Alternative Exercises

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flrancho
flrancho Posts: 271 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I've been doing an ice cream fitness program for beginners the past couple weeks. Part of the workouts are back extentions done on some sort of platform/bench device as well as cable crunches.

I'm pretty intimidated by the freeweight stuff anyway, but I also have dislocating knee caps. I got brave today and did freeweight squats instead of using the squat machine. I had every intention of trying the back extentions on that bench, but after watching a man use it while I was doing a different lift, I really think its just going to put too much torque on my knees for me to really feel comfortable with trying it out. I looked around for a cable that I could use for cable crunches, but all the ones I see are pretty high up, they're not near the ground where you could be sitting on your knees, holding the cable by your shoulders and doing crunches. I may have seen one as I was about to leave, but I'm not sure. In any case, I have some minor qualms about getting down on my knees on the floor - I can get on the floor without a problem, its the putting my weight on my knees while I do crunches I['m not sure about.

In the meantime, I've done the crunches and the back extentions on the other side of the room where they have the machines. I know the freeweights are better than the machines, and I feel like I'm never going to have the body I want if I can't exercise these areas of my body the way I want to because of my knees.

Is there an alternative freeweight exercise I can do for the cable crunches and back extentions on that bench that will utilize the same muscles and won't be as hard on my knees? I don't mind doing crunches or back extentions, I just need a different way to do them with freeweights that won't put a strain on my knees.

Replies

  • TinyTexn59
    TinyTexn59 Posts: 96 Member
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    check out bodybuilding.com
  • Qskim
    Qskim Posts: 1,145 Member
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    TinyTexn59 wrote: »
    check out bodybuilding.com

    Yes, I was trying to find the link. I looked this up last night for similar reasons (injury plus limited equipment).
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,210 Member
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    Back extensions aren't really necessarily when doing deadlifts, squats, and bent-over rows. Your lower back gets worked plenty in those exercises, so back extensions are rather redundant for most people. So i say skim 'em, or substitute Romanian deadlifts.

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