by Jim Brady

Created on: October 14, 2008   Last Updated: October 20, 2008

If you're a leg man (or woman) when you go to the gym, and you want to get the old wheels into their best shape, but it's been awhile since that last workout, you might be surprised to learn that a lot of those old gym class favorites are not only out of favor, they're out the dooroverruled by advances in exercise know-how.

SitupsOne at a Time

You remember the old stomach-flattener, the sit-up. You paired off in gym class, somebody held your ankles, and with your hands behind your neck, you started the arduous ascent toward your knees. Or as more than a few of us did, counted each repetition out loud and clear with everyone else, and never left the floor.

Well, those straight-leg situps turn out to be a great way to go straight to the physical therapist. One of those legs has to be flexed with your foot on the ground before you try your sit-up, unless you want your stiff legs to give you a stiff back. Cross your hands across your chest, too, and tell your partner to do the same, since you won't be needing your ankles held anymore.

Deep Knee Bends=Deep Knee Pain

I used to see my father do this one every morning after he got up, holding onto the bathroom sink for balance. Turns out, instead of strengthening his legs, he was taking a chance on injury, because during deep knee bends, the knee is unstable, and too much pressure is put on the joints. If you do them, make sure you take the "deep" out of the knee bend, and never allow the knee joint angle to be anything less than 90 degrees.

One at a Time, Please

Another exercise the flat abs crowd likes is the straight leg raise, where you're on your back and you lift both legs simultaneously to tighten your abdominals. Well, your lumbar region is not going to be happy while all this is going on, and will protest.

Better to keep one leg flexed, with your foot on the ground (just like with your sit-ups) and raise one leg at a time. The abs will still get the message, as you'll discover around rep 10, and you'll keep your back happy, too.

So Near and Yet So Far

Flexibility was always measured by that old standby, touching your toes. They never seemed so far away, those happy little feet of ours, until we tried this exercise. Well, it turns out, all that stretching wasn't doing our back any good, and in fact was a great way to strain it, while at the same time overstressing our hamstrings trying to reach, in many cases, an impossible goal.

All you have to do here is sit down. The same exercise done on the floor (and do it s-l-o-w-l-y and h-o-l-d the stretch when you get as far as you can without pain), gets those hamstrings to show off their elasticity and you to find out what's been going on in those shoes all this time.

The best news of all for those returning to the brave new world of exercise is that unlearning the practices of the past is simple and the end result is an easier way to make exercise a habit and faster, less painful progress toward your fitness goals.

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