Squats are bad for you!
There are no loos in the outback. Whatcha gonna do?
Full deep squats done in a controlled manner are in fact very good for you, and I would recommend doing them daily ,
especially if you have bad knees. It stops the glue from setting...
"Machine" squats and badly executed squats under load are bad for you.
Here is a good summary :
Squats
I'm a lady! Lifting weights will give me big muscles !
Forget all you've ever seen about bodybuilders and olympic weightlifters.
They are at the extremes of weight training . A bodybuilder trains relatively light weights to failure, isolating muscles
, eating heaps and I'm afraid in many instances , taking large doses of supplements and steroids.
Weightlifters build dense , strong muscle around their pre-existing bodytype
which can be light/medium/heavy build. But they are using very heavy weights i.e. 50/100/150 kg. Gireviks use the whole body
to lift relatively light weights without emphasis on isolating body parts. Men can grow significant amounts of muscle with
appropriate training (high volume , eating hugely ) but women have insignificant testosterone levels , so I can guarantee
you won't grow big muscles, just strong functional ones whilst reducing body fat ( that is the "toning" aim of many).
More on this myth
Lactic acid is bad and makes you sore
Actually , it's fuel for your muscles
Children should not lift weights!
From the American National Strength and Conditioning Association's textbook "Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning",
page 175.
"A common misperception is that resistance training will stunt the statural growth of children. While resistance
training does not affect the genotypic maximum, resistance training probably has a favorable influence on growth at any stage
of development, as long as appropriate guidelines are folllowed."
Page 174
"Children as young as age 6 have
benefited from resistance training, and a variety of training modalities -- including modified adult-sized weight machines,
child-sized weight machines, free weights (barbells and dumbbells), and bodyweight calisthenics -- have proven to be effective.
Strength gains of roughly 30% to 40% have been typically observed in untrained, preadolscent children following short-term
(8- to 20-week resistance training programs)..."
Page 177
"Even 1RM (repetition maximum) testing in children
is safe, provided that appropriate training guidelines are followed (i.e., adequate warm-up periods, individual progression
of loads, and close supervision)."
Pages 176-177
"Paradoxically, it seems that the forces placed on the joints
of children during sport participation may be far greater than those generated from resistance training programs. The belief
that resistance training is dangerous for children is not consistent with the needs of children and the documented risks associated
with this type of training."
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