Just like crossing the street, you need to be careful during any activity including exercise.
#3 – Skull Crushers – Lying Tricep Extensions
This is a great exercise to stretch, build and elongate the tricep muscle but can have its dangers. Essentially laying on a bench you bring a barbell (usually an E-Z Bar) down slowly over your head and face pressing upwards at an angle using your triceps. Unfortunately during fatigue the muscles can sometimes give out causing a sudden collapse of the bar that could hit or crush your face or skull. Make sure you have a spotter to help protect you and be careful not to “tip the Titanic” using too much weight.
#2 – Barbell Bench Press (Free Barbell)
image credit: © Can Stock Photo / noskaphoto
This is a well known exercise. We have all seen a video of someone who can’t press the weight from their chest and gets trapped under the bar. This can be painful to the rib cage and cause abrasions while trying to escape by tipping the bar. Once again make sure you have a spotter or use a machine bench press instead of a free weight barbell.
#1 – Barbell Squats (Free Barbell)
image credit: © Can Stock Photo / StudioMAK
Squats are one of the best exercises you can perform for fitness but be careful using a free barbell especially if you don’t have a cage to set up safety bars. You need to be careful free squatting without a cage or even a spotter as a fall can be devastating. The key safety move if you don’t have a cage with safety bars during a fall or stumble is to release the bar from your back and step forward letting the bar drop to the ground. As with all three of these exercises, a spotter can save you from disaster.
Be safe! Know your limits. Make sure you have a spotter when using heavy weights or recovering from an injury.
Max Brennan is the co-founder and publisher of OptiMYz Media. Brennan’s mantra is to help others be their best. He is a former personal trainer and champion bodybuilder from Chicago, IL now living in Dartmouth, NS, headquarters of OptiMYz Inc.
