Injurious exercises in calisthenics

This entry is dedicated mainly to beginners, because, as in all sports, by not performing certain exercises well, there is a possibility of injury. This possibility is also given for expert levels, but it is more likely to occur in beginners because of their low experience. These are the exercises to avoid in calisthenics because of their high probability of injury when starting in the discipline:

1. Abdominal crunch

Since school we are used to doing this exercise. In fact, one of the physical tests for some of us was to see how many abs we could do in a given time. However, far from being positive, this exercise involves an unnatural lumbar flexion that can cause herniated discs and neck pain. The latter happens because there are people who place their hands behind the back of the neck instead of on the chest or the sides of the head. If you want to look like a tablet, there are many other ways to work the abs, such as the hypopressive or the so called "plates".

2. Dominated by the back of the neck

This is an exercise that is too damaging to the shoulders. And this is because the movement prevents the scapular rotation from developing correctly, an obligation if you want to have these joints in a stable and safe position. The technique of domination consists of leaving the chin behind the calisthenics bar and bringing the scapulas as close as possible to the point behind. This must be practiced before and always with the company of a professional.

In the following video, the famous youtuber Kass Calistenia, visually explains why this exercise should not be done.

3. Muscle up

The muscle up is one of the most intense and complicated exercises. It involves raising the body with the arms above the bar, and is one of the objectives to be achieved by all calisthenics athletes. However, it carries a high risk of injury to the shoulders, even if executed perfectly. It is a very complete exercise that is worth learning to do with an adequate progression, but that cannot become habitual.

In conclusion, there are three basic guidelines that can prevent you from leaving the calisthenics park prematurely and they are very simple The first is not to do movements that are beyond our physical capacities; the second is to always warm up, and the third is not to abuse repetitions in an exercise that has not yet been mastered.