counteract it with stretch and strengthening exercises.
2.) Get some first-hand experience. As I mentioned in the anecdote above, I don’t tell people what to eat. That’s because I have no first-hand experience as a Registered Dietitian or Nutritionist [Here’s a good break down between the two.] I also don’t tell Chiropractors how to adjust spines because I have no first-hand experience. So, if you don’t have any experience strengthening your anterior chain, perhaps you should get some before you tell people to stop doing so.
When I was a performance poet, the best advice that I ever received was to never take criticism/suggestions from those that are unqualified. I had written a book of poetry and I let a computer programmer friend read it. He asked me about one poem in particular. “What are you saying here?” *he waved his hand over two and a half pages of text* “I’m telling this woman that I love her!” I replied. “Why not just say that, instead of writing all of this?” That’s when I understood why I should never take suggestions from unqualified people.
It’s worth mentioning… There are plenty of computer programmers with artistic intelligence and an appreciation for half-way decent poetry. The gentleman in my story was a human calculator. Be careful with whom you share your art. Be careful with whom you discuss your workout.
3.) Go After The Big Fish. When many activities exacerbate a problem, suggesting that I eliminate the least likely contributor to said problem seems like you’re grasping at straws and it causes me to question your credibility. Here’s the biggest fish in my opinion. Does this picture look familiar? Think about how many hours a day this is happening to your body and make an effort to change this habit.
I’m lucky enough to work in a field where I’m always moving around and active. I used to work a desk job and I looked like this picture. Encourage your supervisor to invest in ergonomic workstations and be sure to take ergonomic (walking around) breaks. Attack this big fish of postural deterioration. This, in fact, is bad for you.
4.) Stop vilifying exercise. Fitness professionals of today have the same thing in common with fitness professionals of the 1990s. For well over 20 years we’ve been trying to get the majority of the population to move their bodies for 20 minutes a day for 3 days a week (minimum). We still aren’t successful. Everyone will agree that exercise is good for the body. But, few people tend to workout for the aforementioned minimum amount of time. When they say that crunches, push-ups, planks, bridges, etc. are bad and should be stopped then it tends to discourage people that are already confused about the what the right exercise is for them. Body shaming magazines, infomercials suggesting fast results, and myths about “muscle confusion” have confused people enough. Doctors shouldn’t add to the confusion. If you want to make a difference, talk to coaches and explain to them the problems that certain exercises can cause, why they’re causing those problems, and then see #1 above. Without alternatives, you end up being the non-athlete telling athletes what not to do. No one will respect your opinion on the matter. It would be like me telling Tiger Woods what club to use.
It’s worth mentioning… Fitness Coaches and Doctors should be allies, not enemies. Does your Doctor even lift? If they don’t, introduce them to your trainer. Talk to your Doctor about positions your body should avoid. Take that information to your coach (or your lover-HA!) and let them guide you from there.
Are push-ups bad for you? When executed properly, no. They’re not. Will apples be bad for you? Perhaps if you forget to chew! Will bench presses cause cancer? Probably not. But, maybe it’s time you changed your work set up to be more ergonomic and raised your phone up to your line of sight instead of hanging your head to stare at videos of cats riding Roombas. There are much worse things for you than push-ups. But, don’t take my word for it. Do your own research and stop listening to what they say.